Washington State landed 13 players on Phil Steele Magazine’s preseason All-Pac-12 teams, a list that gives a clear snapshot of where the Cougars’ roster stands heading into the 2026 season.
Defensive end Linus Zunk was the lone Cougar on the first team, while four more players earned second-team recognition: wide receiver Tony Freeman, left tackle Ashton Tripp, cornerback Khamari Terrell and kicker Jack Stevens. Five Cougars were tabbed for the third team: quarterback Caden Pinnick, wide receiver Darrius Clemons, offensive lineman Jonny Lester, defensive tackle Jirah Leaupepetele and Freeman as a punt returner. Running back Kirby Vorhees, defensive end Matyus McLain and linebacker DJ Warner also were included.
Zunk, a redshirt senior from Berlin, Germany, joined Washington State after three seasons at Vanderbilt. Last season, he played in all 13 games and finished with 15 tackles, including three sacks.
Freeman’s place on the list comes in two spots, and for good reason. The senior from Richmond, Calif., was named the Pac-12 Conference Top Special Teams Performer last season after ranking sixth nationally with a 17.3 punt return average.
That mark set a Washington State single-season record. He also had five punt returns of 40-plus yards, the third-most nationally, and eight returns of 20-plus yards.
As a receiver, Freeman caught 54 passes for 590 yards and three touchdowns, and he ended the year with 1,004 all-purpose yards.
Tripp, a redshirt junior from Kennewick, Wash., was a steady presence at left tackle, starting all 13 games last season. He logged 887 snaps and gave up just one sack on 490 pass attempts, then closed the year with a personal-best pass block grade in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl win over Utah State.
Terrell, a redshirt senior from Killeen, Texas, arrived from Texas State in January after a season in which he played 12 games, made 36 tackles, had 2.5 for loss and picked off one pass. Before that, he spent three seasons at Oregon, where he appeared in 22 games.
Stevens, a redshirt sophomore from North Augusta, S.C., handled the kicking duties in every game last season and delivered a sharp year. He went 16-for-19 on field goals, connected from 49 yards out as his long, made all 33 PATs, led the team with 81 points and posted an 84.2 field goal percentage, the fourth-best single-season mark in Washington State history.
Pinnick, a redshirt sophomore from Loomis, Calif., transferred in from UC Davis in January after a standout FCS run. He was a Jerry Rice Award finalist, earned FCS Football Central Freshman All-American honors and was the 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.
Clemons, a redshirt senior from Portland, came to Washington State after stops at Oregon State and Michigan. He did not play last season at Oregon State because of injury, but in 2024 he caught 29 passes and scored two touchdowns. He played in 22 games over his first two seasons at Michigan.
Lester, a redshirt senior from Spokane, Wash., started all 13 games last season and split time at left guard and right tackle, including two starts at the latter spot. 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, a redshirt junior from Apple Valley, Calif., transferred from Eastern Washington in January after three seasons there. He played in all 12 games last season, made 24 tackles and appeared in 24 games over his three-year run with the Eagles.
Vorhees, a redshirt junior from Lutz, Fla., appeared in 12 games and led the Cougars on the ground with 576 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He also added 19 catches for 125 yards.
McLain, a redshirt junior from Priest River, Idaho, came over from Idaho after three seasons there. He earned All-Big Sky Conference honorable mention last season after posting 42 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
Warner, a junior from Phoenix, transferred from SMU in January after playing there last season. He appeared in 12 games for the Mustangs, recorded six tackles, had two sacks and forced a fumble. Before that, he began his college career at Kansas in 2024 and played in 12 games for the Jayhawks.
In Other News...
WSU Fans Already Have One Big Problem With EAs New Ratings
Washington State fans got their first look at EA Sports College Football 27 ratings, and the early reaction probably wont surprise anyone who has followed how these reveals tend to go. The Cougars have four players rated 80 or better, with Tony Freeman leading the way as the highest-rated name on the roster, but the overall picture is already stirring debate because the games opening numbers do not quite match how WSU supporters see this team.
The bigger issue is what is missing and what looks off. Several Cougars are not in the game at all, while others have landed with ratings that feel lower than expected or, in a few cases, at positions that dont reflect where they actually play. EA Sports is expected to keep updating ratings as the season unfolds, but for now the initial rollout has given WSU fans plenty to gripe about and plenty of reason to keep checking back. [Read more 🡒]
David Riley Just Sent A Message WSU Fans Have Waited For
David Rileys latest summer update offered a clearer picture of what Washington State wants to become under his watch. The Cougars are using practice time to lean into a more physical, disruptive defensive identity, and Riley said the staff is intentionally slowing things down as the group works through the basics. It is the kind of offseason message fans usually want to hear this time of year, especially with the program trying to establish a new edge heading into another pivotal stretch.
Washington State also used the moment to lean into the broader Pac-12 conversation, unveiling a social media push tied to the leagues return and featuring several Cougar athletes in rally-style messaging. It fits the mood around the program right now: a mix of rebuilding, branding and belief, with former Cougars Cedric Coward and Isaac Jones also keeping the WSU pipeline visible in NBA Summer League. The next question is how much of this summer tone shows up once the games start for real. [Read more 🡒]