Seattle Times ~ As money floods college sports, WSU’s Cougar Collective trying to keep up..

[M-I-Coug]

The article was too big to copy and paste on a Reader format. You might be able to access for free, but it is a pay wall...

This article is great PR, and may inspire future big donors...

As money floods college sports, WSU’s Cougar Collective trying to keep up

WSU has struggled to keep up with the big money NIL deals in college sports. Here's how the Cougar Collective is getting creative to keep its players.

www.seattletimes.com

 

[Stretch 74]

The article was too big to copy and paste on a Reader format. You might be able to access for free, but it is a pay wall...

This article is great PR, and may inspire future big donors...

As money floods college sports, WSU’s Cougar Collective trying to keep up

WSU has struggled to keep up with the big money NIL deals in college sports. Here's how the Cougar Collective is getting creative to keep its players.

www.seattletimes.com

Maybe do C/P in sections? Or even just a couple critical sections? I have been blocked by the Times for a long time after accessing 3 or 5 or 10 articles, whatever their limit is. Thanks.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

By
Scott Hanson
Seattle Times staff reporter
The Washington State football team is ranked No. 18 in the country and will be in the conversation of College Football Playoff hopefuls if it wins the rest of its games.
The future might look bright, too. Much of that, though, will depend on the Cougars’ ability to keep their best players, and that is where the Cougar Collective, and the money it raises, comes in.
In this new era of college football, where players can earn money through NIL (name, image and likeness) deals, the Cougar Collective is working to raise money for Cougar athletes through NIL deals and doing it differently than other big programs.
The Cougar Collective, run entirely by volunteers, has focused on getting many small donors, and now is also raising money with beer and coffee, and soon, it hopes, wine.
“Just like anything with the Cougs, you’ve got to be crafty, creative and always chasing,” said WSU football coach Jake Dickert. “You love to see them staying ahead of it and doing different unique things. That piece of it has been a huge positive.”

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

The Cougar Collective has evolved greatly since former WSU and NFL football players Jack Thompson, Robbie Tobeck, Paul Sorensen and Jed Collins joined a handful of other Cougar alums in founding it in 2022. Its purpose then was to help lure quarterback Cam Ward to Pullman.


They were successful, with Ward playing at WSU for two years before moving this season to Miami, where he reportedly has NIL deals valued at more than $2 million. But the priority of the Cougar Collective now is player retention and not recruitment.

“Cougars need to step up so that we can make an offer that’s significant enough to make them pause,” said Tim Brandle, a founding member of the Cougar Collective and its co-chair with Luke Wetzstein, about WSU countering offers players might get elsewhere. “Can we step up monetarily, to truly make it a hard decision for them? That is our goal.”

The Cougars were pretty successful in retaining their top players this past season, losing just two players of great significance, Ward and receiver Josh Kelly (Texas Tech) to other programs.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

That’s a low number in this new era, but there will be a new crop of players to retain after this season, starting with quarterback John Mateer. Sorensen said on his Old Crimson Podcast on Tuesday that Mateer already has a $1 million NIL offer from another program.

Tobeck said, “Cougar Nation needs to realize we have a golden opportunity in front of us.”

“We have this new conference that we’re building, and conference championships and potential playoff runs are right in front of us, and now is the time to capitalize and invest,” he said. “If we say, ‘We’re not happy about it, we want the old Pac-12 back, and I’m going to keep my hands in my pocket because I’m not happy about how things have gone,’ then we’re going to miss this golden opportunity to build a program, a winning program that we’ve always wanted.

“It’s right there in front of us. These other schools, they’re moving forward and they’re going to invest big time. We need to do the same. We have a chance to be the leaders of this new conference, and that’s what’s got me excited.”

Because WSU athletics doesn’t have a huge donor like Oregon’s Phil Knight, or the corporate backing that many big-time programs have, the Cougar Collective got creative, starting with the 1890 club (named after the year WSU was founded).

Members donate $18.90 per month to the Cougar Collective, and the number of monthly donations is about 2,200.


