WSU 2026 Season Preview: Fall Camp Opens, the $8.43M Colville Patch Deal, Apple Cup Week 1 & Why the Over is a Lock

Washington State football is back. Fall camp opens Thursday, August 6th in Pullman, and after a summer full of massive program news — a historic sponsorship deal, a brand-new stadium look, and a quarterback competition that'll define the entire season — it's finally time to talk football.

On this episode of Cougs on the Couch, Connor and Dylan broke down everything you need to know heading into camp: the Colville Reservation jersey patch deal, what's new at Martin Stadium, the schedule, the two-deep, and why the 5.5-win over/under is a gift. Here's the full written breakdown.

Fall Camp Dates & The Quarterback Classic

Camp officially opens Thursday, August 6th, with media day on Wednesday. The first scrimmage is set for August 15th, the second on August 21st, and camp closes Sunday, August 23rd at 7:30 p.m. — the final session under the lights before the Cougs turn their attention to Seattle.

Running concurrently with the opening days of camp is the CougsFirst Quarterback Classic, Jack Thompson's alumni fundraiser that's become one of the highlights of the Cougs calendar. This year's event includes a Thursday dinner and auction, Friday golf, and a Saturday practice preview. The alumni lineup is loaded: Mark Rypien (Super Bowl MVP), Brent Jones (Super Bowl champion), Robbie Tobeck (Seahawks center), Ruben Mayes (College Football Hall of Fame), Luke Falk, Connor Holiday, Mike Levenseller, and — in a welcome sign of the Moore era's open-door approach — Maris Wilson, who is coming back into the fold for the first time in years. As Dom Williams told us: Maris loves being a Coug. He loved his time on the Palouse. That door is wide open now, and that's the cultural shift Kirby Moore and GM Brad Larrondo have been signaling since day one.

The $8.43M Colville Reservation Jersey Patch: Historic on Every Level

On June 30th, 2026 — one day before WSU officially entered the rebuilt Pac-12 — the university and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation announced a jersey patch partnership worth $8.43 million over five years. That's $1.686 million per year, plus a $250,000 year-one gift directly to the Cougar Athletic Excellence Fund. It's the largest annual sponsorship agreement in Washington State athletics history and the first jersey patch deal in the new Pac-12.

The Colville Tribes seal will appear as a patch on every Cougar uniform — not just football, all sports. The partnership also includes youth clinics on tribal land, a regional basketball development program, an AAOU tribal tournament, and a video series connecting WSU athletes with tribal youth. AD John Harlo's quote said it all: "This is a historic partnership rooted in Eastern Washington. It brings together two tradition-rich communities as we chart an exciting new path forward as leaders in the Pacific Northwest and the new Pac-12."

For context on what WSU pulled off here: the Big 12 did a league-wide Monster Energy deal worth roughly $20 million across 18 teams — about a million per school. WSU just outpaced that on their own, while keeping the partnership rooted in Eastern Washington. As Dylan put it: "You keep it in the region. You keep it with a tribe that's so intertwined with Washington State University. Fantastic."

Martin Stadium Gets a Major Upgrade — Including the Sideline Flip

Martin Stadium is going to look and feel different this fall, and in all the right ways. The old AstroTurf — which had been down since 2014 and was showing its age visibly by the end of every season — has been replaced with new turf. The video board is now 30 feet wider than the old system. The stadium lighting has been fully upgraded to LED, which means color-changing displays and crimson flashing as the Cougs come out of the tunnel. The sound system has also been enhanced.

But the most talked-about change is the sideline flip. The home and visiting sidelines have been swapped, which means WSU's student section is now positioned directly behind the visiting team's bench. Coach Moore's quote on it: "Our student section is now behind the visiting team — an electric student body that energizes the whole stadium. That's college football." The flip also means the two teams no longer have to cross each other on the way in and out before and after the game, which made for some interesting moments in years past.

AD John Harlo has been reading emails from fans and alums and actually acting on them. Connor noted that someone sent Harlo an email about the lack of baby changing tables in the stadium bathrooms — and he responded. That responsiveness filters all the way down to the game day experience, and it's a change that Cougar fans are going to feel this season.

The Pac-12 Preseason Poll: Pure Disrespect

The preseason media poll has Boise State as the clear conference favorite, which makes sense. What's less defensible is WSU landing at fifth. This is a program that has been to bowl games in 10 of the last 11 seasons (the one miss was COVID), returning to a new Pac-12 with a loaded transfer class and a coaching staff that knows how to win. Fifth is disrespectful — and Connor and Dylan said exactly that on air.

DraftKings has Boise State at +154 to win the conference, with the FBi playoff model giving them an 11% shot at making the College Football Playoff — the only Pac-12 team above 10%. Whoever wins the Pac-12 gets a shot at the playoff every year. WSU is going to be in that conversation by October.

The O/U: Lock in the Over Right Now

The case for the over starts with the non-conference schedule. WSU plays Washington (Apple Cup, Week 1), Kansas State (Week 2), and Arizona at home — and that Arizona game is probably the second or third most exciting game on the schedule. If the Cougs can go 2-2 in non-conference — beating Arizona and one of the bigger road games — they enter Pac-12 play with genuine momentum and a path to six, seven, or eight wins. This is a program built to be in bowl games. Betting the house on them missing that mark at +145 feels like a gift the market is handing you.

Week 1 at Washington: Apple Cup on Sunday, NBC, and 21.5 Points

For the first time in Apple Cup history, the rivalry game is being played on a Sunday. September 5th, 1:00 p.m. Pacific time, on NBC and Peacock. This is the third time either program has ever played on a Sunday — and the timing is perfect. It's the weekend before the NFL season begins. WSU gets a standalone national window to show the country what this program is.

The line has WSU as 21.5-point underdogs in Seattle. That's a lot. Connor made the point that getting the Apple Cup in Week 1, with a fully healthy roster, is actually better than getting it in November when depth disparities tend to favor UW. WSU was within 10 points of Washington last year before the game got away late. Getting them fresh — before injuries accumulate and before the roster gaps show — gives the Cougs their best shot at a statement win. And if they can pull the upset on national TV in Week 1, the entire season changes.

Week 2 is at Kansas State on Saturday, September 12th at 9:00 a.m. Pacific — the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Back-to-back Power Four road games in six days to open the season. If the Cougs survive those two weeks with even a split, they've earned something.

The Quarterback Competition: Caden Pinnick Is the Leader

The QB room has three legitimate competitors: Caden Pinnick (transfer, UC Davis), Owen Eshelman (returning), and Julian Dugger (returning). Pinnick is the clear leader in the clubhouse. He was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year and a freshman All-American at UC Davis — and he already has a GMC truck NIL deal before he's taken a single Pac-12 snap. That doesn't guarantee he starts Week 1, but it's a signal.

Dylan's perspective: "I just think any quarterback that gets named is going to be better than what we had last season." That's the floor. Eshelman is a capable dual-threat option who's been in the program — a legitimate backup who could start for a lot of Pac-12 teams. Dugger is the third option. What the coaches got away from last year — putting Dugger in and running him on designed QB keepers without setting him up for success — that's not the system Matt Miller is running. All three guys can move with their legs. The question is who shows up in the scrimmages.

The media poll noted Pinnick as a "potential wild card that could swing the entire season." If he plays to his ceiling alongside the transfer portal additions, WSU can legitimately compete for a Pac-12 title. That's not hyperbole — that's the upside the roster carries.

The Two-Deep: Offense

Four to five of the eleven projected offensive starters are new transfers this year. At running back, Kirby Vorhees (South Dakota State) enters camp as the clear lead back after showing what he could do last season. Leo Pulalasi and Maxwell Woods are the backups — Woods had a big bowl game and is pushing for more carries. Don't sleep on Bo Phillips as a freshman who could factor in as a returner and third-down back.

