PULLMAN - Before the rest of Washington State found out, Caden Pinnick made one phone call.
It was Monday morning, just before 9 a.m., and the new Cougars starting quarterback had only just left Kirby Moore’s office with the news he’d been waiting for. The first voice he wanted to hear was his mother’s.
“My mom, of course,” Pinnick said.
So Pinnick dialed Heidi before the announcement went public. Before WSU posted the news on social media.
Before No. 17 Washington could even start game-planning for the quarterback who now leads the Cougars into the season opener.
For Pinnick, the moment belonged first to the person who has been with him all the way through it.
“It’s just me and my mom, all 20 years that I’ve been on this planet,” said Pinnick, a native of the Sacramento area. “She was the first one to call because we’re on this journey together. And then obviously had to thank the Lord Christ for allowing me to get into this opportunity that I am right now.”
About five hours later, Washington State confirmed what had been building through fall camp: Pinnick had beaten out Julian Dugger and Owen Eshelman for the job. The Cougars had already telegraphed plenty of faith in him when they brought him in from UC Davis through the transfer portal in January, but now the decision was official.
And Pinnick didn’t just inherit the role. He won it.
Over 15 practices in fall camp, he separated himself with clean accuracy, pocket movement and the kind of dual-threat burst that let him make plays when things broke down. Early in camp, he hit a long touchdown pass over at Rogers Practice Field, and as the days went on, Moore said the picture became clearer.
“I think in the middle part of camp there, Caden maybe had some of his best days, and so you saw that,” Moore said. “And then he had a couple days where he had to pick himself up because the defense does a really good job of challenging those guys on offense.
But we feel really good about Caden moving forward - just the accuracy piece. Making sure we’re throwing a runner’s ball.
We’ve got a lot of guys with ability for run-after-catch. The decision-making piece, and then being able to make plays off schedule.”
That command showed up to the people around him, too.
“He’s a commander of the offense. He knows what he’s doing,” linebacker Nylan Brown added.
“If he sees us in a certain coverage, he’s able to adjust to get things aligned quick. Like I said, a great commander.
I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve noticed, especially as a quarterback in this day and age, being able to command your offense, them following you and actually trusting in your lead, you can see that a lot in Caden.”
Pinnick’s path to QB1 wasn’t spotless. He kept the ball out of danger early in camp, but on Day 7 he was picked off for a touchdown by safety Jaylen Thomas, who later intercepted him again. Washington State’s offense also had its rough patches, and after the second scrimmage produced just two touchdowns in 19 drives, offensive coordinator Matt Miller didn’t hide the frustration, saying “everyone’s gotta look themselves in the mirror.”
But Pinnick answered mistakes with productive stretches. In the Cougars’ first scrimmage, coming off that pick-six, he completed roughly 12 of 20 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, a short strike to tight end Cash Landau late in the day. He also added about four carries for 27 yards, another reminder that he can make things happen outside the pocket.
“There’s still some, I guess you could say young errors,” said Pinnick, still only a redshirt sophomore. “With great offensive minds and a head coach that we do, their feedback’s always good.
‘Hey, thought you could have checked this ball down, threw it away. In this scenario, just break out of the pocket and run.’
Things like that. Not always the best because every practice isn’t gonna be the best, but that’s what I need, and that’s what the team needs.”
That willingness to learn mattered just as much as the arm talent. Pinnick didn’t only have to pick up a new school in January. He had to absorb a new playbook, a new system and a new language from Moore, Miller and assistant QBs coach Andy Belluomini.
Moore saw that work ethic up close later Monday when he stopped by the academic room in the Cougar Football Complex and found Pinnick getting ready for his first day of classes.
“Which I thought was pretty dang cool,” Moore said. “And then from the film standpoint, he’s meeting extra.
We talked about doing more than what’s expected. The film (from this practice) is gonna be up here in about 20 minutes, and I’m sure he’ll be watching it and texting his coaches and asking questions about the good things, and maybe the ones that we can learn from.”
“In practice reps, I’m someone who is gonna have to fail to understand something,” Pinnick said, “and it may not always be the best situation, but you always gain something, especially being young.”
Though he’s been a Cougar for only eight months, Pinnick has already made a point of connecting with the quarterbacks who helped define the program before him. Earlier this summer, he worked out with Alex Brink, the only WSU QB to win three Apple Cups.
He has also gotten to know Ryan Leaf and Jack Thompson, and he views them as mentors. He’ll text them for advice, asking questions like, What do you see here?
What’s your advice?
Now he gets the next stage of the job in one of the biggest settings Washington State can offer. In just shy of two weeks, Pinnick will walk into Husky Stadium for the first-ever season-opening Apple Cup, where the Cougars will be heavy underdogs against Washington.
He knows the challenge. He also knows the vision he had when he arrived.
“Beat the team across the west, and then go get that Pac-12 championship,” Pinnick said. “That’s something I’ve had on my mind since I got here.
Something that I echo very clearly. And to my point being, I think we have a lot of guys here that feel the same way, offense and defense.
They want it. Offensively, they want it.
So with that being said, those two things are on my mind.”
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It is a lineup that fits a program in transition, but also one with enough continuity to make the next step feel realistic. Korey Schroeder heads into his third season with new assistant coaches beside him, and the roster will look markedly different after a wave of arrivals around a returning core, leaving Washington State with both experience and uncertainty as it tries to establish itself in a new era. [Read more 🡒]