In addition, the Cougar Collective has partnered with Pike Brewing on ‘Ol Crimson Lager, with an undisclosed portion of the proceeds from each beer sold going to Cougar Collective. It has also partnered with Indaba Coffee on Ol’ Crimson Coffee, with some of the proceeds from each bag sold going to the collective.

“I think we’ve doubled (the revenue from the Cougar Collective) every year and this will be our first year of seven figures,” Dickert said. “And that’s just scratching the surface of where you need to be. At this level, when you get a special player, you’ve got to be able to keep them and reward them.”

Thompson is determined to make that happen.

“We’ve come a long way, but we’ve got a long way to go,” said Thompson, college football’s all-time leading passer when he finished his WSU career in 1978. “That 1890 club, candidly, needs to get 30,000 and we need to sell more beer and coffee.”

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

“I think we’ve doubled (the revenue from the Cougar Collective) every year and this will be our first year of seven figures,” Dickert said. “And that’s just scratching the surface of where you need to be. At this level, when you get a special player, you’ve got to be able to keep them and reward them.”

Thompson is determined to make that happen.

“We’ve come a long way, but we’ve got a long way to go,” said Thompson, college football’s all-time leading passer when he finished his WSU career in 1978. “That 1890 club, candidly, needs to get 30,000 and we need to sell more beer and coffee.”

Garner said an amendment to the state’s ethics law in June has “allowed university employees to be better advocates for NIL in general, whether that’s supporting our student-athletes in different ways, or supporting the Cougar Collective and the great work that they’re doing.”

Garner joked that he talks with members of the Cougar Collective as often as he talks to his mom.

“We discuss idea generation, different fundraising opportunities and the execution of some of those things,” Garner said. “Sometimes they’ll need help connecting with a student-athlete or with a coach. Really, it’s trying to make their life easier so that they can focus on raising funds for the Collective, and providing true, NIL deals with our student-athletes.”

The Cougar Collective also works with the general manager of football, Rob Schlaeger, and men’s basketball assistant coach Donald Brady, letting them know what their budget is from the collective.

Who that money goes to is a decision made by the programs.

“It’s like they’re dealing with a salary cap,” Wetzstein said. “We don’t get involved in the analytics at all. That’s their job, and we trust them to do that. We don’t want to meddle in that.”

Once it is decided which players will be given money, they earn the money in NIL deals negotiated with the collective.

Among the things players will do for NIL money are autograph signings, appearances at events and social media promotions. Businesses and individuals can go through the Cougar Collective to negotiate an NIL deal with a particular athlete as well.

“It’s an open conversation, and we don’t ever want to ask athletes to do something they’re not comfortable with,” Wetzstein said. “We know the demands of practice, workouts and class, so we’re sensitive to their time, and we try to do stuff that’s pretty light and easy. Obviously, you want it to be publicly visible, and we get guidance from the university.”

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

A groundbreaking concept​

The 1890 Club has been steadily growing since it began in July 2022.

Brandle said it was a groundbreaking concept.

“From my research, we were the first to do it in this granular, monthly subscription model,” he said. “Everybody else is operating on corporate sponsorships and targeting large donors, the quote-unquote whales, for support. Truthfully, this crowdsource model is the most sustainable model in the entire NIL space. And we were the first to do this, to go for smaller donors.”

How much can it grow from the couple thousand donors it has now?

Brandle points out that there are about 23,000 WSU license plates in the state. What if those people also were members of the 1890 Club?

“It’s about getting the message out,” Brandle said. “We still have an issue with people not understanding the gravity and the necessity and the urgency of this situation.”

As an incentive for people to donate, a group of WSU alumni recently agreed to match up to $200,000 in donations, and that number is close to being achieved.

Those who donate to the Cougar Collective have the option to choose the sport they would like their money to go to.

The priority is clearly football, and then men’s basketball, but the Cougar Collective would also like to do more for female student-athletes.

“Women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and women’s basketball are important,” Wetzstein said. “We’re just getting our feet wet with those, but they’re on the list.”

It all comes down to money, and now there are more ways for Cougar fans to help, including drinking Ol’ Crimson Lager, which was launched in May and is available in 12-ounce cans at retailers across the Pacific Northwest and on tap at the Pike Pub, Pike Fish Bar and Pike Taproom Summit.

Wetzstein said terms of the contract does not allow him to divulge how much the Cougar Collective gets from each beer sold, “but I can say we’re really happy with the early returns.”

“And I think it will continue to grow,” Wetzstein said.

Ol’ Crimson Coffee launched a couple months ago, and Wetzstein said the Collective gets about $7 from each standard bag that is sold (currently on sale for $25).

As far as wine goes, Wetzstein said it’s still early in the process but they’re looking at potential partners.

“It’s got to be multifaceted,” Dickert said. “From the subscription model, to the one-time payments, to the match fundraisers and to the beer, the coffee, and hopefully the wine — we’ve just got to keep expanding it.”

“If you want a winner, you’ve got to be involved”​

Tobeck said it’s simple to explain why he helped found the Cougar Collective, and why he still supports it while retired in Florida.

“Ultimately, I don’t care about anything else, other than my team winning, and my team was Washington State University,” he said. “The new normal is NIL deals and competing on multiple fronts that way. And so if you want a winner, you’ve got to be involved.”

Dickert used Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, a Heisman Trophy contender, as an example of how rewarding players who do well can make a major impact.

“Where would Boise be without Jeanty?” Dickert said. “They came together and gave that guy a huge, huge payday. So we’ve got to find ways to utilize our tools, our resources, our alumni base. Because at the end of the day, it’s a unique era of college football as a booster or a supporter, where you can say, ‘I was the one to help keep Player X for the next year.’”

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

I won't give to NIL until the agreements have some teeth.

I refuse to be part of the free-agent system that looks to destroy the ability for mid and small tier teams to ever be competitive.

• no sitting out bowl games
• min NIL deal for incoming freshmen is 2 years. ok to leave for NFL, not for another team

What else?

 

[CougSinceBirth]

I won't give to NIL until the agreements have some teeth.

I refuse to be part of the free-agent system that looks to destroy the ability for mid and small tier teams to ever be competitive.

• no sitting out bowl games
• min NIL deal for incoming freshmen is 2 years. ok to leave for NFL, not for another team

What else?

I wish there was a way to basically offer, "you get a scholarship or you take NIL, but you cannot have both."

The idea of a scholarship/academics is officially gone by the wayside. I recognize athletes should be able to make money on image and likeness, and that's fair, but it's too far gone into the wild, wild west.

 

[mikalalas]

I wish there was a way to basically offer, "you get a scholarship or you take NIL, but you cannot have both."

The idea of a scholarship/academics is officially gone by the wayside. I recognize athletes should be able to make money on image and likeness, and that's fair, but it's too far gone into the wild, wild west.

I'm ok with WSU players having both NIL Deals, scholarships at the same time, as long as they have to stay for 2,3 years, and can't leave before that, except to get drafted into NFL.

 

[BSpike76]

I wish there was a way to basically offer, "you get a scholarship or you take NIL, but you cannot have both."

The idea of a scholarship/academics is officially gone by the wayside. I recognize athletes should be able to make money on image and likeness, and that's fair, but it's too far gone into the wild, wild west.

Why do they still insist the good players need to go to college? It saves money on farm clubs for NFL, but with complete free agency at the colleges, it seems the players should be able to get the most secure contract possible.

 

[CougSinceBirth]

Why do they still insist the good players need to go to college? It saves money on farm clubs for NFL, but with complete free agency at the colleges, it seems the players should be able to get the most secure contract possible.

Because the majority of players aren't going pro, there should be guardrails for student-athletes.

It's an NFL rule that players must go to college for three seasons (true junior or RS soph), so that's already their free developmental league.

 

[BSpike76]

Because the majority of players aren't going pro, there should be guardrails for student-athletes.

It's an NFL rule that players must go to college for three seasons (true junior or RS soph), so that's already their free developmental league.

Doesn’t that seem like restraint of trade? All the lawsuits thus far have resulted in complete free agency in college. When does someone sue about this restraint?

