From Underdogs to Game-Changers: How WSU Transfers Are Defying Expectations at the Highest Level

“But I don’t know if it’s more of me trying to prove other people wrong, it’s more so just proving myself right,” Large said. “At the end of the day. I’ve always known I could play at any level I wanted to if I put my mind to it.”

“I feel like I’d be doing them a disservice if they didn’t know who they were playing with on Saturdays, and I feel like you trust somebody more when you know how they play. I wouldn’t say it has anything to do with the Pac-12 or FBS or FCS. I just think that for my love for my teammates, that’s what makes me wanna come out and kinda showcase what I can do.”
“It’s not really something I think I need to prove to myself,” Francl said. “Coming out of high school, my goal was really just to play the highest level I could, and that was at South Dakota State. And then I get the opportunity here. It’s just another step in that goal, playing at this higher level. If it goes any farther than this, it’ll be the same thing: trying to prove myself at that level. There’s a certain mentality you gotta bring when you know you’re playing a little bit better competition every week, but I don’t think it’s something we really try to focus on.”
At least that’s what Rogers and coaches are hoping for. They trust veterans like Francl, like Large , Durrance and Reeder. They also trust Vaipulu, who started three seasons for New Mexico State, which gave him a similarly measured outlook on his journey up the ranks.
“I know I’m a good player on the field, but I also want people to know me outside of the field as well. I’m a great person outside of the field,” Goodman said. “Once you guys get to know me more, and once the fans get to know me more, you guys realize I’m a great person. That comes with just playing football in general. This has been my whole life, being able to be mellow, but also be able to turn it up on the field and be able to come back off the field and be the most sweet person, most human person.
“I feel like that’s what builds a true man. I feel like that’s good character. I feel like that’s what they’re doing around here, just what makes it really big, because it’s a lot more than football. This is just a sport. This is just a game here. There’s a lot of sports here (at WSU). So to be able to be a truly good person for the fan base, it means everything.”
The list of transfers from lower levels is expansive: Cal Poly cornerback Kai Rapolla and defensive tackle Soni Finau; Division II Grand Valley State offensive tackle Jaylin Caldwell; New Mexico State defensive ends Buddha Peleti and Malaki Ta’ase, plus offensive guard AJ Vaipulu; San Diego State defensive tackle Darrion Dalton; junior college wide receiver Devin Ellison, tight end Jesiah Cornwell and safety Duhron Goodman.
WSU no longer belongs to a power conference the way it used to – after collapsing two years ago, the Pac-12 was stripped of autonomous status by the NCAA, which is where the “power” moniker comes from – so from a technical perspective, it’s up for debate whether transfers from schools like New Mexico State and San Diego State are making the same kind of jump.
The question he wrestles with: Does he need to? Does he need to prove to others that, after spending the previous four years at FCS South Dakota State, he belongs at the FBS level, at a school with such a storied history like WSU?
When he weighs the question in his head, the first words that come to Large’s mind are yes and no. He remembers back in 2021, when he felt the pressure, “like I’ve had to prove people wrong my entire life,” he says. He was undersized at 5-feet-11, and out of high school in South Dakota, he didn’t exactly get much recruiting attention. So, he took a chance and walked on at South Dakota State.
That’s also to make no mention of the true freshmen who were committed to South Dakota State before flipping to WSU; Cornerbacks Trillion Sorrell and Tyrone Cotton; defensive end Josh Wedel; defensive tackles Donovan Fitzmaurice and Connor Sullivan; linebackers Sullivan Schlimgen, Erimus Wright and Isaiah Hung; quarterback Owen Eshelman; running back Travon Pankey; safeties Damarius Russell and Brody Miller; and wide receiver Carter Pabst.
With only a few returning starters in the fold – offensive linemen Brock Dieu and Christian Hilborn and wide receiver Josh Meredith make up the entire list – much of WSU’s success or failure this fall will hinge on the players coaches are trusting to make jumps up from their previous stops.
