Dec. 13—The NCAA transfer portal winter cycle officially opened on Monday and will run through Dec. 28.
Washington State has already had a number of players enter their names. We’ll keep tabs on all the comings and goings throughout the month. Also worth noting is that last week, WSU coach Jake Dickert said he expected around 15-20 players to hit the portal.
“It’s walk-ons that are unsure of their position,” Dickert said. “It’s guys in our roster that need opportunities to go play. There’s also guys that have played for us that have been offered large sums of money.”
Outgoing (18)
—Adrian Wilson — Redshirt freshman — Safety
—Kris Hutson — Senior — Wide receiver
—Jackson Lataimua — Redshirt junior — Safety
—Ethan O’Connor — Redshirt freshman — Defensive back
—Brandon Hills — Redshirt freshman — Wide receiver
—Ansel Din-Mbuh — Sophomore — Defensive line
—Aslan Fraser — Redshirt freshman — Defensive back (walk-on)
—Nick Haberer — Senior — Punter
—Mahki Whitney — Redshirt freshman — Tight end (walk-on)
—Khalil Laufau — Sophomore — Defensive tackle
—Wayshawn Parker — Freshman — Running back
—Warren Smith Jr. — Redshirt freshman — Defensive back
—Hyrum-Benjamin Moors — Freshman — Defensive tackle
—King Williams — Redshirt sophomore — Defensive back (walk-on)
—Brady McKelheer — Sophomore — Quarterback (walk-on)
—Tai Fa’avae — Sophomore — Linebacker
—Landon Roaten — Redshirt sophomore — Offensive line
—Luke Roaten — Redshirt sophomore — Offensive line
Incoming (1)
—Will Huggins — Redshirt senior — Tight end
Latest news
Arrivals
TE Will Huggins, Dec. 12
Huggins, a 6-foot-7 tight end, comes from Division II Pitt State in Kansas, where he played the 2024 season. That year, he hauled in 22 passes for 395 yards and one touchdown.
That followed his four-year career at Kansas, where he appeared in 11 total games, his only statistics coming in a 2020 contest against Oklahoma, when he caught one pass for 20 yards. A native of the Kansas City suburbs, Huggins stands to be the seventh TE on next season’s WSU roster.
Departures
CB Ethan O’Connor, Dec. 7
After redshirting last season, O’Connor started all 12 games for WSU this season, totaling a team-best four interceptions to pair with 32 tackles (23 solo) and eight pass breakups. He also returned an interception for a touchdown, the winning score in WSU’s Oct. 12 win over Fresno State.
RB Wayshawn Parker, Dec. 5
For all intents and purposes WSU’s starting running back, Parker piled up 735 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 137 carries, good for an average rush of 5.4 yards.
Speedy and elusive, Parker unlocked the Cougars’ rushing attack in a way few running backs have recently, breaking free for long scoring runs like a 43-yarder against Texas Tech and a 75-yarder against Utah State.
WSU RB Wayshawn Parker announced he’s entering the transfer portal. How will the Cougs manage the loss?
PULLMAN — Washington State has suffered its first big loss of the offseason. — Read more
Adrian Wilson, Dec. 13
In his first season of action at WSU, Wilson played in all 12 games this season, starting five of them. All told, Wilson made 48 tackles and recorded two pass breakups, using his athleticism and size to make an impact over the middle of the field. He did miss 14 tackles, though, and he earned a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 67.4, which is about average.
Kris Hutson, Dec. 11
A former Oregon transfer, Hutson totaled 683 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 54 catches this season, starting all 12 games. Speedy and reliable, Hutson recorded two 100-yard games at WSU, including 101 yards in a win over FCS Portland State and 126 in a loss to Boise State.
He used his speed to unlock the Cougars’ offense. With his average of 6.2 yards after the catch, he showed he could make defenders miss and simplify WSU’s offense when it was struggling.
How can WSU cushion the blow of WR Kris Hutson hitting the transfer portal?