 

[CougSinceBirth]

Doesn’t that seem like restraint of trade? All the lawsuits thus far have resulted in complete free agency in college. When does someone sue about this restraint?

I mean, tOSU's Maurice Clarett and USC's Mike Williams tried, right? And had both had to sit out a year and train individually for the following year's draft and were not allowed back to school.

 

[BSpike76]

I mean, tOSU's Maurice Clarett and USC's Mike Williams tried, right? And had both had to sit out a year and train individually for the following year's draft and were not allowed back to school.

Took a long time to get NIL and portal, also, but they happened.

 

[UberCougars]

I won't give to NIL until the agreements have some teeth.

I refuse to be part of the free-agent system that looks to destroy the ability for mid and small tier teams to ever be competitive.

• no sitting out bowl games
• min NIL deal for incoming freshmen is 2 years. ok to leave for NFL, not for another team

What else?

Why should Mateer stay?

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

Why should Mateer stay?

you tell me.

If I'm him staring down a 7 figure payday on a team with a natty chance I'm probably leaving.

 

[UberCougars]

Seems as though you want him to leave just so you can be right.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

Why should Mateer stay?

Reasons why Mateer would stay:

1) If our collective can get him $200k and he truly believes that he is a future NFL player he may want to stay in a system he knows. Cam Ward is lucky that he fell into a position with a team that has a decent OL, decent defense and a crap schedule. A lot of transfer QB's struggle. One fumble knocked Ward out of the Heisman lead and a loss to Syracuse or in the ACC championship probably kills his chances. Cam is still the poster child for why Mateer should leave though. USA Today did a review of transfer QB's and found that 55% found success and 45% fell short of expectations.

2) He may love Pullman and WSU. Although loyalty is a rare quality these days....it does exist. We don't know how he feels

3) He may not get all that great of an offer in the end. Anyone looking at him objectively and who watched the New Mexico game film knows that he is not a polished QB. He has a lot of great moments, but all BS aside, if he played well in the third quarter, we would have won that game. The defense was the main problem, but that's a track meet we should have won. Another loss and his stock may start to fall.

Realistically, Mateer is gone and there's not much we can do about it. That said, it won't take an amazing QB for us to be 9-3 or 8-4 next year. We have a lot of available wins on the schedule, particularly if our defense quits sucking.

 

[95coug]

Doesn’t that seem like restraint of trade? All the lawsuits thus far have resulted in complete free agency in college. When does someone sue about this restraint?

The NFL is a corporation, and corporations are allowed to restrain themselves. Boeing, Kellogg, Ford, Tesla, and every other business are allowed to choose their employees based on the qualifications they establish internally, as long as they don’t discriminate against protected classes. The NFL gets the same consideration.
The lawsuits have been aimed at the NCAA and college football. That’s a completely different scenario.

There’s absolutely nothing to prevent a junior on the WSU scout team from declaring for the draft and trying to go pro. NCAA rules would allow that, and the NFL would enter his name into the draft. He just wouldn’t get picked.

For anyone who did sue, it would be a waste of effort. The easy defense would be that he wasn’t good enough, or his skills didn’t fit our system, we had someone better, etc. No college player will have any sort of case against the NFL. The Kaepernick fiasco should be evidence of that.

 

[BSpike76]

The NFL is a corporation, and corporations are allowed to restrain themselves. Boeing, Kellogg, Ford, Tesla, and every other business are allowed to choose their employees based on the qualifications they establish internally, as long as they don’t discriminate against protected classes. The NFL gets the same consideration.
The lawsuits have been aimed at the NCAA and college football. That’s a completely different scenario.

There’s absolutely nothing to prevent a junior on the WSU scout team from declaring for the draft and trying to go pro. NCAA rules would allow that, and the NFL would enter his name into the draft. He just wouldn’t get picked.

For anyone who did sue, it would be a waste of effort. The easy defense would be that he wasn’t good enough, or his skills didn’t fit our system, we had someone better, etc. No college player will have any sort of case against the NFL. The Kaepernick fiasco should be evidence of that.

Were nil and related lawsuits class actions or individuals? Seems it was some of each. Would class action be more successful?

