Washington State Cougars
Pac-12
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #61
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- 3.8 (#61)
- SP+ Offense
- 24.6
- SP+ Defense
- 20.5
- SRS
- 6.2
- FPI
- 1.4
- Elo
- 1549
- Talent
- 569
- Recruiting
- 159 (#128)
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
6.3p10 4.0 — p90 8.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 21.4% | |
| Make CFP | 0.2% | |
| Quarterfinal | 0.0% | |
| Semifinal | 0.0% | |
| Natl. final | 0.0% | |
| Natl. champ | 0.0% |
Schedule
proj record 6.3–4.7
Schedule
65th
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
69th
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
66th
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+ · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @Washington | +18.4 | 18-33 | -14.5 | 19% | — |
| 2 | @Kansas State | +7 | 21-30 | -9.3 | 29% | — |
| 3 | vsDuquesne | FCS | 45-3* | +41.5 | 100% | — |
| 4 | vsArizona | +12 | 25-27 | -1.7 | 46% | — |
| 5 | vsFresno State | +1.8 | 30-24 | +5.6 | 63% | — |
| 6 | @Utah State | -3.1 | 30-23 | +6.8 | 66% | — |
| 7 | @Oregon State | -15.9 | 31-15 | +15.4 | 82% | — |
| 8 | vsBoise State | +3.1 | 26-22 | +4.0 | 60% | — |
| 9 | @San Diego State | +6.7 | 23-29 | -5.8 | 36% | — |
| 11 | vsColorado State | -15.6 | 34-17 | +17.3 | 85% | — |
| 12 | @Texas State | +2.3 | 22-22 | -0.4 | 49% | — |
* FBS-vs-FCS estimate from the SP+ gap — no per-game model for FCS opponents.
Quarterbacks · 3
2026 · 75
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Zevi Eckhaus | SR | 6'0" | 209 | — |
| QB | 2nd | Julian Dugger | FR | 6'3" | 208 | — |
| QB | — | Caden Pinnick← UC Davis | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Kirby Vorhees | SO | 5'11" | 208 | — |
| RB | 2nd | Angel Johnson | SR | 5'9" | 192 | — |
| RB | 3rd | Leo Pulalasi | SO | 6'1" | 212 | — |
| RB | 4th | Maxwell Woods | FR | 5'10" | 192 | — |
| RB | — | Beau Phillips← Central Washington | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Wide Receivers · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Tony Freeman | JR | 5'8" | 171 | — |
| WR | 2nd | Joshua Meredith | SR | 6'0" | 193 | ★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Leyton Smithson | SR | 6'1" | 182 | ★★★ |
| WR | 4th | Jeremiah Noga | SR | 6'2" | 190 | — |
| WR | 5th | Leon Neal Jr. | SR | 5'10" | 188 | — |
| WR | 6th | Daniel Blood← Missouri | JR | 5'10" | 191 | ★★★ |
| WR | 7th | Branden Ganashamoorthy | SO | 6'3" | 201 | — |
| WR | 8th | Tank Hawkins← Florida | SO | 5'10" | 178 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Darrius Clemons← Oregon State | SR | 6'3" | 214 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Jordan Dees← West Georgia | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Tight Ends · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Trey Leckner | SO | 6'3" | 232 | — |
| TE | 2nd | Jack Pedersen← UCLA | JR | 6'5" | 240 | ★★★ |
| TE | 3rd | Ademola Faleye | SR | 6'7" | 253 | — |
| TE | 4th | Hudson Cedarland | JR | 6'3" | 240 | ★★★ |
| TE | 5th | Beau Baker | FR | 6'6" | 255 | — |
Offensive Line · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Christian Hilborn | SR | 6'5" | 318 | ★★★ |
| OL | — | Brock Dieu | SR | 6'3" | 299 | ★★★ |
| OT | — | Kalolo Ta'aga← Utah | FR | 6'8" | 314 | ★★★ |
| OT | — | Maximus McCree← Washington | SR | 6'6" | 295 | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 20
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | 1st | Buddha Peleti | SR | 6'2" | 250 | ★★ |
