WSU Cougars name their starting QB for 2026 football season

The first quarterback of the Kirby Moore era for the WSU Cougars has been chosen, with Caden Pinnick named the starting QB by the first-year Cougars head coach.

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Pinnick is a redshirt sophomore who made the jump from UC Davis, an FCS school, to the FBS level by transferring to Wazzu in January.

QB1 pic.twitter.com/3iSVzj7fhZ

— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) August 24, 2026

The 6-foot, 192-pound California native started 12 games at QB for UC Davis last season, completing 240 of 345 pass attempts (69.6%) for 3,206 yards, 32 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 437 yards on 125 carries (3.5 yards per carry).

Pinnick won Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors for 2025, was named Stats Perform FCS National Freshman Player of the Week (Sept. 1, 2025) and FCS Nation Radio National Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 14, 2025), and was Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week three times last season. He was also a finalist for the 2025 Jerry Rice Award, which is given annually to the top freshman in FCS.

Pinnick helped UC Davis reach the FCS Championship quarterfinals last season.

Pinnick’s first game as Cougs QB will be Sunday, Sept. 6 in the annual Apple Cup against the rival UW Huskies. It will be one year to the day that Pinnick quarterbacked UC Davis against Washington at Husky Stadium. He threw for 50 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 8-of-16 passing in that Sept. 6, 2025 contest, which UW won 70-10.

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