Salmon Out, Cougars Adjust

Washington State’s tight end corps just got a lot smaller — and that’s a good thing. Nathaniel Salmon, a massive 6’6”, 274-pound New Zealander who only joined the program six months ago after a pro basketball career, is departing to stay home. Despite missing some spring practices due to injury, his physical talent made him a buzzworthy addition — and now, more playing time opens up for Trey Leckner (back from injury), Jack Pedersen (UCLA transfer), and others. Salmon’s journey was wild: he started football in 2024, trained at IMG Academy, and even went through the NFL’s International Player Pathway. Meanwhile, the Cougars added a big win in the 2027 recruiting class — three-star CB Gianni Hayes, from LA, committed over offers from several schools, giving the defense a major boost. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/13d08f813be33abb