 

[mikalalas]

Reasons why Mateer would stay:

1) If our collective can get him $200k and he truly believes that he is a future NFL player he may want to stay in a system he knows. Cam Ward is lucky that he fell into a position with a team that has a decent OL, decent defense and a crap schedule. A lot of transfer QB's struggle. One fumble knocked Ward out of the Heisman lead and a loss to Syracuse or in the ACC championship probably kills his chances. Cam is still the poster child for why Mateer should leave though. USA Today did a review of transfer QB's and found that 55% found success and 45% fell short of expectations.

2) He may love Pullman and WSU. Although loyalty is a rare quality these days....it does exist. We don't know how he feels

3) He may not get all that great of an offer in the end. Anyone looking at him objectively and who watched the New Mexico game film knows that he is not a polished QB. He has a lot of great moments, but all BS aside, if he played well in the third quarter, we would have won that game. The defense was the main problem, but that's a track meet we should have won. Another loss and his stock may start to fall.

Realistically, Mateer is gone and there's not much we can do about it. That said, it won't take an amazing QB for us to be 9-3 or 8-4 next year. We have a lot of available wins on the schedule, particularly if our defense quits sucking.

Add to those, that the most amount of improvement in a starting QB is between their Sophmore to Junior year.

Add to those, that if Dickert stays, and can convince most to almost all to stay by truthfully telling them, that next year's team is a National Championship caliber team IF everybody and Mateer stays, and that how would they like to stay and be a part of a National Championship caliber team. WSU almost went 12-0, 11-1, almost had a CFP year this season. Next season if everybody, including Dickert stays that can stay, including getting transfer portal upgrades to help fill a few holes, and upgrade, then almost every position will be redshirt juniors, redshirt Seniors, returning starters that will have probably developed, progressed, become better, become even better, will be comparable to 1997, 2002, 2018, etc, talent, starting wise, and would have a even better chance then this season of both making the CFP, winning 1,2 CFP games, ABSOLUTELY DOMINATING a semi weaker schedule, etc. That's not a guarantee, but there would be a much better chance. A good enough chance, that Dickert can sell players on that chance, and the higher at risk players of leaving like Mateer can get 333k, NIL deals, Truck, etc, which could be enough to get Mateer and other at risk players of staying. Mateer could also make a serious run at Heisman, NFL, at WSU, next coming season, if he stays at WSU, that he might not do at a Blue blood. Remember Florida, FSU, LSU, even Alabama could finish at 9-3, and 9-4 by end of season, etc, so going to a blue blood is no absolute guarantee.

Add all that to the other reasons Flat named , and Mateer could very well stay at WSU.

 

[Coug90]

Add to those, that the most amount of improvement in a starting QB is between their Sophmore to Junior year.

Add to those, that if Dickert stays, and can convince most to almost all to stay by truthfully telling them, that next year's team is a National Championship caliber team IF everybody and Mateer stays, and that how would they like to stay and be a part of a National Championship caliber team. WSU almost went 12-0, 11-1, almost had a CFP year this season. Next season if everybody, including Dickert stays that can stay, including getting transfer portal upgrades to help fill a few holes, and upgrade, then almost every position will be redshirt juniors, redshirt Seniors, returning starters that will have probably developed, progressed, become better, become even better, will be comparable to 1997, 2002, 2018, etc, talent, starting wise, and would have a even better chance then this season of both making the CFP, winning 1,2 CFP games, ABSOLUTELY DOMINATING a semi weaker schedule, etc. That's not a guarantee, but there would be a much better chance. A good enough chance, that Dickert can sell players on that chance, and the higher at risk players of leaving like Mateer can get 333k, NIL deals, Truck, etc, which could be enough to get Mateer and other at risk players of staying. Mateer could also make a serious run at Heisman, NFL, at WSU, next coming season, if he stays at WSU, that he might not do at a Blue blood. Remember Florida, FSU, LSU, even Alabama could finish at 9-3, and 9-4 by end of season, etc, so going to a blue blood is no absolute guarantee.

Add all that to the other reasons Flat named , and Mateer could very well stay at WSU.

