Unlike Washington’s offense, Washington State is set to bring an overhauled group with just four returning starters from the 2025 season on Sunday, September 6, when the two teams open the 2026 college football season at Husky Stadium.
Of the four, two are skill players, fourth-year running back Kirby Vorhees and fourth-year wide receiver Tony Freeman, who have made 15 combined starts for the Cougars over the past two seasons. The other pair of offensive returners are offensive linemen fifth-year left guard Jonny Lester and fourth-year left tackle Ashton Tripp, who started all 13 games for WSU last fall, including against the Huskies in the Apple Cup.
Vorhees was held to a career-low 13 yards on five carries in UW's 59-24 victory over the Cougars.
Freeman, one of six captains for first-year WSU coach Kirby Moore, didn't fare much better with a pair of catches for 28 yards.
Both are in line to be starters Sunday for the 118th Apple Cup alongside a new quarterback—third-year UC Davis transfer Caden Pinnick—and a pair of former SEC receivers, fourth-year Missouri transfer Daniel Blood and third-year Florida transfer Tank Hawkins Jr., among other new additions for the Cougars.
Washington State coach Kirby Moore said Monday there's still competition at a few positions and that there will be a more solidified depth chart after Week One.
— Lars Hanson (@LarsHanson) September 1, 2026
Cougars won't release a depth chart ahead of the Apple Cup
Blood, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound Destrehan, Louisiana native, made 36 appearances for Moore and the Tigers from 2023-25, but recorded just 15 catches for 152 yards.
Hawkins Jr., another undersized pass catcher at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, fared similarly in his two seasons in Gainesville for ex-coach Billy Napier, putting up 12 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown over 12 games for the Gators.
Given Moore, a former offensive coordinator under Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz, could use one or both shorter receivers along with a pair of big-bodied transfer additions Darrius Clemons (from Oregon State via Michigan) and Jordan Dees (from West Georgia) in Sunday's opener, both UW coach Jedd Fisch and defensive coordinator Ryan Walters know there's going to be a feeling out period in the first quarter.
"Obviously different offensive scheme. Different supporting cast. I told the defensive guys earlier in the week, you aren't playing Caden Pinnick at UC Davis," Walters said on Tuesday. "This is a new system, new team. We only really saw him for a half last year, so it's a completely different player when you're surrounded by a different environment."
Pinnick finished 8-of-16 for 50 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 70-10 defeat to the Huskies as the Aggies' starter. However, it was only his second career start, and he proved to be one of the best signal-callers at the FCS level in his final 10 games.
Although uncertainty can breed trouble for some opposing offenses this fall, Walters is confident in his ability and that his deep and talented defense can be the unit dictating events on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Rebuilt WSU Offense Brings Unique Test For Washington Football Defense
