Washington State Special Teams Building on Continuity and Competition Heading into 2026
There’s a quiet confidence brewing in Pullman this offseason - and it’s coming from a unit that often flies under the radar. Washington State’s special teams are shaping up to be one of the more stable and competitive groups on the roster, thanks to a blend of returning talent and strategic additions through the transfer portal. Special teams coordinator Derek Sage is liking what he sees, and for good reason.
At the heart of that optimism is continuity. The Cougars are bringing back two key contributors in Tony Freeman and Jack Stevens - names that Wazzu fans know well.
Freeman, a dynamic presence in the punt return game, and Stevens, the team’s steady-footed kicker, provide a solid foundation. In a phase of the game where consistency is often the difference between flipping field position or giving up momentum, having proven veterans back in the fold is no small thing.
“It’s exciting, first and foremost, to get two big, huge pieces of that group to come back,” Sage said. And he’s not wrong. Retaining core specialists like Freeman and Stevens gives the Cougars a leg up - literally and figuratively - as they prepare for the grind of the upcoming season.
But it’s not just about who’s returning. Washington State also made a key addition in long snapper Jeremy Sousa.
It’s the kind of move that doesn’t make headlines but can quietly elevate an entire unit. With Sousa in the mix, Sage believes the Cougs are on firmer footing - a reliable long snapper shores up one of the most overlooked yet critical aspects of special teams execution.
Credit goes to the recruiting staff and those working the transfer portal - they’ve managed to strike a balance between retaining talent and injecting new competition into the room. That internal push, Sage says, is exactly what this group needs to keep raising the bar.
“I feel like we can compete on a pretty good level,” he said.
And that’s the key theme here: competition. With experience returning and fresh faces joining the fold, Washington State’s special teams aren’t just looking to hold the line - they’re aiming to be a difference-maker. In a conference where every edge counts, don’t be surprised if it’s this third phase of the game that helps swing momentum in the Cougars' favor when the fall rolls around.