| DE | 2nd | Raam Stevenson | SR | 6'4" | 255 | — |
| DE | 3rd | Michael Hughes | SO | 6'4" | 236 | — |
| DE | 4th | Ben Beatty | FR | 6'2" | 253 | — |
| DE | — | Malachi Wrice | FR | 6'4" | 243 | ★★★ |
| DL | 1st | Titus Miller | FR | 6'1" | 274 | — |
| DL | — | Damarjhe Lewis← SMU | SR | 6'3" | 309 | ★★★ |
| DL | — | Ike Okafor← California | FR | 6'3" | 280 | ★★★ |
| DL | — | Balaam Miller← Saint Francis (PA) | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DL | — | Sione Pasi← Montana-Western | — | — | — | — |
| DL | — | Jirah Leaupepetele← Eastern Washington | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DT | 1st | Darrion Dalton | SR | 6'3" | 280 | ★★★ |
| DT | 2nd | Soni Finau | SR | 6'2" | 340 | — |
| DT | 3rd | Kaden Beatty | SO | 6'0" | 285 | ★★★ |
| DT | 4th | Mike Sandjo | SR | 6'2" | 290 | — |
| EDGE | 1st | Paul Hutson III← Marshall | JR | 6'1" | 275 | ★★★ |
| EDGE | 2nd | Linus Zunk← Vanderbilt | SR | 6'6" | 263 | ★★★ |
| EDGE | 3rd | DJ Warner← SMU | SO | 6'4" | 231 | ★★★ |
| EDGE | — | Eduwa Okundaye← Arizona | FR | 6'2" | 237 | ★★★ |
| EDGE | — | Matyus McLain← Idaho | — | — | — | ★★ |
Linebackers · 7
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Parker McKenna | SR | 6'0" | 225 | ★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Caleb Francl | SR | 6'1" | 190 | — |
| LB | 3rd | Nylan Brown← Kent State | SO | 5'11" | 235 | ★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Jack Ellison | FR | 6'2" | 222 | — |
| LB | 5th | Gage Jones | FR | 6'1" | 203 | — |
| LB | 6th | Gavin Barthiel | SR | 6'0" | 225 | — |
| LB | 7th | Carsten Reynolds | FR | 6'3" | 215 | — |
Defensive Backs · 17
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Jaylen Thomas← San José State | FR | 6'0" | 186 | ★★★ |
| CB | 2nd | Colby Humphrey | SR | 5'11" | 189 | ★★★ |
| CB | 3rd | Khamari Terrell← Texas State | JR | 6'1" | 185 | ★★★ |
| CB | 4th | Jalil Tucker← Oregon State | JR | 6'0" | 174 | ★★★ |
| CB | 5th | Jamorri Colson | SR | 6'0" | 180 | — |
| CB | 6th | Kai Rapolla | JR | 6'0" | 187 | — |
| CB | 7th | AJ Davis | JR | 5'10" | 195 | — |
| CB | — | CJ Solis-Lumar← Cal Poly | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| S | 1st | Tucker Large | SR | 5'11" | 183 | — |
| S | 2nd | Matt Durrance | SR | 6'2" | 213 | — |
| S | 3rd | Cale Reeder | SR | 6'0" | 195 | — |
| S | 4th | Kyle Peterson | FR | 6'0" | 192 | ★★★ |
| S | 5th | Trey Ridley | FR | 6'1" | 200 | — |
| S | 6th | Jack Bal← Arizona State | SO | 6'2" | 195 | ★★★ |
| S | — | Jshawn Frausto-Ramos← Arizona | JR | 6'0" | 183 | ★★★ |
| S | — | Kayo Patu | FR | 5'11" | 175 | — |
| S | — | Jeremiah Bernard← Cal Poly | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Special Teams · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | 1st | Colton Peoples | SR | 6'4" | 223 | — |
| P | 1st | Max Dean← New Mexico State | SO | 6'1" | 198 | — |
| PK | 1st | Ryan Harris | SO | 6'0" | 207 | — |
| PK | 2nd | Jack Stevens | FR | 6'0" | 170 | — |
Projected Season
2026 · win prob / game
Exp. Wins
6.3
Exp. Losses
4.7
Toss-ups
3
bars: model win probabilityfav / toss-up / dog
2025 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
24.638
Off PPA
+0.1335
Pass PPA
+0.2039
Rush PPA
+0.0840
Success
42%43
Explosive
1.114
PlayerMedian (50th)percentile vs league
Advanced
2025 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.13 | +0.09 |
| Passing | +0.20 | +0.14 |
| Rushing | +0.08 | +0.09 |
| 1st Down | -0.03 | +0.11 |
| 2nd Down | +0.11 | -0.03 |
| 3rd Down | +0.49 | +0.31 |
Scoring Trend
2025 · pts/game
PPG For
21.6
PPG Against
20.2