I think Arbuckle could be a key to Mateer staying. Mateer may be able to save Arbuckle job.

 

[M-I-Coug]

I think Arbuckle could be a key to Mateer staying. Mateer may be able to save Arbuckle job.

I think seven figures could be a key to Mateer not staying.

 

[mikalalas]

I think seven figures could be a key to Mateer not staying.

Maybe, maybe not, we'll see. If Mateer stays great. All were saying is there is a reasonable chance that Mateer could stay. But your right that Mateer might leave.

If he stays, and if Dickert stays, and if Dickert persuaded most to almost all to return, then next season could semi probably be a very special season.

Also if Mateer leaves, Eckhaus is a 5th, 6th year senior, that DOMINATED FCS, and that has a redshirt, covid year left, and that could, would probably stay, if Mateer leaves.
And Zevi, is good enough combined if Dickert, rest of team stays, to still get 10,11,12,13 wins next season.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

Seems as though you want him to leave just so you can be right.

Be right about what? That kids leave? Holy shit dude, you didn't know? Kids leave schools to pursue money at other schools? Wow, I'm such a pioneer discovering this untold truth and have to prove it to internet dipshit tough guys who troll and pick internet fights with anyone who will engage them!

So anyway, instead of running your stupid mouth again, how about answering the question: why would he stay?

 

[UberCougars]

Be right about what? That kids leave? Holy shit dude, you didn't know? Kids leave schools to pursue money at other schools? Wow, I'm such a pioneer discovering this untold truth and have to prove it to internet dipshit tough guys who troll and pick internet fights with anyone who will engage them!

So anyway, instead of running your stupid mouth again, how about answering the question: why would he stay

Just to piss you off.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

Just to piss you off.

Just me?

You have a talent, you must be a hit amongst friends and family.

 

[UberCougars]

Just me?

You have a talent, you must be a hit amongst friends and family.

Why so angry?

 

[95coug]

Were nil and related lawsuits class actions or individuals? Seems it was some of each. Would class action be more successful?

I think they were all class action suits, but I’m not sure. Not really relevant to NFL though.

 

[mikalalas]

Maybe, maybe not, we'll see. If Mateer stays great. All were saying is there is a reasonable chance that Mateer could stay. But your right that Mateer might leave.

If he stays, and if Dickert stays, and if Dickert persuaded most to almost all to return, then next season could semi probably be a very special season.

Also if Mateer leaves, Eckhaus is a 5th, 6th year senior, that DOMINATED FCS, and that has a redshirt, covid year left, and that could, would probably stay, if Mateer leaves.
And Zevi, is good enough combined if Dickert, rest of team stays, to still get 10,11,12,13 wins next season.

Also I just saw a You Tube video by the GM, Couch, that sourced, reported that Northern Quest NIL Deal is about 300k this season, and has a option, that if Mateer stays, it will be increased to somewhere between about 400k to 500k. The Couch, GM thinks that Mateer will stay, as long as Dickert, and coaching staff like Arbuckle, etc, stays.


I agree. Mateer is probably not going to leave for 250k to 333k more then the about 500k he will probably get from Northern Quest. Also the WSU collective will probably kick in about 175k to 333k in addition to Northern Quest.

So Mateer's total amount will probably be about, around 750k at WSU.

Mateer probably won't leave 750k for 1 mil+ Elsewhere, at a blue blood, unless Dickert leaves.

Mateer loves Dickert, loves WSU. Has a chance at CFP, National Championship, 1,2 CFP wins, IF everyone including Dickert stays. Has a chance at Heisman, NFL if he stays. And if Mateer were to take 1 mil, 250k more, at a blue blood, that blue blood could pay 1 mil more to bring in a QB to compete with Mateer, and Mateer could end up #2 QB at a Alabama type.

