Soni Finau’s possible return has a way of making an already crowded defensive tackle room feel even busier.
Nothing is official yet, but Finau was at Washington State practice on Tuesday, and Cougfan.com reported that WSU is working to bring him back. If that happens, the Cougars would not only get another proven body in the middle, they’d also have the first player in program history to potentially take advantage of the five-for-five eligibility rule.
Finau brings size and production with him. The 6-2, 340-pound Elk Grove, Calif., product transferred from Cal Poly last season and played in all 13 games for Washington State.
He finished with 12 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks. Over his career, Finau has appeared in 45 games and started nine, piling up 12.5 tackles for loss and five sacks while also forcing two fumbles and recovering one.
If he does get cleared, the real puzzle starts with where he fits.
Defensive tackle already looks like one of the deepest spots on the roster, and Josh Wedel’s emergence has only made the picture more complicated. The rotation that looked fairly settled in the spring has been shaken up during fall camp, and Finau would add yet another experienced option for the staff to sort through.
From what has been observed in camp, Kaden Beatty, Paul Hutson and Jirah Leaupepetele have been the top three in the group, each working in with the first team on a regular basis. For a stretch, Damarjhe Lewis seemed to be next in line, but he and Wedel have been trading first- and second-team reps for much of camp.
And that’s where the depth chart gets interesting.
In Other News...
Washington State Defense Keeps Sending A Message About This Position Group
Washington States defense has spent fall camp making its case the hard way, one practice rep at a time. The pass rush has been steady, the coverage has held up, and a handful of players have kept popping up on the field, with Isaiah Hung, Jeremiah Bernard and Jirah Leaupepetele all earning notice for the kind of plays that usually get a staffs attention in August.
The bigger takeaway for the Cougars may be what this says about the interior of the defense. Defensive tackle looks deeper than it has in a while, with veterans and transfers all pushing for snaps, and that kind of competition can change the tone of a camp quickly. There is still sorting to do before the depth chart settles, but the message from practice has been hard to miss: this group is not short on options. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Has Another Polynesian Standout Fans Should Know
Washington State defensive lineman Jirah Leaupepetele has earned a spot on the 2026 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Watch List, a recognition that puts him among a broader group of standouts with Polynesian ancestry across the country. The list spans 68 players from 35 NCAA Division I programs and is tied to an award presented annually by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, which honors both performance and integrity on and off the field.
For the Cougars, it is another reminder of the programs connection to Polynesian talent, a pipeline that has mattered in Pullman for years. The watch list will narrow to finalists in December 2026 before the winner is revealed later that month, giving Leaupepetele a chance to keep building on a profile that already has him on a national stage. [Read more 🡒]