Differential
+1.4
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / L2025
- Overall
- 6-6
- Home
- 5-1
- Away
- 1-5
- Conference
- 1-1
- Non-Conference
- 5-5
- One-Score (≤8)
- 1-4
- Avg Margin
- +1.4
Situational Splits
2025 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 5-1 | 26.8 | 16.7 |
| Away | 1-5 | 16.3 | 23.7 |
| Neutral | 1-0 | 34.0 | 21.0 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 0-3 | 18.3 | 47.3 |
| Conference | 1-1 | 19.5 | 9.0 |
| Non-conference | 6-5 | 23.1 | 22.3 |
Season History · last 12
0 AP top-10 · 9 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6-6 | 1-1 | #61 | — | 1-0 |
| 2024 | 8-4 | 0-1 | #68 | #19 | 0-1 |
| 2023 | 5-7 | 2-7 | #50 | #13 | — |
| 2022 | 7-5 | 4-5 | #37 | — | 0-1 |
| 2021 | 7-5 | 6-3 | #57 | — | 0-1 |
| 2020 | 1-3 | 1-3 | #49 | — | — |
| 2019 | 6-6 | 3-6 | #28 | — | 0-1 |
| 2018 | 10-2 | 7-2 | #31 | — | 1-0 |
| 2017 | 9-3 | 6-3 | #40 | — | 0-1 |
| 2016 | 8-4 | 7-2 | #54 | — | 0-1 |
| 2015 | 8-4 | 6-3 | #61 | — | 1-0 |
| 2014 | 3-9 | 2-7 | #76 | — | — |
Recent Form · last 5
3-2 SU · 3-1 ATS · O0/U4
Betting Profile
2025 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 7-6 |
| ATS | 8-467% |
| Over / Under | 3-9 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 3-2 |
| As underdog | 5-2 |
| Home | 4-2 |
| Away | 4-2 |
vs closing line · splits show cover–no cover
Recruiting Classes
avg #63 · 5 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★164 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | #128 | 159 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2025 | #71 | 179 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| 2024 | #62 | 182 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2023 | #63 | 185 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 2022 | #60 | 175 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| 2021 | #60 | 173 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2020 | #56 | 179 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| 2019 | #65 | 174 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2018 | #46 | 195 | 0 | 2 | 21 |
| 2017 | #44 | 186 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 28net -13Out 41
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.0 / 2.9
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Linus Zunk | EDGE | 3★ | ← Vanderbilt |
| ▲ | Tank Hawkins | WR | 3★ | ← Florida |
| ▲ | Jalil Tucker | CB | 3★ | ← Oregon State |
| ▲ | Eduwa Okundaye | EDGE | 3★ | ← Arizona |
| ▼ | Isaac Terrell | EDGE | 3★ | → Iowa State |
| ▼ | Jack Janikowski | EDGE | 3★ | → Iowa State |
| ▼ | Tony Freeman | WR | 3★ | → — |
| ▼ | Landon Wright | WR | 3★ | → Boston College |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
12 items
- COMMENTARY | Taylor's Take: 5 Cougar games to watch in 2026Jul. 15—Don't touch that dial! We're about seven-and-a-half weeks out from the dawn of the 2026 Washington State football season, and a lot is "new" about the Cougs. Wazzu has a new coach (its third in as many years) with Kirby Moore, a new conference following the expansion of the Pac-12, and a brand new video board, stadium lights and sound system for Gesa Field. With so much new, there's ...WSU5d
- Pac-12 adds seven schools for 2026 football seasonThe Pac-12 is rebuilding with seven new schools joining Oregon State and Washington State for the 2026 season.WSU14d
- Longtime College Football Coach, Announcer Jim Walden Dead at 88Longtime college football coach and announcer Jim Walden has died. He was 88 years old. The longtime college football coach and broadcaster led Washington State and Iowa State's football programs for a combined 17 seasons. He later served as a radio announcer for 11 seasons. Both schools announced ...WSU15d
