October 19, 2024; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback John Mateer warms up before the game against the Hawaii Warriors at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Like many other programs across the college football landscape, the winter transfer portal has not been kind to Washington State. The Cougars saw a lot of players leave in December and with them a lot of production from the 2024 season. The Cougars’ offensive line suffered a major blow when third-year player and team captain Fa’alili Fa’amoe left to follow former head coach Jake Dickert to Wake Forest. After missing the first three games last year due to injury, Fa’amoe appeared in WSU’s remaining nine regular-season games and helped anchor the forward line for an offense that hit 442, 8 yards per game. The Cougs’ offensive line paved the way for a rushing attack that found the red zone 28 times and averaged more than 160 yards per game. Fa’amoe was a big reason for the success on the touchline and his absence will be a difficult one to replace.

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The second line was one of the position groups that said goodbye to the Cougs’ most talented and one big name they lost was linebacker Ethan O’Connor. O’Connor, now playing for Miami, played a key role in Washington State’s defense in 2024 despite being just a freshman reserve. O’Connor led the unit with four blocks (one of which he recovered for a score) and was responsible for eight PBUs. He was a starter the entire regular season and recorded 32 tackles along with one TFL and one QB hit. O’Connor hit the gates shortly after WSU’s regular-season finale against Wyoming. The Cougs saw their top running back leave this offseason in Wayshawn Parker. Parker is now in Utah after a very productive season at Pullman, where he ran for 735 yards and four touchdowns. He was a workhorse out of the backfield, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. However, Parker was also a factor in the passing game, hauling in 11 passes for over 100 yards and one touchdown. He was just a freshman in 2024 and like many of his former teammates, entered the portal before Washington State’s bowl game.