Washington State Football 2025 Roster Preview: Tight Ends

Perhaps the most all-around inexperienced group for Washington State this fall will be the tight ends. Despite having a few upperclassmen on the roster, the Cougs do not hardly any aggregate in-game action as far as that position group goes. Bringing in a Big Ten transfer should help a little but that alone won't do the trick for an offense that is hoping to spread the ball around. The good news? There are several names to look to this year and odds are that at least one will rise up. Who are those names?

The Starters

The Cougars dipped into the portal this offseason to replenish a tight end room that needed it badly and their most notable pickup was Ademola Faleye. Faleye will be a redshirt senior and is currently projected to start come Week 1. His field time at MSU was relegated largely to last fall where he played in 12 games and started one. He only caught two balls for 18 yards but was in on 96 offensive snaps. Faleye should see a much larger role on Washington State's offense, though, as he is one of the more experienced tight ends of the bunch.

Right behind Faleye will be sophomore Trey Leckner. Leckner was with the squad last fall and showed in 12 contests, catching three passes for 56 yards. With two starts under his belt, he too will have some action under his belt and could work into the starting rotation fairly often this fall. He and Faleye look as though they'll be splitting reps toward the top of the depth chart.

The Reserves

Hudson Cedarland and Beau Baker are the next two moving down the line. Cedarland is a junior who has been on the roster since 2022. He made the switch from defense after playing in 12 games during the 2023 campaign. Cedarland, although lacking in-game college experience at tight end, is no stranger to the offensive side of the ball as he caught 43 passes and 10 touchdowns as a senior at Gig Harbor High School in Washington. Baker, meanwhile, comes over from South Dakota State as a redshirt freshman. He sat out the 2024 season with the Jackrabbits to fulfill redshirt requirements.

Another transfer tight end is Jesiah Cornwell from Mt. San Antonio College in California. Cornwell, a redshirt sophomore, hauled in nine catches for 79 yards last year. He and Luke Leighton will be waiting in the wings and could possibly see time in the event of injuries or late in lopsided games. Neither, though, will likely see the field as a starter at any point in 2025.

Washington State also has freshmen Peyton Read and Cash Landeau around but both are expected to sit this season.