- Tributes pour in for college football coach and radio broadcaster Jim Walden, dead at 88Jim Walden, who coached the Washington State and Iowa State football teams for a combined 17 seasons and later enjoyed an 11-year run as a WSU radio commentator, has died at the age of 88. Both schools announced his passing on Friday. No cause of death was given. According to John Canzano, he had been…WSU15d
- 'He made me a better man': Late WSU coach Jim Walden's former players, colleagues reflect on his legacyJul. 4—PULLMAN — Years later, Bud Nameck still cracks up when he tells the story. This was years ago, when he was hosting a TV show called Monday Night Quarterback with Jim Walden, the former legendary Washington State football coach who had since pivoted to broadcasting in the area. During one episode of the show, which aired in the fall after Monday Night Football, Nameck was hosting a ...WSU16d
- Jim Walden, Washington State's Hall of Fame football coach, dies at 88Jul. 4—Former Washington State football coach Jim Walden, who in 1981 led the Cougars to their first bowl appearance in 50 years, died Thursday in Coeur d'Alene, the school announced. He was 88. "We are saddened to learn of the passing of Coach Walden," WSU athletic director Jon Haarlow said in a release. "He will forever be remembered as a great Coug who deeply loved Washington State. Our ...WSU16d
- Jim Walden, WSU's Hall of Fame football coach, dies at 88Jul. 3—Former Washington State football coach Jim Walden, who in 1981 led the Cougars to their first bowl appearance in 50 years, died Thursday in Coeur d'Alene, the school announced. He was 88. "We are saddened to learn of the passing of Coach Walden," WSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Jon Haarlow said in a release. "He will forever be remembered as a great Coug who deeply loved ...WSU17d
- Ex-Washington State football coach Jim Walden dies at 88Longtime college football coach Jim Walden, who played quarterback in the Canadian Football League before leading Washington State to a bowl game and spending nine seasons at Iowa State, died Thursday. He was 88.WSU17d
- 10 Key Washington State Football Players to Know Before the 2026 SeasonWashington State enters the 2026 season with a new coaching staff, another quarterback battle, and expectations of competing near the top of the rebuilt Pac-12. While plenty of new faces have arrived through the transfer portal, several returning players will be just as important to the Cougars’ success. Here are 10 players to know heading […]WSU18d
- Mountaintop View 7-1-26: WSU’s New Partner, Relaunch of Pac-12, MWC Scholars of the YearWashington State announces new partnership The local Colville Tribes have teamed up with WSU athletics. Relaunch of Pac-12 Brings High Expectations The Pac-12 may not have programs like Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA anymore, but football expectations are still as high. The Mountain West announces Scholar-Athletes of the Year Boise State throws a party to […]WSU19d
- Here's The Guy Who Passed On The HuskiesRashaun Lavata'i crossed up the recruiting experts by choosing Washington State.WSU24d
- Washington State lands massive commitment in 4-star OL Rashaun Lavata’iUniversity Place (Wash.) Curtis offensive tackle Rashaun Lavata'i is staying in-state, with his commitment to Washington State...WSU27d