The Go Cougs Blog

WSU has picked up two verbal commits from prep athletes. One from the state of Washington and one from South Dakota.  Jimmy Rogers and staff picked up their first commit of the 2026 class from three star Offensive Lineman Kingston Fotualii out of Washington powerhouse O’Dea. Fotualii, who currently has one other offer (Montana) projects as someone this staff can develop. He stands at 6-3, 290 pounds and was part of a state winning O’Dea team last season. It wouldn't be surprising to see other schools come in and offer him late this season.  The second verbal commit of the 2026 class is Bradley Esser out of Harrisburg, South Dakota. Esser had offers from North Dakota, Northern Iowa and South Dakota State. He projects as potentially a linebacker or safety at WSU and he currently doesn't have a star rating on recruiting sites. This is a signing that signals that this staff will continue to recruit in the midwest which will be different from past staffs.  WSU also signed form...

With the spring transfer portal opening two days ago on April 16th the Cougs have already had 19 players enter the transfer portal. This list should be current up to April 18th at around 4pm.  Djouvensky Schlenbaker  Was a highly touted high school recruit. Appeared in 11 games last season and had 149 yards and three touchdowns. Acted as a great lead blocker for John Mateer. Found himself in a very crowded backfield this spring and probably was not going to see the field a ton this season.  Warren Smith  Appeared in 9 games last season as a backup. Came to Pullman as a highly touted cornerback with offers from 6 Pac12 schools. Another case of being in a very talented potion group and it was likely he wouldn't see the field a ton next season.  Hunter Najam  Redshirted at WSU last season as a preferred walk-on. Found himself battling for reps at the QB position. Was likely to be at least a third or fourth string QB this season.  Carson Osmus  He was...

WSU Football wrapped up its last spring practice today with a slightly different version of the spring game instead calling it the Crimson & Gray Showcase. The 90 minute event had some position drills, a 1 on 1 session, 7 on 7 session and a scrimmage. The scrimmage included two 25 minute periods with the clock running the entire time. The defense and offense were split into two teams and the defense started with a 14-0 lead.  The two touchdown scorers during the scrimmage were redshirt senior receiver Leon Neal Jr. and redshirt sophomore TE Ben Dutton. Leon got open on a nicely lofted 7 yard pass from Zevi Eckhaus and Dutton scored his touchdown after finding himself wide open in the endzone and Jaxon Potter zipped a 10 yard pass to him.  Defensive Standouts  One of the biggest standouts of the defensive end was redshirt freshman DE Ben Beatty. He had at least 2 “sacks” and was getting into the backfield on a consistent basis. Another guy who made some nice plays on t...

LeJuan Watts is reportedly set to visit Texas Tech this weekend. Even with this visit is there a chance he could still return to WSU?  According to 247 sports LeJuan Watts is currently the 8th best transfer player available, making him one of the most valuable players in the transfer portal. Texas Tech has a seemingly unlimited amount of NIL money as it has been reported that they gave JT Toppin around $4 million to stay another year and forego the NBA draft. Given what Texas Tech is willing to pay JT Toppin and what other Power 5 starters are being paid it is reasonable to assume that Texas Tech's offer for LeJuan Watts exceeds 7 figures.  With that background on Texas Tech, what can WSU offer LeJuan Watts. The biggest advantage WSU has is the fact that David Riley and LeJuan Watts have built a good relationship over their last three years together. David Riley has helped develop LeJuan into the player he is today. WSU can also offer LeJuan the opportunity to be the star p...

With 10 schools departing the PAC12 for three different conferences beginning in the 2024-2025 season, let's check in on how each school is faring in their new conference. These rankings are mostly based on football success and basketball success. 1. Oregon  We will start with the best. The Oregon Ducks clearly have had the best time in their new conference. Despite only receiving a half share of media revenues they were able to win a BIG10 regular season title in football. They also made the College Football Playoff and both mens and women's basketball made the NCAA tournament. 2. ASU  While ASUs other sports haven't had the best time in the BIG12, the football team winning a BIG12 football championship and making the College Football Playoff more than makes up for it. ASU is a great case study in how good PAC12 football was as they never really accomplished very much in the PAC12.  3. Colorado  Colorado claims the third spot on this list. Football had a succ...

     WSU basketball enters the 2025-26 season with a unique edge in the transfer portal race. While NIL remains the top factor for many recruits, the Cougs have other compelling selling points that could attract impact players to Pullman.      The biggest selling point is that the Cougs are going to be playing in the Maui Invitational next season.  The Maui Invitational is one of college basketball’s most-watched non-conference events,  meaning players will have the opportunity to get lots of eyeballs watching them. While the tournament field isn't as stacked this year as it has been in years past, it also gives players the opportunity to play against high level competition.      Another good selling point is the strength of schedule the Cougs will likely put together next season. Home games against UW and Nevada should draw good crowds, home games against Gonzaga and Saint Marys will as well. A game against a great mid major progra...

     With the Cougs season ending with a 85-82 loss to Georgetown on March 31st, it's time to look towards next season. With Nate Calmese, Isaiah Watts and Marcus Wilson already in the transfer portal, Cedric Coward exploring his NBA options and with Ethan Price and Dane Erikstrup graduating there will be plenty of holes to fill.      As of this writing LeJuan Watts, Tomas Thrastarson, Parker Gerrits, Rihards Vavers, ND Okafor, Kayse Wynott and redshirt freshman Dimitrije Vukicevic still remain on this roster. Retaining this core will be vital towards building a WCC contender  next season.      David Riley and staff  have already reportedly been in contact with quite a few players in the transfer portal. This list of names include: UMass Lowell G Martin Somerville SEMO G Rob Martin  Virginia Tech G Jaydon Young S outhern Utah F Brock Felder Wofford F Jeremy Lorenz Cal State Northridge F Marcus Adams Jr  Texas State F Josh ...