American football quarterback John Mateer is in the spotlight for topping the NCAA transfer portal as the No.1 player.
His parents, Judy Newkirk and Steve Mateer encouraged him to pursue his interest and supported his passion for football.
Highlights
- John Mateer’s parents, Steve Mateer and Judy Newkirk are accomplished swimmers and encourage their children to pursue their land interests.
- His parents have shown him the importance of hard work and taught him to earn everything; nothing will be or should be given to you.
- He wasn’t interested in swimming and pursued a football career.
John Mateer began playing football at Little Elm High School and, as a senior, set the school record for single-season passing with 2,449 yards.
He completed his high school career totaling 1,223 rushing yards, 7,060 passing yards, and 88 total touchdowns. Later, he committed to play at Washington State University as a three-star recruit.
The rising athlete redshirted in 2022 but rushed for 93 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman. Entering the 2024 season, he competed with Zevi Eckhaus for the quarterback position at the university.
Afterward, he was named the Washington State Cougars’ starting quarterback for their first game of the season, which led them to a victory against Portland State.
He threw for 352 yards, rushed for 55 yards, and five touchdowns in his first career start with the Cougars.
John Mateer’s Parents, Judy Newkirk and Steve Mateer, Are Big Time Swimmers
John Matter grew up in an athletic family with his sister, McKayla, in Little Elm, Texas. His parents are accomplished athletes, and his father coaches swimming.
Although they are professional swimmers, they encourage their children to pursue their interests on land rather than in the pool.
BREAKING: #Missouri has emerged as a serious threat in the John Mateer sweepstakes, per sources.
— P1 Luther (@LNDeGen) December 17, 2024
Mateer’s father, Steve Mateer, is a former swimmer for the Tigers and has encouraged his son to take a visit before making a decision. pic.twitter.com/3j42ATLfNb
John’s parents significantly impacted his personal development and athletic journey. Family support played a crucial role in his success.
Steve swam competitively from a young age and participated in one season at the Univerisity of Missouri.
He is highly regarded in the swimming community and has over three decades of coaching experience. Since 2013, he has been the Coach Development Coordinator at the Lakeside Aquatic Club.
He received several accolades, including North Texas Age Group Coach of the Year and Texas Age Group Coach of the Year.
On the other hand, Judy swam competitively for a season at the U.S. Naval Academy before transferring to the Southern Methodist Univerity (SMU).
Later, she built a successful career in the corporate world, working at companies like CVS Caremark Corporation and Mercer.
She is also committed to community service and has volunteered at the North Texas Food Bank. During the summer, she also coached swimming.
John’s parents have shown him the importance of hard work and persistence. His father leaves the house at 5:30 and gets home at 8:30, whereas his mother goes to work at 8:30 and is home at 5:30.
Despite all the hard work, they take care of their children. John believes that everything that will be earned takes time and effort.
Hard work is their household theme. His parents taught him to earn everything; nothing will be or should be given to you.
Nonetheless, his grandparents from his father’s side were also competitive swimmers. His sister spent a year on a swim team in her youth and pursued a major in geological engineering.
John Mateer Wasn’t Interested To Pursue Swimming
Netizens might have presumed that John Mateer might have found his athletic destiny in the pool as his parents are swimmers.
He had opportunities to swim, and his father would have had connections to get him training and get him the ideal coach.
However, John never really had an interest in swimming, and it was clear that he would mark his identity on land rather than in the pool.
In all honesty, he just didn’t really have an interest. But he was very good on his feet. I can’t say his mother and I were. So we gravitated toward the pool, but he was always faster, jumped higher. He really liked the land sports. And we didn’t try to push him. He got to choose what he wanted to do.
Steve Mateer
John played football and baseball through high school. He used to swim with his father, but he never pushed him to swim competitively.
He couldn’t float on his back but learned all four main strokes. His father also taught him to throw while playing water polo.
His parents helped him pursue his football and baseball dreams, helping him to all his practices and games in both sports. He had promised his mother that she wouldn’t have to pay him to attend school.
John has always been competitive and doesn’t like losing. He developed the maturity to handle the loss, but as a young boy, he had a lot of silent car rides.
Additional Information
- John Mateer was named to the 2023 Pac-12 Fall Academic Honor Roll and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.
- During his high school game, 247Sports rated him a three-star prospect, and ESPN ranked him No. 86 overall in Texas.
- He plays for Washington State Cougars as a sophomore wearing a jersey number 10.
- He stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs about 219 lbs.
