Washington State: Kirby Moore Takes Over a Heavily Rebuilt Roster With a Wide-Open Quarterback Race
Washington State went 7-6 in 2025 and closed the year on a high note, beating Utah State 34-21 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. The bigger story in Pullman is at the top: Kirby Moore arrives as the Cougars' third head coach in three years, taking his first head job after three seasons as Missouri's offensive coordinator. He inherits a roster reshaped yet again by the transfer portal, most dramatically on defense, and a program finding its footing in the rebuilt Pac-12.
The offense should look more familiar and more explosive than the record suggests, but Moore has to answer questions at quarterback and rebuild a defense that was largely gutted over the offseason.
Offense
The headline addition is Caden Pinnick, a redshirt sophomore who transferred in from FCS UC Davis after winning Big Sky Freshman of the Year. His production traveled well: 3,206 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, a 70 percent completion rate and 437 rushing yards, the kind of dual-threat profile Moore has built his offenses around. Moore has likened his skill set to the mobile quarterbacks he coached at Missouri, and his legs are viewed as a real stress on defenses. There is some disagreement on how settled the job is: the preseason read ranges from Pinnick as the clear starter to an open competition, with redshirt freshman Owen Eshelman drawing praise in the spring and pushing him. Either way, WSU has capable options.
Tony Freeman is the anchor of the receiving corps after a 54-catch, 590-yard, three-touchdown season. The 6-3 Devin Ellison is in line for a bigger role, and Florida transfer Tank Hawkins adds speed and should factor in right away. At tight end, Trey Leckner is one of the few genuine holdovers, a returning starter who profiles as a reliable seam and possession target in the middle of the field. He projects to lead the position, though veteran Jack Pedersen is also in the mix for snaps.
Kirby Vorhees headlines the backfield, a returning starter who followed Moore's predecessor from South Dakota State and rushed for 576 yards and six touchdowns while adding 19 catches for 125 yards. He is the lead man in a rotation that also includes Maxwell Woods and Leo Pulalasi; together the trio combined for 212 carries, 1,006 yards and five scores last fall, with the bulk of that coming from Vorhees.
The line is the offense's steadiest unit and could be one of the better groups in the new conference. Two starters return, headlined by senior left tackle Ashton Tripp, a rare case of a player who chose to stay in an era of constant roster churn, and left guard Jonny Lester. Kyle Martin at center and Noah Dunham at guard round out the interior, while Washington transfer Maximus McCree competes for the right tackle spot. That experience up front should give whoever wins the quarterback job time to operate and open lanes for the backs.
Defense
This is where the rebuild is most severe. The Cougars lost heavily up front over the offseason, including a group of key players who followed the former head coach to Iowa State, and there is essentially no returning production to lean on. New coordinator Trent Bray has restocked through the portal, and the pass rush should still have teeth off the edge. Matyus McLain arrives from FCS Idaho after posting 42 tackles, 13.5 for loss, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble, and Vanderbilt transfer Linus Zunk, a German-born senior, brings 15 tackles and three sacks. The interior is thinner and less proven, with Kaden Beatty, Purdue transfer Damarjhe Lewis, Marshall transfer Paul Hutson III and Eastern Washington transfer Jirah Leaupepetele all in the rotation. The group reportedly created problems throughout spring.
The linebacker corps gets a boost from the return of Keith Brown, a former Oregon transfer who missed all of 2025 with an arm injury. Alongside him, Kent State transfer Nylan Brown adds proven production after tallying 38 tackles last year, with DJ Warner also in the mix. It is a portal-built unit, but one with more experience than the line in front of it.
The secondary, like the rest of the defense, is almost entirely new. Oregon transfer Jalil Tucker is expected to make an immediate impact in coverage in his final year of eligibility, paired with fellow corner Khamari Terrell. At safety, Jaylen Thomas and Jeremiah Bernard join the mix, and sophomore Kyle Peterson is a name to watch as a potential breakout. Bray is building this unit from scratch, so cohesion by September is the key question.
The kicking game is a strength. Jack Stevens returns after a strong debut, connecting on 16 of 19 field goals, a rate that ranked among the best single seasons in program history, and hitting all 33 extra points. New Mexico State transfer Max Dean handles punting after averaging 42.3 yards a boot, and Tank Hawkins figures to take over return duties on kickoffs and punts, with Freeman also available to field punts.
Overview and Prediction
The schedule front-loads the difficulty: road trips to Washington and Kansas State plus a home date with Arizona all come before the end of September, and getting back to a bowl looks tougher than a year ago. The formula is clear enough. Moore's offense should be more familiar and more dangerous, built behind a veteran line, a productive back and a dynamic quarterback addition, while the season likely rises or falls on how quickly a nearly all-new defense comes together.
The preseason consensus slots the Cougars in the upper-middle of the rebuilt Pac-12, around fourth or fifth, and outside the national top 85. If Bray's rebuilt front and secondary jell faster than expected, this is a team with the resources to push for a high finish in the new conference. If the defense needs time, as a full-scale rebuild often does, a repeat trip to the postseason will be a grind.