5 things we learned from WSU's spring practice slate: QB battle rolls on, a new offensive lineman and more

PULLMAN - A month has passed and spring football is over at Washington State, which is on the doorstep of a new era. The Cougars have a new head coach, Kirby Moore, who will pilot his group into the new Pac-12, which launches in earnest this summer.

Last weekend, Moore and his group completed their 15-practice spring slate, which concluded with the annual Crimson and Gray game. Much of that contest belonged to the Cougars' defense, which captured a win via scrimmage-ending interception.

With that, WSU's spring slate came to an end. Here are five things we learned from the last month.

1. The Cougars' QB battle is far from over

WSU fans will have to wait a bit longer to get a resolution on perhaps the biggest theme of spring camp. After Saturday's spring game, Moore said he hadn't seen enough to declare a winner of the QB battle between Caden Pinnick, Owen Eshelman and Julian Dugger.

"That's gonna continue through the summer," Moore said. "And then get into fall camp there. The team will decide who the quarterback is in terms of what happens on the field. I thought there were some good things out there. There was some situational football where we've gotta do a better job probably taking care of the football and making sure we're staying on schedule."

Perhaps Moore had a point. In Saturday's spring game, Pinnick did throw a touchdown pass, a nice 44-yard strike to receiver Branden Ganashamoorthy, who himself had a standout spring. But on the scrimmage's final play, Pinnick didn't see defensive end Malachi Wrice, who dropped into coverage and picked off his pass.

Eshelman also threw an interception, which went to transfer safety Jeremiah Bernard, who roved over to the sideline to make the pick. Dugger managed to avoid turnovers, a key part of Moore and offensive coordinator Matt Miller's evaluations, but he also didn't throw nearly as many passes as his counterparts.

Those trends fell in line with the way much of WSU's spring ball unfolded. Pinnick and Eshelman may have gotten more meaningful opportunities - in Thursday's practice and Saturday's spring game, each got chances to pilot late-game scenarios, while Dugger did not - but they didn't always make the most of them. Pinnick and Eshelman were prone to overthrows, particularly on deep passes, while Dugger often took simulated sacks that he could have avoided with a little more pocket awareness.

In interviews, WSU coaches have given away few details about their evaluations at the QB spot. Their decisions in practice have offered a few more clues, namely that Pinnick and Eshelman may be inching ahead of Dugger. Still, much can change between April and August, when the Cougars' fall camp will begin. Look for this position battle to continue then.

2. WSU may have more depth at LB than expected

Headed into this spring camp, the Cougars looked to have a solid three options at linebacker: transfers DJ Warner and Nylan Brown, plus returner Keith Brown, who missed all of last season with an injury. Throughout the first handful of practices, that trio looked good, but a bit of uncertainty hovered over the rest of the operation: How much depth did the Cougs have beyond those three?

Turns out, maybe more than anticipated. One of WSU's top defensive standouts this spring was incoming redshirt freshman Isaiah Hung, who often took first- and second-team reps, establishing himself as a hard hitter and a reliable tackler, often shooting gaps and registering tackles for loss, simulated or live.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 217 pounds, Hung's emergence is a key development for the Cougars, who need as much depth as they can get at that position. Consider this: For as much as we consider Keith Brown to be a veteran - his freshman season at Oregon came in 2021 - he hasn't logged the defensive snaps to match.

For his career, Brown has registered 518 snaps on defense, including 190 in 2024 at WSU. Nylan Brown and Warner each played more than 200 snaps last season. Keith Brown may have been around college football for longer, which has given him valuable experience and perspective. But it's also true that he hasn't gotten on the field nearly as much lately, another reason why Hung's development looms so large for the Cougars.

3. Cougars are ready to wreak havoc from the defensive end spots

If one position group shone consistently throughout WSU's spring slate, the honors belonged to the team's defensive end group, mainly transfers Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk. Barring something unforeseen, they will start for the Cougars - and if they play the way they practiced this spring, their team will be able to rely on production.

Across all 15 practices, McLain (transfer from Idaho) and Zunk (transfer from Vanderbilt) made too many plays to count. They found their way into the backfield for simulated sacks on what felt like a thousand occasions. Perhaps most notably, they made things look easy, underscoring their strength and speed.

One thing, though: How much depth do the Cougars have on the edges? Wrice made a nice play to pick off a pass in Saturday's spring game, but it's not likely he'll be asked to drop into coverage in any meaningful capacity during the 2026 season. Incoming redshirt sophomore Ben Beatty acquitted himself well this spring as well, just not with the consistency that others did.

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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 7:04 PM.