Can WSU even compete in the transfer portal era?

Dec 8, 2022 - 7:51 PM

For Washington State, the end of the football season used to simply mean wondering what bowl the Cougs were going to end up in, or looking forward to which players would be joining the program on signing day.

Now? It means wondering who is going to be leaving your program in search of greener pastures.

Transfer portal season is upon us, and the Cougs have not been spared. Most notable of the departures is starting middle linebacker Francisco Mauigoa, he of the 96-yard yard pick six against Oregon, and a guy that head coach Jake Dickert has called “a future pro.” It’s a loss that hurts.

Other notable names joining him are his backup, Travion Brown, and wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling.

Which makes us wonder just how WSU can secure — and retain — talent in this NIL era. The Cougar Collective is making the rounds, asking people to join their 1890 club, estimating that the annual need for WSU to compete with its peers is around $2.5 million. That’s an awfully big ask for a fanbase that is both notoriously tight with its donations and also lacking the kind of “whale” that has transformed other schools.

What can we do? We discuss on our latest episode of Podcast Vs. Everyone:

Additionally:

• We think the LA Bowl is going to be pretty fun.
• Men’s basketball got right against Northern Kentucky.
• Women’s basketball — stop us if you’ve heard this before — came back for another win. They’re 7-1 with the Huskies on deck!
• And volleyball got a win in its seventh straight NCAA tournament before running into a buzz saw in the second round.

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Music by Randy England — you can learn more about his work on Instagram!