PULLMAN — Seven more Washington State football players have entered the transfer portal.
Running back Josh Joyner and offensive lineman Carson Osmus made their decisions on Tuesday. Linebacker Dajon Doss, offensive lineman Zack Miller, kicker Connor Calvert and receiver Dycurian Douglas made theirs on Wednesday, according to personal announcements by Calvert, Joyner, Douglas, Miller and Doss and a report on Osmus.
Including the decision by freshman safety Aiden Knapke, who has not made his announcement but has posted offers from other schools on his social media, 11 Cougars have entered the portal this spring. Joyner, Douglas, Doss and Osmus redshirted their true freshman seasons last fall. Knapke was an early enrollee in the class of 2025 and Miller is a redshirt junior.
Joyner is also the second WSU running back to enter the portal this spring, joining Djouvensky Schlenbaker, who totaled 43 carries for 149 yards and three touchdowns for the Cougars last fall.
Joyner’s only playing time last season came in a Holiday Bowl loss to Syracuse, in which he played seven snaps, carrying twice for 10 yards. A three-star recruit in the class of 2024, Joyner was in the middle of a loaded WSU running backs group, complete with South Dakota State transfers Angel Johnson and Kirby Vorhees, plus returner Leo Pulalasi, all of whom figure to see carries this fall.
Former head coach Jake Dickert and current coach Jimmy Rogers both spoke highly of the 5-foot-8 Joyner, signaling his future might not have been too far away. Considering the running backs situation, it’s unlikely he would have played in the 2025 season, but his prospects appeared better for 2026 and beyond.
As a senior at Pacifica High in Oxnard, California, Joyner was named Channel League MVP, rushing for 782 yards and nine touchdowns on 106 carries, good for 7.4 yards per carry and four 100-yard games. He was rated the No. 58 running back prospect in the country for his class.
Out of high school, Joyner turned down offers from Arizona, Colorado, Oregon State, Boston College, UNLV, Nevada, Colorado State, San Diego State, Utah State and FCS Portland State to become a Cougar.
Also a three-star recruit in the class of 2024, Osmus never saw the field at WSU, taking his freshman season off to redshirt and preserve another year of eligibility.
His future with the Cougs was a little murkier, playing behind veterans like Christian Hilborn and Brock Dieu, plus likely starters Ashton Tripp, Noah Dunham and Jonny Lester.
The 6-6 Osmus, a native of Camas, Washington, chose WSU over offers from Oregon State, Colorado State, Nevada, FCS clubs Idaho, Portland State and Weber State, as well as Division II Western Oregon.
As a high school senior, Osmus was named to the 4A All-GSHL first team.
Doss, a three-star prospect from the class of 2024, played only one snap last fall, which came in the Holiday Bowl.
Fighting to climb the depth chart this spring, Doss missed a couple of practices, including one in Spokane in late March. Playing behind a handful of veterans who figure to earn starting roles this fall, Doss was looking at some time before seeing regular snaps.
Out of high school in Lancaster, California, Doss earned offers from Arizona State, Arizona, Colorado State, Nevada, San Diego State and San Jose State.
Out of the group, Miller was likely the closest to earning a spot in the Cougars’ rotation at his position. Heading into what would have been his fourth season of action at WSU, Miller was taking reps with the Cougs’ second-team offensive line unit. That makes his departure one of the costliest for WSU.
Miller didn’t see any playing time last season, but he played 41 snaps in three games during the 2023 season, his redshirt freshman campaign. Listed at 6-foot-7 and 305 pounds, Miller found a niche at the tackle spot, where he was playing behind current veteran Christian Hilborn and up-and-coming redshirt sophomore Ashton Tripp.
A three-star recruit from the class of 2022, Miller picked WSU over offers from Colorado, Liberty and FCS Harvard.
A native of Paris, Texas, Douglas didn’t have a star rating when he committed to WSU in the class of 2024. He recorded a nice spring ball this March and April, earning reps with WSU’s second- and third-team offensive units.
Douglas didn’t have any other offers besides WSU, but this spring, his future seemed closer than others in his class.
But he was also playing behind several veteran receivers, including returners Josh Meredith, Tony Freeman, Tre Shackelford and incoming junior college transfer Devin Ellison, who will likely earn a starting job this fall.
Knapke may have been an early enrollee in the class of 2025 and taken part in spring ball with the Cougars, but his departure amounts to a costly one.
A highly regarded three-star safety out of the Denver area, Knapke’s commitment in December amounted to a recruiting win for Dickert and the Cougars’ former coaching staff.
The top-ranked defensive back in Colorado in his class, according to 247 Sports, Knapke chose WSU over offers from a long list of schools, including Duke, Georgia Tech, Wyoming, Hawaii, San Diego State, Rice and even South Dakota State, where Rogers and his Jackrabbits staff pursued him.
But Knapke also missed a handful of practices this spring, making him a candidate to enter the portal.
Knapke was also stuck in a logjam at the safety position, where veterans Tucker Large, Matt Durrance, Cale Reeder and others lead the corps.
Calvert walked on to WSU ahead of the 2024 season, in which he did not see any action. He was seemingly in the mix for playing time in 2025, splitting reps with the Cougars’ other two kickers, SDSU transfer Jack Stevens and returner Ryan Harris.
Stevens and Harris will likely be WSU’s main two kickers this fall. Last season, Harris also walked on, appearing in three games to kick off 11 times with 10 touchbacks.
Harris spent the 2023 season at San Diego Mesa College.
WSU lands first class of 2026 commitment
The Cougars’ first 2026 pledge comes from three-star offensive lineman Kingston Fotualii, a product of Seattle’s O’Dea High, which captured the State 3A championship last fall.
Fotualii, who made his announcement Wednesday morning, chose WSU over an offer from FCS powerhouse Montana.
An interior offensive lineman, Fotualii is 6-3 and 285 pounds, making him an undersized lineman in the mold of Dieu. Fotualii visited WSU in late March for the Cougs’ junior day, where he was escorted by assistant offensive line coach Mike Iupati, who shares Polynesian heritage with Fotualii.
After winning a state title last fall, Fotualii earned a 3A first-team all-state nod, securing one of seven spots on that list.
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