 

[M-I-Coug]

Here's a click and bait headline from today's The Seattle Times. I listened to the very same podcast last week where Sorenson said (and it's all speculation), that Mateer was offered over 7 figures to jump ship.​

This has not been verified as a credible statement, but The Times puts it to out today with the following headline:

​

Can WSU keep standout QB John Mateer after reported $1 million offer?​

Mike Vorel
Nov. 20, 2024 at 10:00 am Updated Nov. 20, 2024 at 10:00 am
By
Seattle Times columnist
On Nov. 4, 2023, the Washington State football team was shut out in the second half of a 10-7 home loss to 3-6 Stanford, the fifth consecutive defeat for coach Jake Dickert and the Cougs. It was an ugly, waterlogged loss for a plummeting program.

Two days later, Dickert sounded an alarm that has not stopped ringing since.

“The facts are, at Washington State we’re way behind, not even competitive in some aspects of the NIL,” said Dickert, highlighting a larger issue than any individual loss. “In recruiting, these kids tell you what they’re getting. Oregon State probably has us by 10x [in NIL resources]. Arizona has us by 20x. USC, Washington, Oregon … who even knows? It’s a whole other planet. That’s part of what we need, and it’s very, very important. In three weeks it’s going to be open target season on our players.”

The seasons change. The names change.

The same question remains.

When the wolves circle, will Washington State keep its standout quarterback?

A year ago, said standout quarterback was junior Cameron Ward — who had completed 66.6% of his passes and thrown for 3,735 yards with 33 total touchdowns (25 passing, eight running) and seven interceptions in his second season with the Cougs. Once “open target season” began, Ward was unsurprisingly poached by Miami, where he’s emerged as a Heisman Trophy contender while willing the Hurricanes to a 9-1 record and a No. 8 College Football Playoff ranking.

In 10 games, Ward has torched the ACC for 66.8% completions, 3,494 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns, one receiving touchdown and six measly picks.

John Mateer, meanwhile, is experiencing similar success.

After redshirting in 2022, then serving as Ward’s backup last fall, the third-year sophomore’s breakout has been well worth the wait. Mateer has brilliantly commanded the bounce-back 8-2 Cougs — throwing for 2,707 yards with 26 passing touchdowns and six interceptions, while leading WSU in rushing yards (695) and rushing touchdowns (12) as well.

“Throwing, passing, running, he’s just a warrior out there, and I love it,” Dickert said after Mateer threw for 245 yards with two rushing touchdowns, a passing score and an interception in an Apple Cup win over Washington. “Right after he threw the interception I just looked him in the eye, and he’s like, ‘I got you, coach.’ That’s John Mateer. That’s the special nature of who he is. When that’s the leader of your football team, you got something really special.”

How much is WSU willing/able to spend to sustain something special? When it comes to money, how convincing can the Cougs really be?

That’s a question that will likely cause WSU fans annual anxiety. It’s also a question the Cougar Collective is attempting to address.

In a Seattle Times story last week, WSU’s unaffiliated name, image and likeness arm outlined its ongoing fundraising efforts intended to keep Cougs such as Mateer from fleeing for promised paydays. They include partnerships with Pike Brewing and Indaba Coffee, with an undisclosed portion of proceeds from beer and coffee sales going to the Cougar Collective. They also include the “1890 Club,” in which roughly 2,200 members donate $18.90 per month to collectively keep the wolves at bay.

While co-chair Luke Wetzstein declined to disclose how much the Cougar Collective has raised in 2024, he indicated “it should be in the $2 [million] to $3 million range” annually to remain competitive across all sports. “Ideally it would probably be $3 [million] to $4 million.”

In a perfect world — a whole other planet, per Dickert — it would be much more than that.

Consider the competition. Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork told ESPN in August that the Buckeyes have an NIL budget of $20 million this season for the football team alone. Per On3.com, Ward has an NIL evaluation of $2.1 million — including endorsement deals with Giorgio Armani, Adidas, Bose, EA Sports, C4 Energy and Panini America.

Mateer, meanwhile, boasts partnerships with the likes of Northern Quest Casino and Resort and Miss Huddy’s Barbecue cart in Pullman.

Last week, former WSU defensive back and Cougar Collective co-founder Paul Sorensen said on his “Old Crimson” podcast that Mateer has already received a $1 million offer from an outside program, though the NCAA transfer portal doesn’t open until Dec. 9.

