COUGAR NOTES: Biggest X-factor for WSU? The wide receiver room

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Sep. 2—PULLMAN — A four-star recruit from Florida. A national champion with Michigan. And a couple of guys who have experienced three different coaching staffs in as many seasons on the Palouse.

That's a glimpse into the intrigue surrounding Washington State's wide receiver room entering coach Kirby Moore's inaugural campaign.

The Cougar pass-catching corps experienced a pretty extensive makeover this season, with guys like Josh Meredith graduating and Carter Pabst transferring.

With just three returners — senior Tony Freeman, junior Branden Ganashamoorthy and redshirt freshman Noah Westbrook — the Cougars brought in a slew of transfers who could make a name for themselves as soon as 1 p.m. Sunday when the Cougars suit up for the Apple Cup against No. 17 Washington.

Freeman returns with the most established track record. He was WSU's second-leading receiver last season, making 54 catches for 590 yards and three touchdowns.

The 5-foot-8, 174-pound Bay Area native possesses sensational speed — it's what helped him average a sixth-best-in-the-nation 17.3 yards per return last season as a punt returner.

In Moore and offensive coordinator Matt Miller's up-tempo offense, he could be in for an even bigger year, especially as he keeps learning, said Derek Sage, WSU's wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator.

"He wants to compete. He wants to be coached. He wants to be coached hard. He wants to learn and I think that's a huge deal," Sage said of Freeman. "He's had a lot of success, but at the same time a constant learner is something we're always looking for."

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How much success Freeman can have is largely dependent on the effectiveness of his teammates.

Among the group of likely starters is Tank Hawkins, a former consensus four-star recruit out of IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), and senior Darrius Clemons, another four-star recruit out of high school who landed with Michigan, where he was part of the 2023 national championship team, making three catches for 33 yards on the season.

Hawkins spent the last two seasons as a Florida Gator. Removed from the SEC spotlight, the former Florida track state champion in the 60-meter dash (6.70 seconds) could be a star.

Clemons transferred to Oregon State in 2024 after two years at Michigan. He totaled 29 catches for 292 yards that season. Then he missed his senior season with an injury.

At WSU, he has a new opportunity.

Missouri transfer wide receiver Daniel Blood adds another enthralling layer to the Cougs. Blood knows Moore's offense and could factor in after playing down the depth chart in the SEC.

"Everybody in the receiver room could take the top off the defense," Freeman said. "It's a mixture. Everybody does something different, everybody does something better, but I feel like what we do a good job of in the receiver room is applying what somebody else (does).

"Just stealing each other's sauce a little bit, adding to it and putting our own twist to it."

A receiver who has had ample opportunity to borrow his fellow receivers' sauce is junior Branden Ganashamoorthy, in his third year and third different coaching staff at WSU.

Freeman has been on each of those three Cougar squads with Ganashamoorthy, who goes by "BG."

"Nothing's really different. I feel like BG's gonna be BG," Freeman said. "He's never too high. He's never too low."

For Ganashamoorthy, who had a head-turning fall camp that included a slew of highlight plays, his preseason success is a result of a very intentional process.

He writes down a list of things he wants to get better at and picks a goal off that list each practice, such as point of attack, catching deep balls or using his hands.

"It's different things each and every single day, and I try to pick a new one each day from the last practice," Ganashamoorthy said. "If I'm getting myself better, I'm getting the team better."

How much better?

Tune in to NBC at 1 p.m. Sunday for the first glimpse.

No Cougar depth chart to start the season

The Cougars are declining to release a two-deep depth chart ahead of the Apple Cup. There likely won't be many surprises.

Caden Pinnick will serve as the Cougars' starting quarterback, as announced by the program last week.

A position battle rages on at right tackle between Jonny Lester and Jaylin Caldwell. It's one of several.

"We've got a ton of competition at a number of spots," Moore said. "So I think really for us, after Week 1 we should have a pretty consistent depth chart after that point."

WSU band not traveling to Apple Cup

For the first time in recent memory, the Washington State marching band will not attend the Apple Cup.

Rumors that UW "uninvited" WSU's band were false. Cougar Marching Band director Jon Sweet set the record straight in the comment section of the Facebook group "Die Hard Cougs."

"The decision was complicated and nuanced (much of which I was not privy to knowing). I trust our university and athletic department," Sweet wrote.

The decision, according to reporting by the Spokesman-Review, stems from UW's new visiting band seating policy since joining the Big Ten. This is WSU's first trip to Husky Stadium since the Dawgs joined the now 18-institution conference anchored by the likes of Ohio State and Michigan.

If the WSU band attended, they would sit in the upper deck of Husky Stadium, rather than Section 101, where the band was accustomed to sitting. With the about 260-person band typically performing on the field during pre-game festivities and at halftime and in the stands during the game, the logistics proved unideal.

"That wouldn't be a fun experience for the band members to be hiking up and down the stadium all game," WSU assistant director of athletic communications Bobby Alworth said in the Spokesman-Review's report. "It's just unfortunate that's where things are."

UW's most prominent public comment on the matter came at the request of The Daily Evergreen, WSU's independent student newspaper.

"Decisions regarding whether a visiting institution brings its marching band to Husky Stadium are made by that institution," UW spokesman Kurt Svoboda wrote. "We would defer to Washington State regarding its decision not to bring the band to this year's Apple Cup."

Cougars enter season with minimal injury issues

Moore said that entering the Apple Cup, only tight ends Trey Leckner and Hudson Cedarland are unavailable because of injuries that will keep them out for an extended period of time.

"Hopefully we'll see where things are at about midseason with both those guys," Moore said.

Cedarland suffered a lower-body injury during WSU's first fall camp scrimmage on Aug. 15 and has been on crutches ever since.

Senior UCLA transfer Jack Pedersen and redshirt freshman Peyton Read may play a larger role at the position.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.

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