“Uncertainty Looms Over WSU’s QB Battle as Veteran Defense Prepares for High-Stakes Season Ahead!”

As the spring practice season draws to a close at Washington State University, one thing is abundantly clear: the quarterback competition is heating up, and it’s anything but straightforward. After an extended six weeks of hard work under a fresh coaching staff, it seemed like Zevi Eckhaus was poised to take the helm of the Cougars’ offense. With the departure of last year’s starter, John Mateer, and a solid finish in the Holiday Bowl, many thought Eckhaus had it locked in. But as new head coach Jimmy Rogers openly stated during Saturday’s Crimson and Gray Spring Showcase, the starting position isn’t solely in Eckhaus’s hands—competition is brewing. This pivotal moment not only signals uncertainty in the quarterback room but also showcases some impressive contenders, the most notable being redshirt sophomore Jaxon Potter. As WSU gears up for a roster overhaul with a slew of newcomers and potential transfers, fans and analysts alike are left pondering: who will emerge as the leader of the Cougars come fall? A deep dive into the spring showcase reveals excitement, challenges, and a glimpse of what lies ahead. If you’re eager to uncover the latest developments in this QB race and more, click here to LEARN MORE.

WSU QB Zevi Eckhaus says “it definitely takes time” to mesh with new WRs like Devin Ellison, but likes where they are.
Eckhaus may still be one of the faces of WSU’s program, but if there were any developments to come from the Cougars’ Crimson and Gray Spring Showcase on Saturday afternoon, the biggest was this: Rogers isn’t handing Eckhaus the starting job today.
Lamb also revealed that in early January, shortly after entering the transfer portal as WSU’s coaches changed, he got a call from Rogers.
It’s a welcome development for WSU, which lost each of its top three defensive linemen to the transfer portal over the offseason, most notably Kentucky-bound David Gusta.
In somewhat of a surprise development, WSU got a strong showing out of redshirt freshman defensive end – Rogers has scrapped the term “edge” – Ben Beatty, who recorded a pair of simulated sacks.
On defense, WSU did well to stack up several of those runs, too. That was thanks in part to linemen like returner Bryson Lamb and Cal Poly transfer Soni Finau, who is in position to compete for a starting job.
Outside of that, Eckhaus and the Cougars’ first-team offense operated well, working the way it figures to this fall – by hammering the run.
Dollar, who has missed much of this spring with the injury, has a bit of competition in the Cougs’ tight end corps, including Michigan State transfer Ademola Faleye and South Dakota State transfer Beau Baker.

Veteran TE Dollar still trying to return from injury
Defensive lineman Bryson Lamb, a redshirt junior, has one thing in common with many of his teammates: He’s excited about Rogers, defensive line coach Jalon Bibbs, assistant D-line coach Everette Thompson and the rest of the staff, describing them as “amazing.”
With South Dakota State transfer running back Angel Johnson out all spring with an injury, WSU’s featured backs were returner Leo Pulalasi and SDSU transfer Kirby Vorhees, signaling that’s likely the trio to get carries in Rogers’ inaugural season at WSU.
Headed into his third season of college action, Potter may be ready to compete for a starting job. With Rogers and Freund’s offensive approach, which figures to revolve more around the run and a grind-it-out mindset, Potter may even fit more into what they have in mind for the quarterback position.
As he works to integrate 32 newcomers, Rogers didn’t expand on what that incoming competition might look like, but he seemed to indicate he’s looking to add a transfer quarterback before fall camp, perhaps before long. The spring transfer window closes on April 25, but players have no deadlines to sign with new teams, so Rogers and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Danny Freund can take their time with their decisions.
“I think Potter’s taking huge jumps. I’ve been impressed with Potter.”
Rogers was impressed with QB Jaxon Potter’s outing in today’s showcase pic.twitter.com/AHN0sP8QG3
“The job isn’t just straight up Zevi’s. That’s part of this,” Rogers said. “There’s gonna be competition, and there’s gonna be more competition coming in this summer.”
Eckhaus is still the leader in the position group, to be sure. Piloting the Cougars’ first-team offense, Eckhaus avoided any turnovers. After WSU’s practice in Spokane on March 29, that seemed to be a concern for Rogers, who said he’d like to see Eckhaus improve his decision-making skills.
A former walk-on in 2022, Lamb has the build to stand out on the Cougs’ defensive line – 6-2, 301 pounds – and he looks poised to start and break out in 2025.
WSU coach Jimmy Rogers on the Cougs’ QB situation: “The job isn’t just straight up Zevi’s. That’s part of this. There’s gonna be competition, and there’s gonna be more competition coming in this summer.”

