Washington State quarterback John Mateer was one of 16 quarterbacks named a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award, the Davey O’Brien Foundation announced Tuesday.
The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. In 1938, O’Brien, who was a star quarterback for TCU, became the first player ever to win the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award in the same year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955.
Anthony Gordon was the last Cougar quarterback named a semifinalist after being selected one of the 16 quarterbacks in 2019.
Mateer, who was named to the Maxwell Award Watch List and Manning Award Watch List, enters the week with 2,332 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns and leading the team with 630 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Mateer entered the week sixth in country in touchdown passes, fifth in total offense (329.1) and leading the country responsible for 22.4 points-per-game. Mateer also enters the week as the only quarterback in the country with 20+ touchdown passes and 10+ rushing touchdowns, owning 22 and 11, respectively.
WSU is 8-1 for the first time since 2018 and entered the week ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press Top-25.
The redshirt-sophomore opened the season setting a school record with six total touchdowns in his first career start, the most by any Cougar quarterback in their first career start. Mateer followed with another school record in the week two win over Texas Tech, setting the top mark for rushing yards by a quarterback with 197 and added two more rushing touchdowns in the win over Washington in Seattle. In the double-overtime win over San Jose State, Mateer became the first player in program history with 300 pass yards and 100 rush yards, recording 501 yards of total offense along the way, the third-best total offense mark in the country this season.
In the win over Hawai’i, Mateer rushed for two touchdowns and threw for three more while completing 23-of-27 passes, the fourth-best completion percentage (85.0) in WSU single-game history. In the win at San Diego State, Mateer rushed for two scores and threw for two scores in his third fourth-quarterback comeback win of the season. Last week in the win over Utah State, Mateer threw four touchdown passes and ran for another.
The Little Elm, Texas native enters the week fifth nationally with 341.0 yards of total offense, seventh with 14.5 yards-per-completion, third in the country with 26 runs of 10+ yards and with 43 missed tackles, the most by any quarterback in the country this season.
Three finalists will be tabbed on Tuesday, Nov. 26, while the winner will be announced live on Thursday, Dec. 12, on The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.
The Davey O’Brien Foundation was created in 1977, and the National Quarterback Award was first issued in 1981. Over its time, the Davey O’Brien Foundation has given away more than $1.3 million in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life.
The 48th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner honoring the winner will be held Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
2024 Davey O’Brien Award Semifinalists
Drew Allar, Penn State, Jr., 6-5, 235, Medina, Ohio
Bryson Daily, Army West Point, Sr., 6-0, 221, Abernathy, Texas
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss, Sr., 6-2, 225, Kaysville, Utah
Quinn Ewers, Texas, Jr., 6-2, 210, Southlake, Texas
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon, Sr., 6-0, 200, Mililani, Hawaii
Blake Horvath, Navy, Jr., 6-2, 195, Hilliard, Ohio
Will Howard, Ohio State, Sr., 6-4, 235, Downingtown, Pa.
Kevin Jennings, SMU, So., 6-0, 185, Oak Cliff, Texas
Cade Klubnik, Clemson, Jr., 6-2, 210, Austin, Texas
John Mateer, Washington State, So., 6-1, 219, Little Elm, Texas
Jalen Milroe, Alabama, Jr., 6-2, 225, Katy, Texas
Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt, Sr., 6-0, 207, Albuquerque, N.M.
Jake Retzlaff, BYU, Jr., 6-1, 205, Corona, Calif.
Kurtis Rourke, Indiana, Sr., 6-5, 223, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, Sr., 6-2, 215, Dallas, Texas
Cam Ward, Miami, Sr., 6-2, 223, West Columbia, Texas
