UC Davis transfer Caden Pinnick to start at QB for Washington State this fall

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Aug. 24—PULLMAN — Washington State's starting quarterback for this season is in place.

The Cougars will start UC Davis transfer Caden Pinnick, the program announced on social media Monday afternoon, ending a quarterback battle with returners Julian Dugger and Owen Eshelman that spanned from spring practice to fall camp, which wrapped up Sunday evening.

A redshirt sophomore, Pinnick earned the reins thanks to a solid fall camp, in which he earned first-team reps across nearly all 15 practices. He had been atop the Cougs' QB rotation since the first week of practice, showing accuracy and impressive athleticism to scramble from the pocket in 11-on-11 settings.

Pinnick won't get much of an easy runway into his tenure with the Cougs. WSU's season opener is set for Sept. 6 at No. 17 Washington, whose defense limited Pinnick to 8 for 16 passing for 50 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a matchup with UC Davis last season.

Also early on WSU's schedule are games against Big 12 opponents Kansas State and Arizona, the first on the road and the second at home.

During this WSU fall camp, the first signs that Pinnick was beginning to pull away in the race came after the team's first scrimmage on Aug. 15, when he was the first QB to take the field with the Cougars' first-teamers. He also worked with the second team, but he was the only quarterback to not rep with the third team. In an unofficial tally of stats from that scrimmage, Pinnick completed 12 of 20 passes for 79 yards and one touchdown.

About a week later, Pinnick earned the same duties in the Cougs' second and final fall camp scrimmage, though this one was less fruitful for WSU's offense. Pinnick connected on 6 of 14 passes for 54 yards and three interceptions, two of which came on tipped passes. The other pick went to safety Jaylen Thomas, who read Pinnick's eyes and jumped in front for the interception, his second off Pinnick in fall camp.

As a redshirt freshman last season, the 6-foot quarterback completed 240 of 345 passes (70%) for 3,206 yards and 32 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, winning Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors. He also registered 125 carries for 437 yards and three scores, good for an average rush of 3.5 yards, underscoring his dual-threat capabilities.

A native of the Sacramento area, Pinnick was hyper-efficient all season, leading the Aggies to an 8-3 regular season and into the FCS quarterfinals. On the season, he ranked in the top five nationally in passing efficiency (third), passing touchdowns (fourth) and yards per pass attempt (fourth). He also finished eighth in passing yards and passing yards per game.

That year, Pinnick was named a Freshman All-American by both STATS Perform and FCS Football Central. He was also the runner-up for the Jerry Rice Award, which goes to the country's top FCS freshman.

How did WSU land Pinnick? UC Davis' head coach is Tim Plough, who worked as Boise State's OC/QB coach from 2021-22. In Boise, he overlapped with current WSU OC/QBs coach Matt Miller, who had worked as the Broncos' wide receivers coach since 2020.

So what made him want to transfer to WSU?

"Culture was a big thing," Pinnick said after a spring practice on April 4, the last time he was made available to the media. "I'm a very small town, community guy, and when I stepped foot in Pullman, that's all I could feel. The coaches were very professional on the visit, and everything I heard was Coug this, Coug that, and that the fan base is very loyal. So that's what really drew me back here."

Though Dugger and Eshelman came up short in this battle, it's not impossible they're shut out from playing this season. Last fall, Dugger saw three snaps at wide receiver, and he was also used as a gadget QB. He showed off his athleticism in WSU's bowl game win over Utah State, breaking free for a 34-yard touchdown rush. All told, he logged 22 carries for 47 yards and two scores last season.

If the Cougars want to mix things up this season, if they want a bit more athleticism in certain spots, look for them to give Dugger a shot. He's one of the best athletes on the team and one of the fastest.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos