COUGARS OPEN ROGERS ERA SATURDAY NIGHT HOSTING IDAHO
Washington State opens the 2025 season Saturday night hosting Idaho at Gesa Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. on The CW.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE
Washington State are led by first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers who coached South Dakota State the past two seasons highlighted by an FCS National Championship in 2023. The Cougars went 8-5 last season and earned a trip to the Holiday Bowl for the program's eighth bowl game in the last nine full seasons. The Cougars eight wins were the most since the 11-2 campaign in 2018. The 2025 rosters features just three returning starters on offense and 75 newcomers. 

SERIES HISTORY
The Cougars lead the all-time series 73-17-3 and have won the last 10 meetings including the last matchup, 24-17 to open the 2022 season. Idaho's last win in the series was a 38-34 win in 2000. WSU's last meeting against a team from the Big Sky Conference was a 70-30 win over Portland State in last year's season-opener.

COUGAR QUICK GAME
TEAM 
• Jimmy Rogers is looking to be the 1st Cougar head coach to win his debut since Bill Doba in 2003 (25-0, Idaho)
• WSU has won 3 straight season-openers; 24-17 - Idaho (2022), 50-24 at Colorado State (2023), 70-30 - Portland St (2024)
• WSU went 8-5 last season, the most wins since 2018
• WSU earned its 8th bowl game in last nine full seasons and 19th bowl all time
• WSU assistant OL line coach Mike Iupati was an 11-year NFL veteran and All-American from Idaho (2006-09)

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT (Player Notes Pages 8-11)
• C Brock Dieu was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List (Top Collegiate Center)
• WR Jeremiah Noga and OL AJ Vaipulu were named to the 2025 Polynesian Player of the Year Watch List

COLLEGE GAMEDAY RECORD
Dating back to the 2003 season, ESPN College GameDay has had the WSU flag appear throughout the show. The streak reached 320 on the opening round of the 2024 College Football Player. The first appearance came in Austin, Texas (10/4/03) and the streak began two weeks later in Madison, Wisc. (10/18/03). Two flags – Ol' Crimson and Gray – have been flown in the background of the GameDay set. The Gray flag was added in 2014 after Whitey was retired in honor of Steve Gleason's "No White Flags." Appearance No. 217 was its first in Pullman (10/20/18), a 34-20 win over Oregon. 

JIMMY ROGERS NAMED HEAD COACH
WSU Director of Athletics Anne McCoy announced December 28 that Jimmy Rogers had been named the Cougars' Head Football Coach. Rogers agreed in principle to a five-year contract in becoming the 35th head football coach in program history. Rogers arrived at WSU having spent the last 12 years at South Dakota State University, the past two as head coach. In those two years, he guided SDSU to a 27-3 record, led the Jackrabbits to the 2023 FCS Championship and reached the FCS semifinals last season. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
75 - WSU's 2025 roster features 75 new players
21 - WSU returns 21 players who have earned a varsity letter
10 - WSU's 2025 schedule features teams from 10 different conferences including all 5 Power-5 leagues
7 - 7 Cougs were named to the East-West Shrine Bowl Watch List
    (C Brock Dieu, S Matthew Durrance, LB Caleb Francl, CB Colby Humphrey, RB Angel Johnson,       
         S Tucker Large, OL AJ Vaipulu)
6 - 6 seniors have spent their entire careers at WSU; C Brock Dieu, RT Christian Hilborn, 
    WR Joshua Meredith, WR Leon Neal Jr., RB Dylan Paine (6th), DE Raam Stevenson
3 - WSU returns 3 starters, all on offense, C Brock Dieu, RT Christian Hilborn, WR Josh Meredith

QUARTERBACK BATTLE
Four quarterbacks have been vying to be the Cougar's starting quarterback, it will be WSU's third opening game starting quarterback in the last three seasons; Cam Ward in 2023 and John Mateer in 2024. (listed how they appear on depth chart)

Zevi Eckhaus, Sr.    Bryant transfer prior to 2024, started 2024 Holiday Bowl, 363 pass yds, 4 total TD
Jaxon Potter, RS-So.    2023 signee, made debut last season vs Hawaii, 2-2, 26 yards
Julian Dugger, RS-Fr.    Pitt transfer, played in 2024 bowl game, 72 pass yds, 2 TD, 88 rush yds, 1 TD
Ajani Sheppard, RS-So.    Rutgers transfer, 1 GP in 2023, 4 in 2024, had 20-yard rush vs Wisconsin

13 COUGS HAVE EARNED DEGREES
Four players with college degrees
DL Max Baloun (Physical Education), LB Keith Brown (Social Sciences), LS Colson Brunner (Social Sciences), TE Hudson Cedarland (Management), CB Jamorri Colson (Humanities), DL Darrion Dalton (Business), QB Zevi Eckhaus (Social Sciences), OL Christian Hilborn (Humanities), LB Parker McKenna (Social Sciences), WR Leon Neal Jr. (Marketing), WR Jeremiah Noga (Public Health), RB Dylan Paine (Marketing), DT Mike Sandjo (Human Rights). 

COUGAR FOOTBALL PLUS ONES
Four Washington State players took the plunge this past offseason.
    - C Brock Dieu married his wife Chloe this past summer
    - LG Jonny Lester married his wife Chloe this summer
    - DE Isaac Terrell married his wife Madison this summer
    - DE Malaki Ta'ase married his wife McKinley this past January

MISSION COUGS
A pair of Cougs recently completed their missions; LB Gage Jones spent two years (2022-2023) on a mission in Chile and DE Malaki Ta'ase spent two years (2022-23) on a mission in Ghana.