It was some of the same for Goodman, who started his career at FCS Portland State before playing last season at College of the Canyons in California. A likely backup behind Large and fellow SDSU transfers Cale Reeder and Matt Durrance, Goodman said he wanted to prove himself at each of his previous stops, but he also wants to prove something else about himself: His character belongs in Pullman, too.
Part of the reason Francl and other SDSU transfers seem to agree on this front involves the kind of football they were playing as Jackrabbits. They captured FCS national championships in 2022 and 2023. They also reached the national semifinals in 2021 and 2024. There is some level of talent increase from FCS to FBS, but in the case of SDSU, it might not be the wide gulf it’s sometimes made out to be.
“Being here, I don’t really see it as a bigger level,” Large said. “Obviously there’s a bigger stage, there’s more eyes on you. But I’d say from a talent aspect, I feel like I don’t have to prove anything to anyone besides myself.”
The question applies to a lot of players on this WSU roster, which includes a whopping 74 newcomers, many of whom are moving up from the FCS, Group of 5 and even the Division II ranks. Sixteen former SDSU players followed coach Jimmy Rogers to WSU, and in the spring and summer months, Cougar coaches pulled up others from lower levels, including two separate FCS transfers and one from Division II.
“I don’t think I gotta prove it to anybody else. I just gotta prove it to my teammates,” said Vaipulu, who is in position to start at right guard. “I feel like I gotta build trust in my teammates, you know what I mean? They gotta be able to trust me. Like when times get hard, can they trust me? I think that’s the biggest thing.”
But for those players, they’ll still be playing in front of more fans than ever before, and they’ll be in the spotlight in ways they never have before. So the same type of query applies to them: Do they feel any kind of pressure to show they can produce at WSU the way they did at their previous stops?
For SDSU transfer linebacker Caleb Francl, a lock to start for the Cougars this year, things are a tad different. For one, after injuries limited him in the past few seasons, he’s happy to just be healthy. That’s part of what gives him some perspective here: He’s ready to keep his journey chugging, and proving himself is just part of the process.
On a warm August afternoon, as he looked across at Gesa Field, the site of WSU’s season-opener against FCS Idaho on Saturday, Large seemed at peace with his career. He’s hungry and fired up, ready to lead the Cougars through the season, but he doesn’t want to make too much of it. If there’s anything he learned through his journey, from walk-on to two-time FCS national champion, it’s that on some level, he’s only in competition with himself.
PULLMAN – As he prepares for his final season of college football, Tucker Large walks a fine line. He is Washington State’s starting free safety. When the Cougars’ season kicks off this weekend, he’ll be playing in front of the most fans he ever has, giving him an opportunity to show them something.
Tucker Large is gearing up for the last chapter of his college football saga, standing tall as Washington State’s starting free safety. This weekend, when the Cougars hit the field, he’ll find himself facing a crowd larger than any he’s played for before—a stage set for him to leave his mark. But here’s the kicker: does he really need to prove a thing? After four grind-it-out years at FCS South Dakota State, stepping up to FBS and joining a program like WSU, the question nags—does he have something to show the doubters, or is this just about validating his own journey? It’s a dilemma that stretches beyond just Large, touching many newcomers on a Cougar roster flooded with talent ascending from the ranks of FCS, Group of 5, and Division II. They all grapple with the spotlight’s glare, the weight of expectations, and the desire to earn trust, not just from fans but from the teammates beside them. In a season where WSU’s fate hinges on these players’ leaps of faith, it’s not just a game—it’s a proving ground for character, grit, and the relentless chase to be seen as worthy, on their own terms. LEARN MORE.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say I feel like I gotta prove myself at a higher level,” said senior defensive end Buddha Peleti, who spent the first three years of his career at New Mexico State. “But I would say that for all my new teammates that haven’t seen me play, I definitely do want to prove myself to them.