PULLMAN — Washington State will have to move on without a key member of its offense. — Read more
Jackson Lataimua, Dec. 10
Lataimua started six of 12 games at safety this season, totaling 32 tackles (20 solo) and two pass breakups. His role fluctuated throughout the year — he started the first five games, then saw his snap counts diminish as he came off the bench for the next five, only to rejoin the starting lineup for the regular-season finale — and he missed one game with an injury.
“I’ve built relationships and created memories that will last a lifetime,” Lataimua wrote in an Instagram post. “This place is truly one of a kind and it’s been a pleasure serving y’all work from these wheat fields. Love you Coug nation.”
DT Ansel Din-Mbuh, Dec. 9
A breakout star on the Cougs’ defensive line this season, Din-Mbuh totaled six sacks on the season, including three alone in WSU’s win over San Diego State on Oct. 26. Din-Mbuh racked up 19 pressures, third-most on the team behind edge Syrus Webster and lineman David Gusta.
Din-Mbuh, a Texas native, also picked up 1 1/2 sacks in the Cougars’ regular-season finale loss to Wyoming on Nov. 30. He was one of the strongest players on this season’s WSU team.
WR Brandon Hills, Dec. 9
Coaches and teammates raved about Hill’s potential, but in two seasons at WSU, he played only one snap, in a win over FCS Portland State this season. Out of high school in Colorado Springs, he fielded one other offer, which came from FCS Northern Arizona.
CB Warren Smith, Dec. 6
The sophomore Smith played sparingly in his two years at WSU. Last fall, he took a redshirt season, playing in one game. This year, he played 67 snaps in seven games, including 32 snaps against FCS Portland State and 21 against Texas Tech. Smith turned down offers from Washington, Colorado, Arizona and UCLA to become a Cougar.
DT Khalil Laufau, Dec. 9
A true sophomore this season, Laufau played all 12 games, starting the final two of the regular season. All told, he piled up nine pressures and four sacks, providing valuable depth behind Gusta and Din-Mbuh on the Cougars’ defensive line. He also played nine games as a freshman.
P Nick Haberer, Dec. 9
A staple on WSU’s special teams units over the last several years, Haberer missed eight games this season with a back injury. He came back for WSU’s win over Utah State on Nov. 9, preserving his redshirt year and allowing him to play another season of college football. In four games this season, Haberer punted 14 times for 561 yards, an average punt of 40.1 yards.
An Australia native, Haberer started at punter in 2021, 2022 and 2023, picking up an All-Pac-12 honorable mention honor after the 2022 campaign.
OL Landon Roaten, Dec. 9
Roaten is a younger player that WSU coach Jake Dickert said on Sunday he was planning to give reps in the upcoming Holiday Bowl. Instead, Roaten is leaving the Cougars’ program with four games under his belt: One last year and three this year, totaling 34 snaps this season. He played clean-up snaps against FCS Portland State and Hawaii, and against Fresno State, he was used as a blocker for three snaps.
OL Luke Roaten, Dec. 9
Roaten appeared in one game in three years at WSU, checking in for four snaps in a win over FCS Northern Colorado last season. He’s the brother of Landon.
King Williams, Dec. 9 (walk-on)
A third-year sophomore, Williams never saw the field at Washington State.
QB Brady McKelheer, Dec. 9 (walk-on)
McKelheer entered the portal on Monday, but he left the team around the time of fall camp.
DT Hyrum-Benjamin Moors, Dec. 9
A Hawaii native, Moors took a redshirt season this season, an injuries prevented him from getting on the field.
LB Tai Fa’avae, Dec. 9
Fa’ave was dismissed from the team during fall camp and didn’t see any action at WSU.
S Aslan Fraser, Dec. 9 (walk-on)
Fraser redshirted last season and this season, he logged six special-teams snaps in WSU’s win over SDSU on Oct. 26.
TE Mahki Whitney, Dec. 9 (walk-on)
Whitney took a redshirt year last season. In two years at WSU, he never saw the field.