APPLE CUP DATES SET, WSU ADDS HOME AND HOME SERIES WITH ARIZONA
Washington State and Washington have set the dates for the 2026 and 2027 Apple Cups, while the Cougars have also added a home-and-home series with the Arizona Wildcats, beginning in 2026. The 2026 Apple Cup will be contested Sept. 5 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, while the 2027 game will be held Sept. 18 at Gesa Field in Pullman. The 2028 contest, the fifth in the five-game agreement signed in 2023, will be played at Husky Stadium though no date has been announced. In addition to the Apple Cup dates being set, Washington State has signed a home-and-home agreement with the University of Arizona, beginning in 2026. The 2026 contest will be played Sept. 26, in Pullman, while the return game is set for Sept. 25, 2027, in Tucson.

KYLE WILLIAMS SELECTED BY PATRIOTS IN 2025 NFL DRAFT
Wide receiver Kyle Williams was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Williams, taken as the fifth pick in the round and No. 69 overall, was the first Cougar wide receiver drafted since Dezmon Patmon went in the sixth round to the Indianapolis Colts in the 2020 draft and was the highest drafted wide receiver since Jason Hill went in the third round to San Francisco in 2007. Williams was the first Cougar drafted by the Patriots since Drew Bledsoe went first overall in the 1993 NFL Draft. Williams played the last two seasons in Pullman after playing his first three seasons at UNLV (2020-22). The Inglewood, Calif. finished his career with 248 receptions for 3,609 yards, 29 touchdowns, seven 100-games and caught a pass in all 50 career games played. At Washington State, Williams had 131 catches for 2,041 yards and 20 touchdowns along with seven 100-yard games with the 20 touchdown catches tied for sixth-most in WSU history and the seven 100-yard games were tied for tenth-most in program history. Williams caught 70 passes for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns with five 100-yard games last season. The 14 touchdown catches last season were second-most in WSU history, the 1,198 receiving yards were fourth-most in WSU single-season history and five 100-yard games tied for the tenth-most in WSU single-season history. 

COUGARS UNVEIL MADE OF CRIMSON CAMPAIGN
Washington State Athletics unveiled its Made of Crimson campaign Saturday in advance of the 2025 Cougar Football season. The campaign focuses on the pride and passion Cougar fans have for Washington State Football. "The goal of the campaign is to reemphasize that Washington State Athletics and Cougar Football are national brands, said Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing and Fan Experience Miranda Fernandez. "In the ever-changing world of college athletics, Cougar Pride has never wavered, and we are providing an outlet for fans to show that pride through this social campaign. "It is also an effort to reengage with those fans who haven't been to a Cougar Football game in recent years and remind them of what they are missing," Fernandez added. 

FAN EXPERIENCE ENHANCEMENTS FOR COUGAR FOOTBALL GAMES
Washington State Athletics has announced the 2025 Football Theme Game schedule as well as fan enhancements that are to be implemented ahead of the 2025 Cougar Football season. Throughout the 2025 football season, each home game at Gesa Field will have a theme to heighten the gameday experience. 

Kickoff At The CUB
New this year is the Kickoff At The CUB tailgate, located in the CUB Senior Ballroom. Beginning three hours prior to kickoff, all fans are welcome to enjoy the pregame atmosphere with featured food and drinks – including beer, wine, soda, and cocktails - available for purchase. With multiple screens throughout the room, fans will be able to enjoy college football games from all around the country. Kickoff At The CUB will also feature an appearance from the Cougar Marching Band to build the excitement. The CUB Senior Ballroom is located on the second floor of the Compton Union Building.
 
Hollingbery Fieldhouse
New this year, Hollingbery Fieldhouse will not be open to the public. The venue  will be used to host private events for corporate partners of Cougar Athletics. Fans looking for the pregame experience found at Hollingbery Fieldhouse in previous years can now enjoy that same festive atmosphere at Kickoff At The CUB in the Compton Union Building Senior Ballroom or at Cougville on Rogers Field.
 
Cougville
Cougville, located on Rogers Field, remains one of the premier pregame tailgate spots on campus. Cougville provides fans with entertainment options for the entire family, including a beer garden for adults and a kids zone with inflatable bounce houses for young Cougar fans to enjoy. Cougville will open two hours prior to kickoff, close once the game begins, then re-open for halftime. Fans must show their game tickets to enter Cougville pregame.
 
Cougar Prowl
Don't miss this gameday tradition as fans gather to cheer on the Cougars as they make their way into Gesa Field. New for the 2025 season, the Cougar Prowl will begin two hours and 40 minutes prior to kickoff and will now start at the Taylor Sports Complex. Head Coach Jimmy Rogers will lead the Cougars through the RV1 parking lot, past the Cougar Pride Statue, and into the Northeast entrance to Gesa Field. Fans of all ages are invited to join in this celebration of welcoming the Cougs to Gesa Field each home game.
 
Idaho Weekend – Aug. 29-30
Camping with the Cougs
In response to limited hotel space surrounding home football weekends, Washington State Athletics is partnering with the WSU Alumni Association to present Camping With The Cougs for the season-opener against Idaho. Fans for that weekend will be able to purchase camping spots located on Mooberry Track as well as the turfed field on Grimes Way adjacent to the Lighty Student Services building. There will be 97 spots available and the cost for Camping With The Cougs is $250 for two nights (all spots require two night stay), which includes parking. Game tickets for the Idaho contest are not included. More information regarding Camping With The Cougs will be released in the coming weeks.
 
Movie Night on Gesa Field
On Friday, August 29, WSU Athletics will host a movie night on Gesa Field. In the weeks leading up to the Idaho game, WSU Athletics will solicit input through a fan poll on social media allowing a fan vote for the featured movie. The event will take place on Gesa Field and will be free to the public. Limited concession items will be available.