Washington State football finished the 2022 season with an above average 7-6 record. The team lost to Oregon, USC, Oregon State, Utah, Washington, and Fresno State in the bowl. This team basically beat everyone they were supposed to and lost when they were underdogs. The lone exception came against Wisconsin, where Washington State pulled off an upset as a double digit underdog.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Cougars win total at 6.5 with the under juiced to -165. Washington State also sits at +4000 to win the Pac-12, which ranks middle of the pack. With that said, let’s dive into Washington State’s season preview.
2023 Washington State Football Predictions & Season Preview
2023 Washington State Football Season Preview: Coaching Staff
At head coach, Washington State returns Jake Dickert for his second season as head coach. Dickert previously coordinated the Washington State defense, giving him plenty of familiarity with the program. This offseason, he brought in Ben Arbuckle to coordinate the offense. Arbuckle previously coordinated Western Kentucky’s offense in 2022. On defense, Dickert hired Jeff Schmedding, who previously coordinated Auburn’s defense in 2022. Overall, this marks a solid staff ahead of 2023.
2023 Washington State Football Season Preview: Offense
Quarterback
At quarterback, Washington State returns Cameron Ward after his first season in the FBS. Ward completed 320 of his 497 pass attempts (64.4%) for 3,232 yards (6.5 yards per attempt), 23 scores, and nine interceptions. Ward did not show strong mobility last year with 58 yards on 107 attempts. However, he did take 46 sacks, which at least partially comes down to offensive line play. Overall, Ward finished as the Pac-12’s 13th graded quarterback among 15 qualifiers last year, per PFF.
Their backup should be John Mateer, who only threw two passes last year. He did run four times for 58 yards and looks to have a slightly different skill set than Ward. Overall, this will be his second season with the program after coming in as a three-star recruit. Washington State did not receiver the caliber quarterback play they expected last year, but another year of experience should only help Ward here.
Running Back
At running back, Washington State returns their top two options in Nakia Watson and Jaylen Jenkins. Watson stands 6-0, 223 pounds and originally came over from Wisconsin. Last year, he rushed 144 times for 769 yards and nine scores. He also caught 30 passes for another 296 yards and four scores. Watson averaged a solid 3.3 yards after contact and forced a missed tackle on 26.4% of his attempts.
Jenkins stands 5-8, 177 pounds and rushed 68 times for 396 yards last year. He also caught 13 passes for 98 yards and two scores. Overall, he averaged 2.41 yards after contact and forced a missed tackle on 29.4% of his attempts. Together, these two provide Washington State a strong tandem at running back. The team retains Dylan Paine and Djouvensky Schlenbaker for depth here as well.
Wide Receiver
At receiver, Washington State loses their top four pass catchers in De’Zhaun Stribling, Robert Ferrel, Donovan Ollie, and Renard Bell. This leaves Lincoln Victor and Leyton Smithson as the two incumbent receivers. Victor stands 5-9, 177 pounds and caught 26 balls for 245 scoreless yards last year. Victor played out wide 50.4% of the time and his 0.96 yards per route ranked 62nd in the Pac-12 among 65 qualifiers last year. Smithson stands 6-1, 188 pounds and caught 30 balls for 235 yards and one score last year. He played out wide 91.3% of the time and his 0.82 yards per route ranked 63rd in the conference last year.
Behind these two, Washington State hammered the transfer portal. They brought in Josh Kelly (Fresno State), Kyle Williams (UNLV), Isaiah Hamilton (San Jose State), and DT Sheffield (JUCO). Kelly stands 6-1, 185 pounds and caught just 12 balls for 207 yards last year. He only played in six games, but he had a much better 2021 campaign. That season, he caught 52 balls for 774 yards and three scores. He played out wide 68.8% of the time and registered a strong 2.19 yards per route. Williams stands 6-0, 185 pounds and caught 40 balls for 541 yards and five scores last year. His season also ended early due to injury after just nine games. Williams played out wide 86.6% of the time and registered a strong 1.83 yards per route last year.
Hamilton stands 5-11, 180 pounds and caught 11 balls for 228 yards last year. Hamilton’s best season came back in 2019, where he caught 43 balls for 718 yards and four scores. Over his career, he has played in the slot 92.8% of the time and has a strong 1.81 yards per route. His decline within the San Jose State program remains a mystery. As for Sheffield, he stands 5-10, 174 pounds and caught 58 balls for 776 yards, in addition to returning punts. Sheffield earned honorable mention All-American honors at this level of play last year.
For depth, Washington State also retains Orion Peters and Tsion Nunnally from last year. Peters logged 13 catches, while Nunnally checked in with seven. Overall, this unit should be expected to take a slight step back, given their departures.
Tight End
The Washington State offense generally utilizes four receivers on the field. However, they return their top three tight ends, starting with Billy Riviere III, who played 254 snaps last year. Riviere stands 6-4, 245 pounds and blocked on 53.5% of his snaps. As a receiver, he caught 12 balls for 117 yards. Behind him, Cooper Mathers and Andre Dollar both return after 104 and 96 snaps apiece. With so much depth returning, this position should be solid when Washington State decides to play a tight end this year.
Offensive Line
Along the offensive line, Washington State lost right guard Grant Stephens and left tackle Jarrett Kingston. Kingston finished as the team’s top offensive lineman, which will make him a tough player to replace. The team does return four players with starting experience, while bringing in a pair of transfers. Left tackle looks likely to be filled by one of those transfers in Esa Pole, who comes in from the JUCO ranks. Pole was rated as the ninth best JUCO tackle in this year’s class. He brings elite size at 6-7, 323 pounds.
