Washington 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 into the season.
Keith Brown (LB)
Brown is entering his third season in Pullman with his third different head coach and defensive coordinator. Brown was sidelined all of last year with an injury and received a sixth year of eligibility due to his medical redshirt last year.
Brown saw his role grow as the 2024 season progressed. He appeared in all 13 games and totaled 26 tackles. Former WSU Head Coach Jimmy Rogers made a real play to take Brown with him to Iowa State, but Brown chose to play his last year in Pullman. Brown was vocal about helping new WSU Head Coach Kirby Moore retain players, and Brown looks to be a leader for a new-look Cougar defense this year.
Tony Freeman (WR)
Freeman is entering his third season in Pullman as one of Kirby Moore’s biggest retention wins of the offseason. Freeman is an elite deep threat and one of the best punt returners in the country. Freeman has the ability to change games, as Cougar fans saw last year with his five punt returns of 40+ yards.
The thought of Tank Hawkins and Tony Freeman on the outside should strike fear into every Pac-12 defense. Freeman was often underutilized last season, making Freeman a prime candidate to have a breakout season in an offense that is expected to throw the ball down the field more often.
Matyus McLain (DE)
McLain joins the Cougs from just across the border, coming from the University of Idaho. McLain had a huge year in the Big Sky Conference last year, racking up 42 total tackles, including 13.5 tackles-for-loss while earning All-Big Sky Conference Honorable Mention.
The former Vandal will look to replicate the success of his sophomore season as he steps up to the FBS level. The Cougar D-line has big shoes to fill from last season; look for McLain to play a big role on a new look D-line.
Caden Pinnick (QB)
Pinnick comes to Pullman after a successful redshirt freshman season with UC Davis. Pinnick was an FCS Football Central Freshman All-American as well as the Big Sky Freshman of the Year. In his freshman season Pinnick threw for 3,206 passing yards and 32 passing touchdowns and also ran for 437 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.
Pinnick has not officially earned the QB1 title and it is still in a competition with Owen Eshelman and Julian Dugger for the job. Pinnick has shown the ability to be a dual threat and was the starting QB for one of the best FCS teams last year, leading UC Davis to a 9-4 record and a FCS playoff quarterfinal appearance. Pinnick certainly has the potential to be the next great Cougar QB.
Ashton Tripp (OL)
The 6-foot-7, 308 pound left tackle out of Kennewick, Washington returns to WSU for his redshirt junior season. Tripp started all 13 games last season allowing just one sack on the season.
Tripp returns to an O-line room that was able to retain all but one offensive lineman with remaining eligibility. Tripp figures to be a key piece to what the Cougars want to do on offense this season and look for him to build off of a successful sophomore season.
Kirby Vorhees (RB)
Vorhees was another big retention win for Kirby Moore and his staff this offseason. Vorhees was featured as RB1 last year and rushed for 576 yards and five touchdowns.
The trio of Vorhees, Maxwell Woods, and Leo Pulalasi should make for one of the best running back rooms in the Pac-12 next season. With a veteran offensive line in front of him, Vorhees has an opportunity to take another step forward after a solid sophomore campaign.
Paul Hutson III (DT)
Hutson joins WSU after stops at Austin Peay, Campbell, and most recently Marshall. Hutson comes to Pullman after putting up big numbers with Marshall last season, racking up 40 tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
Hutson is listed as a DT on the WSU roster, but I would expect that we could see Hutson line up at different spots on the D-line depending on different packages and down and distance situations. Hutson has a chance to be one of the biggest X-factors for WSU on the defensive side of the ball this season.
Nylan Brown (LB)
Brown comes to Pullman after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Kent State. The hard-hitting linebacker tallied 38 total tackles last year for Kent State and had one of his better games of the season against Texas Tech, where he had 7 tackles.
Nylan Brown is likely to pair with Keith Brown as the starting linebacker duo for Trent Bray. Linebacker is a position where the Cougars do not have a ton of collegiate experience, making it imperative that Brown can stay healthy and produce at a high level this season.
Jack Stevens (K)
Stevens decided to stay in Pullman despite interest from multiple Power 4 programs. The return of Stevens brings steadiness to one of the most historically inconsistent positions in college football. Stevens went 16 for 19 on field goal attempts last year and made all of his extra point attempts.
College football games are often won and lost in the special teams phase of the game. Having Tony Freeman back to return kicks and Jack Stevens back to make kicks is a huge boost for the Cougars and should be a good starting point to set the special teams unit up for success this season.
Kyle Peterson (S)
Peterson decided to stay at WSU after appearing in all 13 games as a true freshman last season. Peterson showed a lot of upside as a true freshman, making nine tackles and recovering a fumble.
Peterson will look to play a big role in a secondary that will look completely different from last season. With Matthew Durrance and Tucker Large both graduating, there are a lot of snaps available in the secondary this season. Peterson will look to build on a promising freshman season as he steps into a much larger role in Washington State’s secondary.
There are plenty of guys to be excited about on this team heading into the 2026 season. Which players are you most excited to watch this fall?
