Washington State gave everyone a little more to work with this week.
After Kirby Moore kept things under wraps before his head coaching debut in the Apple Cup, the Cougars are now putting an official two-deep on paper heading into Saturday’s road game at Kansas State. No more guessing about the first snap. This time, WSU has laid out its Week 2 depth chart in full.
At quarterback, sophomore Caden Pinnick is listed as the starter, with freshman Owen Eshelman and sophomore Julian Duigger behind him. Kirby Vorhees, a junior, sits atop the running back spot, followed by Maxwell Woods, Leo Pulalasi and Trey Hill Jr.
The receiver group is led by Darrius Clemons, Tony Freeman and Daniel Blood, all seniors. Branden Ganashmoorthy is the backup at Clemons’ spot, while Tank Hawkins Jr. backs up Freeman and Jordan Dees is behind Blood. Jack Pedersen, a senior, is the starting tight end, with Trey Leckner, Beau Baker, Cash Landau and Peyton Read listed as backups.
Up front, the offensive line has Ashton Tripp at left tackle, Kyle Martin at left guard, Noah Dunham at center, Nick Bakken at right guard and Jonny Lester at right tackle. Max McGree backs up Tripp, Chris Lino is behind Martin, Arion Williams is listed behind Dunham, Sone Falealo and Turner Bertrand back up Bakken, and Jaylin Caldwell is the backup at right tackle.
On defense, Linus Zunk and Matyus McLain are the starters at edge, with Jirah Leaupepetele and Kaden Beatty at defensive tackle. Malachi Wrice, Eduwa Okundaye, Damarjhe Lewis, Paul Huston III, Josh Wedel, Ben Beatty and Michael Hughes fill out the backups across the front. Keith Brown is listed at middle linebacker, DJ Warner at weakside linebacker, and Jamarey Smith at nickel.
The secondary shows Khamari Terrell and Jalil Tucker at cornerback, with Jaylen Thomas and Jeremiah Bernard at safety. CJ Solis-Lumar backs up Terrell, while Kai Rapolla is behind Tucker.
Jshawn Frausto-Ramos, Trey Ridley, Jackquintin Bal and Kyle Peterson are listed among the safety backups. Isaiah Hung is the backup at weakside linebacker, and Nylan Brown and Jack Ellison are behind Keith Brown in the middle.
Special teams list Jack Stevens as the kicker, Max Dean as the punter and Sean Bures as the long snapper. Miguel Arenas backs up Stevens, Josh Lijesen is behind Dean, and Jeremy Sousa is the backup long snapper. Freeman is the punt returner, with Hawkins Jr. behind him, and Tucker and Hawkins Jr. are the kickoff returners.
In Other News...
Coug Fans Have Plenty To Watch As Former Stars Open NFL Season
The NFL season gets rolling with a marquee opener that gives Washington State fans an immediate reason to tune in, as former Cougars Kyle Williams and Abraham Lucas are both set to be part of a Super Bowl rematch between the Patriots and Seahawks. It is a familiar kind of September storyline for WSU supporters, who have plenty of alums scattered across the league and a fresh batch of watch-list names as the 2026 season opens.
Nine former Washington State players are on active NFL rosters to start the year, with a few more working from practice squads or sitting on injured reserve. For a fan base that has long taken pride in how far its players travel after Pullman, the early weeks should offer a steady stream of familiar helmets, new opportunities and roster battles worth tracking as teams settle in for the season. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Golf Showed An Early Sign Fans Will Want To See
Washington States mens golf team had a finish in the Bombs Darts Birds Collegiate that offered a little more than a place on the leaderboard. The Cougars closed the tournament with a strong final round and left with a 10th-place result, a solid step in a field topped by Santa Clara in the team race and Arkansas States Jake Lile in the individual chase.
Sophomore Dylan Boenning supplied the best round for Washington State, turning in a 6-under 66 to lead the charge late in the event. For a group still trying to build momentum early in the season, it was the kind of closing effort that can matter because it showed the Cougars had some push left when the tournament was winding down. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Leaves Apple Cup With A Troubling Run Game Question
The season-opening loss to Washington left Washington State with more than just a frustrating result to digest. The Cougars had trouble sustaining drives, especially on third downs, and the run game never really found traction, a concern for an offense trying to establish a clearer identity early in the year.
Caden Pinnick ended up as the teams most effective runner, which only underscored how uneven the ground attack looked behind him. Kirby Moore said the Cougars need to improve there, while also making clear that how much Pinnick is asked to carry the ball could depend on the opponent and the plan from week to week. [Read more 🡒]