At left guard, Christian Hilborn returns after 880 snaps in his first year as the starter last year. HIlborn had to move the left tackle at the end of the season, which gives him solid versatility for this offensive line. At center Konner Gomness returns after 882 snaps last year. He now has two years of starting experience and should be the best lineman on this unit this season. At right guard, Washington State added Christy Nkanu from Southern Utah. He now has two years of starting experience and finished first team All-Western Athletic Conference last year.
Finally, right tackle should be filled by Fa’alili Fa’amoe, who only played in seven games last year due to injury. They also return sixth man Ma’ake Fifita, who played 558 snaps across the offensive line last year. He now has over 1,000 snaps in his career, coming across both guard positions and the right tackle slot. The rest of Washington State’s two deep is inexperienced, but these six provide a solid starting position. Overall, this unit looks like an average college offensive line, just like last year.
2023 Washington State Football Season Preview: Defense
Washington State ranked 74th on defense in 2022. This included the 78th-ranked run defense, 111th-ranked pass rush and 45th-ranked secondary. This defense lost a slew of starters, but added eight transfers in the portal. New defensive coordinator Schmedding will have his work cut out for him here.
Defensive Line
Along the edge, Washington State actually returns plenty of experience. Both starters in Ron Stone and Brennan Jackson return to this group. Stone played 609 snaps last year, with Jackson checked in with 604. Both finished with strong pass rushing grades, but Jackson jammed the box score with 12 tackles for loss and six sacks. Stone finished with four tackles for loss and two sacks. However, the quarterback pressure numbers were far closer with Stone at 35 and Jackson at 45. They also return their third edge rusher Quinn Roff, who played 304 snaps himself. Roff proved hyper-efficient on his snaps with 7.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Altogether, this is a strong edge rushing group for Washington State.
On the interior, Washington State looks much weaker. This unit lost Amir Mujahid, Antonio Pule, and Christian Mejia from last season. Incumbents Nusi Malani and David Gusta played just 298 and 176 snaps last year. Both finished with average production, given their limited snaps. To help bolster this unit, Washington State added Colorado transfer Na’im Rodman, who played 399 and 448 snaps over the last two years. His production looks average, but he easily provides the most experience to this unit. Overall, Washington State’s interior presence may take a step back in 2023.
Linebacker
At linebacker, Washington State lost a ton of production with the departures of Daiyan Henley, Francisco Mauigoa, and Travion Brown. With so many departures, Washington State will lean heavily on the transfer portal. First, Devin Richardson comes in from Texas. After previously starting for New Mexico State in 2019, Richardson hasn’t eclipsed 100 snaps in any of his next three seasons.
Richardson played well in a small sample last year, but he should now be expected to start here. The Cougars also added Maryland transfer Ahmad McCullough after two years of starting experience. Last year, McCullough finished fifth on the team with 45 tackles and also should be expected to start here. Beyond that, Kyle Thornton played 275 snaps last year with Washington State, finishing with 36 tackles overall. With so many quality departures, this group likely takes a step back this year.
Defensive Back
At corner, Washington State lost Armani Marsh and Derrick Langford this offseason. This leaves just one returning starter in Chau Smith-Wade, who played 784 saps last year. Smith-Wade proved solid in coverage with eight pass breakups, two interceptions, and 43 total tackles last year. The other corner position should come down to a battle between Cam Lampkin and Chris Jackson.
Lampkin played 110 snaps last year, while Jackson played 182. Both broke up exactly one pass and this battle could come down to the summer. Their nickel should be JUCO transfer Kapena Gushiken, who earned first team honors in his conference. He graded out as the seventh best JUCO corner prospect, per ESPN. From there, Washington State also added transfers Stephen Hall (JUCO) and Jamorri Colson (JUCO). Colston ranked as the fourth best JUCO corner and Hall ranked 17th in this year’s recruiting class. Both could play a role, depending on how Lampkin, Jackson, and Gushiken fare this summer.
At safety, Washington State lost Jordan Lee, but they return Jaden Hicks and Sam Lockett III. Hicks and Lockett each played 751 and 679 snaps last year with solid production. Hicks broke up six passes and ranked second on the team with 75 tackles. Lockett broke up three passes, recorded three interceptions, and finished with 51 tackles himself, giving Washington State solid experience at this position. From there, the Cougars added Utah State transfer Dominic Tatum after 412 snaps last year. Davon Hicks also comes in from Connecticut as a linebacker/safety hybrid with 187 snaps of experience from 2022. Ultimately, safety looks much stronger than corner, but this secondary has major questions heading into 2023.
2023 Washington State Football Win Total Bet & Predictions
Washington State Football 2023 Schedule
The Cougars play an interesting non-conference schedule consisting of Colorado State, Wisconsin, and Northern Colorado. This should put them at 2-1 heading into conference play. Within the Pac-12, Washington State draws Oregon State, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington from the top half of the conference. Fortunately, this team has the benefit of facing bottom-feeders like Colorado and Stanford this year, while dodging USC and Utah.
Washington State Football Win Total Bet & Prediction
The Cougars over/under 6.5 wins is juiced to -165 towards the under. While they play a reasonable non-conference schedule, this win total will come down to games against other middling Pac-12 teams like Arizona, Arizona State, and Cal. With all of these teams improving, it will be much harder for Washington State to reach bowl eligibility in 2023. For that reason, under 6.5 wins will be the official play here.
Best Washington State Football Win Total Bet: Under 6.5 Wins (-165 at DraftKings)
You can read the rest of Matt Gajewski’s 2023 college football season previews and predictions below!
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