Washington State 2025 Player Spotlight: RB Angel Johnson

A season ago, Washington State saw a resurgence in its running game. Led by then-quarterback John Mateer and running back Wayshawn Parker, the Cougars tore it up on the ground to the tune of 166.8 yards per game and nearly three rushing touchdowns per contest. Both Mateer and Parker, though, were part of the mass exodus of players who left in the portal following last season and... almost immediately following their departures... questions about how the rushing attack would look in 2025 arose.

Those questions got a big answer when WSU hired Jimmy Rogers and, in turn, a whole heap of his ex-South Dakota State players. One of the biggest names (and the very first) to come ove r was that of Angel Johnson and his veteran presence in the backfield will be much-needed for a Cougar team that is looking to run the ball a lot this fall.

Johnson, a redshirt senior, brings with him a ton of experience from his four years with the Jackrabbits. He posted rushing averages well north of five yards per carry in each of the last two seasons and racked up over 1,000 yards since 2023. In that time he found the end zone eight times. Johnson, however, did all of that primarily as a depth player behind the likes of Isaiah Davis (who is now in the NFL) and Amar Johnson.

Now in Pullman, Johnson is expected to be a regular in the starting rotation even after missing a significant portion of Spring ball while nursing an injury. It's an opportunity that he, in all likelihood, would have gotten at SDSU as well but will now have the chance to be the guy at an FBS program. Johnson's journey, which began way back in Viborg, South Dakota has now taken him to the top level of college football and he'll be a big part of what Washington State does this upcoming season.