Obviously, WSU lacks the media-rights money and billionaire donor base to outspend everyone. But to sustain success in college football’s new normal — which will soon include revenue sharing — the Cougs must find creative ways to retain their top talent.

That includes coaches such as Dickert and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.

As for players, the priority must be Mateer.

“Where would Boise be without (Heisman contender running back Ashton) Jeanty?” Dickert told Times reporter Scott Hanson. “They came together and gave that guy a huge, huge payday. So we’ve got to find ways to utilize our tools, our resources, our alumni base.”

When it comes to offensive impact, Mateer and Jeanty share the same stratosphere. In last weekend’s 38-35 upset loss at New Mexico, Mateer threw for 375 yards and four touchdowns, and added 65 rushing yards and yet another score.

After missing the week of practice because of a foot injury, Mateer carried the collapsing Cougs.

And yet, more than a year later, the same alarm rings. The same overarching issue threatens to pull the Cougs apart.

WSU closes its regular season with matchups against Oregon State and Wyoming before pursuing the program’s first bowl win since 2018.

But big picture, the Cougars’ success in “open target season” — and their ability to retain Mateer — might matter even more.

Mike Vorel: mvorel@seattletimes.com; Mike Vorel is a sports columnist for The Seattle Times.

 

[Wazzubrooz]

you tell me.

If I'm him staring down a 7 figure payday on a team with a natty chance I'm probably leaving.

How could a guy not leave. We are talking life changing resources.

 

[BSpike76]

I think they were all class action suits, but I’m not sure. Not really relevant to NFL though.

Darn. With the top 30-40 teams now able to stockpile an additional 20 players each, seems like a lot of players won’t be getting exposure. I guess they’ll have to choose between exposure and a bag.

 

[425cougfan]

How could a guy not leave. We are talking life changing resources.

One of many tough things for WSU in this current NIL/transfers dynamic is that many of our best players have been, and are likely to be, the types of guys who are highly effective in college due to training and opportunity, but aren't the elite athletes who can have some degree of confidence they'll get a shot in the NFL. (Not that the vast majority of athletes even at blue bloods should feel differently, but they have more guys who can make that call with better odds, even if they remain objectively poor.)

In other words, our best players almost always are going to be the types whose paydays, if in the offing at all, are likely to be in college, even if we leave aside the best exposure and postseason opportunities being from the transfer destination as well. WSU can't offer the big payday while in college, and that's going to be a massive headwind to recruiting and is going to lead to tons of these guys leaving for the payday. I likely would counsel my own kid to take the payday.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

One of many tough things for WSU in this current NIL/transfers dynamic is that many of our best players have been, and are likely to be, the types of guys who are highly effective in college due to training and opportunity, but aren't the elite athletes who can have some degree of confidence they'll get a shot in the NFL. (Not that the vast majority of athletes even at blue bloods should feel differently, but they have more guys who can make that call with better odds, even if they remain objectively poor.)

In other words, our best players almost always are going to be the types whose paydays, if in the offing at all, are likely to be in college, even if we leave aside the best exposure and postseason opportunities being from the transfer destination as well. WSU can't offer the big payday while in college, and that's going to be a massive headwind to recruiting and is going to lead to tons of these guys leaving for the payday. I likely would counsel my own kid to take the payday.

Car buying money = stay.

House buying money = leave.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

Here's the other thing:

Mateer has a hell of a shot to make good money in college. I think more and more NFL teams are becoming wary of the high ceiling, super athletic kid who can't read a defense or make all the throws in as much as they may not want to use a first round pick (guaranteed money) on them. 9 out of 10 aren't panning out.

Lastly - and again - f Pat Mahomes. He's ruing a generation of kids with his stupid side arm shit. I know its not his fault per se, and more on the 7's coaches who are child worshippers and sycophants afraid to actually coach a kid to use good, proper technique for fear of losing the golden goose.

I wonder if Brink lets his (camp) kids do this shit?

FWIW - I'm not against throwing at angles just for the sake of being against it, but how about first show that you're proficient delivering the ball with a traditional motion.