The wide receiver room is built like a basketball team — Moore and Larrondo's words, and they're accurate. Tony Freeman returns as one of the most dangerous playmakers in the conference. His punt return numbers from last season were jaw-dropping: a WSU record 17.3 yards per average on 415 total return yards. Tank Hawkins (Florida transfer) brings elite speed — a 42-something 40-yard dash time that nobody in the Pac-12 will match. Daniel Blood (Missouri) is the possession receiver who does the dirty work — blocking, route-running to open space — and Darrius Clemons (Michigan/Oregon State) rounds out a legitimate four-receiver rotation.

At tight end, Trey Leckner returns and Jack Pedersen was brought in. At the offensive line, Ashton Tripp started all 13 games last season, Jonny Lester keeps improving, and Kyle Martin holds the center spot. Maximus McCree (UW transfer) arrives as a potential starter at tackle — walking back into Husky Stadium in Week 1 against his former team. If he stays healthy, he upgrades the right side immediately.

The O-line is the honest question mark. John Wilner called them "perhaps the most experienced, cohesive offensive line in the conference." The counterpoint: the same group graded near the bottom nationally in both pass and run blocking last year. Experience matters. So does the reality of what happened on tape.

The Two-Deep: Defense — Eight of 11 Starters Are Transfers

Trent Bray rebuilt this defense through the portal, and the raw talent is significantly more imposing than what WSU put on the field last year. Eight of the eleven projected defensive starters are transfers. That's a complete overhaul.

At defensive end, Linus Zunk (Vanderbilt) is the name to watch. Dylan: "This guy looks serious." On the other side, Matyus McLain (Idaho) is projected as an absolute fan favorite — he brings energy and physicality and is the kind of player who makes the line dangerous just by lining up. At defensive tackle, Paul Hutson III (Marshall) anchors the interior and is already a fun social media follow. Kaden Beatty returns at the second DT spot.

At linebacker, Keith Brown is back for what feels like his tenth season — and we mean that affectionately. He's a known commodity. The name that has Connor genuinely excited is DJ Warner. Brad Larrondo said he can line up at the three-technique, play outside linebacker as a free rusher, or drop into coverage. Connor's projection: double-digit sacks. That might be the boldest prediction of the offseason from the Couch, and it's worth watching every single week.

In the secondary, Khamari Terrell (Oregon/Texas State) comes in at corner. The secondary as a whole will be a week-to-week development story. Can Bray scheme these transfer pieces into a cohesive unit quickly? That question gets answered in September.

Special Teams: Jack Stevens is Automatic

Jack Stevens returns at kicker after a 2025 season that went largely unnoticed nationally: 16 of 19 field goals, long of 49, a perfect 33 of 33 on extra points, and a team-high 81 points. He's a guaranteed kicker in a conference where kicking games swing multiple results per season. Combined with Tony Freeman's record-setting return average, WSU's special teams unit enters 2026 as a legitimate third-phase advantage.

The Coaching Staff

Kirby Moore, 36, is the head coach — from Prosser, Washington, which matters for roster recruitment and long-term retention. Matt Miller (Boise State co-OC) runs the offense. Trent Bray — a Pullman native who played at Oregon State and most recently served as OSU's head coach — runs the defense. Jack Abercrombie handles the offensive line, Derham Cato coaches the tight ends and run game, and Derek Sage — a Toledo coach and former Leech-era WR assistant at WSU — runs the wide receivers and special teams. Andrew Browning brings seven seasons at Cal. GM Brad Larrondo provides the organizational muscle. The Boise State October 24th homecoming game in Pullman is going to have extra juice given the staff connections.

The Bottom Line

This is Washington State's fourth head coach this decade. The program has navigated the dissolution of the original Pac-12, two consecutive years of complete roster turnover, and a national college football landscape that changes faster than ever. And they've done it while making the right hire, building the right staff, closing a landmark partnership deal with the Colville Nation, and delivering a rebuilt stadium experience to the fans who've stayed loyal through all of it.

Fall camp opens August 6th. The Apple Cup is September 5th on NBC. The over is +145. Lock it in.

Go Cougs

Subscribe to Cougs on the Couch on YouTube and follow us on Instagram @cougsonthecouch for weekly episodes all season long. We're getting players and coaches on throughout fall camp, and we'll be tracking every development out of Pullman from now until the bowl game. The season starts now.