Washington State’s offseason buzz picked up a little more weight on July 8, 2026, when Athlon Sports stacked the Cougars across its preseason All-Pac-12 Conference teams.
The headliners were offensive lineman Athon Tripp and Tony Freeman, who both landed on the first team. Freeman’s recognition came in two spots, since he was also named a first-team punt returner and earned second-team honors as a wide receiver. Washington State also placed cornerback Khamari Terrell and safety Jaylen Thomas on the second team.
The Cougars’ depth showed up even more on the third and fourth teams. Quarterback Caden Pinnick, defensive end Linus Zunk, defensive end Matyus McLain, linebacker Keith Brown, safety Jeremiah Bernard and kicker Jack Stevens were all listed on the third team. On the fourth team, Athlon included running back Kirby Vorhees, wideout Darris Clemons, tight end Trey Leckner, center Kyle Martin, offensive lineman Jonny Lester, defensive lineman Jirah Leaupepetele and linebacker DJ Warner.
Tripp, a redshirt-junior from Kennewick, Wash., was a steady force at left tackle last season. He started all 13 games, logged 887 snaps and gave up just one sack on 490 pass attempts. He finished on a high note, too, posting a personal-best pass block grade in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl win over Utah State.
Freeman’s value showed up everywhere. The senior from Richmond, Calif., was the Pac-12 Conference Top Special Teams Performer last season after finishing sixth nationally with a 17.3 punt return average.
That mark set a WSU single-season record. He also had five punt returns of 40-plus yards, which ranked third nationally, and added eight returns of 20-plus yards.
As a receiver, Freeman caught 54 passes for 590 yards and three touchdowns, and he finished with 1,004 all-purpose yards.
Terrell arrived from Texas State in January after a season in which he played 12 games and totaled 36 tackles, 2.5 for loss and one interception. The redshirt-senior from Killeen, Texas, began his college career at Oregon, where he spent three seasons and appeared in 22 games.
Thomas also joined Washington State in January, transferring from San Jose State. The redshirt-sophomore from Los Gatos, Calif., redshirted in 2024 before starting all 12 games last season and recording 59 tackles, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
Pinnick, a redshirt-sophomore from Loomis, Calif., came to WSU from UC Davis last January after a standout FCS season. He was a Jerry Rice Award finalist, earned FCS Football Central Freshman All-American honors and was named Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year.
Last season, he started 12 games and completed 240 of 345 passes for 3,206 yards, 32 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 437 yards and three scores.
Zunk, a redshirt-senior from Berlin, Germany, transferred in after three seasons at Vanderbilt. Last year, he played in all 13 games and finished with 15 tackles, including three sacks.
McLain, a redshirt-junior from Priest River, Idaho, came to WSU after three seasons at Idaho. He picked up All-Big Sky Conference honorable mention last season after posting 42 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
Brown missed last season with an injury, but the graduate student from Lebanon, Ore., had already shown his range in 2024, when he appeared in all 13 games and made 26 tackles. Before that, he spent 2023 at Louisville and the 2021-22 seasons at Oregon.
Bernard transferred from Cal Poly in January. The junior from Modesto, Calif., played all 12 games for the Mustangs last season and produced 57 tackles, four interceptions and 12 pass breakups.
Stevens, a redshirt-sophomore from North Augusta, S.C., handled the kicking job all season and delivered. He made 16 of 19 field goals, with a long of 49, and was perfect on 33 PAT tries. He led the team with 81 points, and his 84.2 field goal percentage ranked fourth in WSU single-season history.
Vorhees, a redshirt-junior from Lutz, Fla., gave the Cougars a reliable rushing presence last season. He played in 12 games, led the team with 576 rushing yards and scored five touchdowns, while also adding 19 catches for 125 yards.
Clemons transferred from Oregon State in January after two seasons there and his first two seasons at Michigan. The redshirt-senior from Portland did not play at Oregon State last season because of injury, but he caught 29 passes, including two touchdowns, in 2024. He also appeared in 22 games during his first two seasons at Michigan in 2022 and 2023.
Leckner, a redshirt-junior from Snohomish, Wash., was on the field for all 13 games last season and started nine of them. He caught 24 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns, tying for the third-most touchdown catches by a tight end in WSU single-season history.
Martin, a redshirt-junior from Sumner, Wash., appeared in four games last season and started twice. He made his college debut off the bench, then started in the win over Oregon State and again in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl win over Utah State.
Lester, a redshirt-senior from Spokane, Wash., started all 13 games last season and lined up at left guard and twice at right tackle. He did not allow a sack over the final four games and gave up just one pressure on 50 pass-blocking snaps in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl win over Utah State.
Leupetele transferred from Eastern Washington in January after three seasons there. The redshirt-junior from Apple Valley, Calif., played in all 12 games last season, made 24 tackles and appeared in 24 games over his three years with the Eagles.
Warner, a junior from Phoenix, joined Washington State in January after playing at SMU last season. He appeared in 12 games for the Mustangs and recorded six tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. He began his college career at Kansas in 2024, appearing in 12 games for the Jayhawks.
In Other News...
Former Cougars Coach Jim Walden Dies At 88
Jim Walden, who spent a combined 17 seasons guiding Washington State and Iowa State, has died at 88, prompting public condolences from both programs. For Cougars fans, his name still carries a familiar place in the schools football history, not only for the years he spent on the sideline but also for the way he remained connected to the game long after coaching ended.
Washington States message reflected the respect Walden earned over time, while Iowa State also acknowledged his passing and the impact he had on its program. He later moved into broadcasting for 11 seasons, extending a football life that touched multiple corners of the sport and left both schools with a shared reason to remember him. [Read more 🡒]
Eleonora Villa Gives Washington State A Real Reason To Believe
Eleonora Villas return gives Washington State something every program wants in the offseason: a proven scorer who has already done the hard part of earning trust, production and recognition. The guard is heading into her fourth season with the Cougars after stacking up conference honors and establishing herself as a steady presence in the lineup, which makes her retention a meaningful win for a team trying to keep building around continuity.
Villa has been a fixture for Washington State, both as a starter and as a primary option on offense, and the Cougars are counting on that again this season. Her scoring track record already puts her among the programs notable names, and if she keeps producing at the level she has shown, the conversation around her place in school history is only going to get louder as the year goes on. [Read more 🡒]