WSU DL Bryson Lamb says shortly after he entered the transfer portal in January, he got a call from coach Jimmy Rogers.
Third-year cornerback Smith likely on his way out
After totaling 11 tackles last season, including one fumble recovery, Lamb’s career is on an upswing.
Vorhees and Pulalasi are also beginning to show their differences in running styles. Vorhees has shown he welcomes contact. He’s quick to lower his shoulder to plow through tackles. Pulalasi isn’t shy of contact either, but his game involves a tad more finesse and a bit more speed.
The good news for Rogers is he doesn’t see as many question marks in his secondary, where many of his best players at South Dakota State roam. Safeties Tucker Large and Matthew Durrance are shoo-ins to start at their positions. So is cornerback Colby Humphrey, another SDSU transfer. It’s clear Rogers trusts them, plus veteran safety SDSU transfer Cale Reeder, who is out with an injury.
Playing with the Cougs’ second-team defense, Beatty and Kent State transfer defensive lineman Kaden Beatty both impressed, leading Rogers to say Kaden is “still learning the defense, but he’s shown promise that he can be in the rotation.”
Clearing the way for running backs like Vorhees, WSU’s first-team offensive line featured left tackle Ashton Tripp, left guard Jonny Lester, center Brock Dieu, right guard Noah Dunham and right tackle Christian Hilborn. It’s not impossible for them to add another offensive lineman out of the portal, but that seems to be the Cougs’ starting five, according to Rogers, who said “that first group is pretty solid.”
On offense: “No diss to last year’s offense, but we’re gonna run the ball this year, and we’re gonna be really, really good at running the ball this year.” pic.twitter.com/6ykOr3O3um
“A year ago, I was trying to prove myself, fighting to get on the two-deep,” Lamb said.
Smith, a three-star prospect in the class of 2023, missed the showcase plus several other practices this spring.
PULLMAN – During six long weeks of Washington State’s spring schedule, as a new coaching staff implemented its schemes and new players found their places in them, it seemed to be understood that quarterback Zevi Eckhaus had the reins of the Cougars’ offense.
But Eckhaus’ main competition might already be on the roster. Playing with the second-team offense, redshirt sophomore Jaxon Potter enjoyed a sterling outing in the live competition periods of Saturday’s showcase, finding reserve tight end Ben Dutton for a 12-yard touchdown pass in one sequence.
“So it’s been a lot different, coming back with a season under my belt, feeling a lot more confident on the field. Having that experience has definitely been a lot more helpful.”
Eckhaus was the team’s backup last season, after all. The player in front of him, John Mateer, transferred out. Then Eckhaus looked mostly sharp in WSU’s Holiday Bowl loss to Syracuse in December. Shortly after taking over later that month, coach Jimmy Rogers prioritized retaining Eckhaus, pulling him out of the transfer portal after a brief two-day stint.
“Kirby is a dog. I love Kirby,” Eckhaus said. “He came in, and him and I meshed really well off the bat. He’s just got a great personality. He runs the ball hard. And the thing that I love about Kirby most is he really, really … cares about not only (the team), but the Cougs, man. He’s so bought in.”
Potter may have been WSU’s third-string quarterback last season, but since arriving on campus, he’s carried an upside.
Smith entered the transfer portal in early December, then later withdrew his name.
Tight end Andre Dollar, who would be entering his fourth season this fall, is still working his way back from an undisclosed injury, Rogers said.
Redshirt sophomore cornerback Warren Smith, who played in eight games with four tackles and one pass breakup last season, is likely to wind up in the transfer portal, Rogers said.
Lamb high on new coaching staff
“It made the decision pretty easy coming back. After meeting them and having about four months with them, I know I made the right decision.”
“Having a head coach actually call my phone for the first time ever, being in college, really speaks a lot of volume for the person that he is,” said Lamb, who played in all 13 games last season under former coach Jake Dickert, one as a starter.
“He’ll be a big plus for us on the back end,” Rogers said of Reeder. “Jamorri Colson has shown flashes that he could be really special at corner. Excited about certain groups, obviously nothing set in stone. There’s gotta be competition all the way through camp, and we’ll take strides this summer.”
“Having a head coach actually call my phone for the first time ever, and being in college, really speaks a lot of volume for the person that he is.” pic.twitter.com/eeVX0RKK0C
He appears to be on the outside looking in on WSU’s cornerback rotation.