PULLMAN — Washington State restocked its receiving corps, securing commitments from three Division I transfer pass-catchers who played significant roles at their previous stops.
Former UNLV standout Kyle Williams, Fresno State big-play threat Josh Kelly and San Jose State’s Isaiah Hamilton all pledged to WSU’s football program Saturday.
WSU shored up a short-handed position group just one day after announcing the hiring of new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, who led Western Kentucky to a highly productive season in 2022.
Williams and Kelly, considering their experience and production, should be expected to contend for first-team responsibilities next year in Arbuckle’s modified version of the Air Raid.
Williams registered 1,568 yards and nine touchdowns on 117 receptions across 25 games over the past three seasons.
A graduate of St. Monica (Calif.) Catholic High, Williams broke into the Rebels’ starting lineup as a true freshman in 2020. He earned the Mountain West Conference’s freshman of the year award after leading his team with 426 yards and two touchdowns on 35 receptions during the six-game campaign. Williams was also named a second team freshman All-American by the Athletic.
The 6-foot, 185-pounder finished second on the team in 2021 with 601 yards and two scores on 41 catches, including a season-long 75-yard reception. He logged 541 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns on 40 grabs in nine games this past season. Williams missed three games due to an ankle injury.
Williams chose WSU over reported offers from Colorado, Pitt and Cal.
Kelly accumulated 1,315 yards and four touchdowns on 86 receptions over the past three years with the Bulldogs.
Kelly took a redshirt at Fresno State in 2019 after wrapping up his high-school career at nearby San Joaquin Memorial High. He captured a starting job before the 2020 season and finished the year as the Bulldogs’ third-most productive receiver with 330 yards and a TD on 22 catches.
The 6-1, 185-pounder became the Bulldogs’ No. 2 pass-catcher in 2021 and brought home an All-Mountain West honorable mention nod after recording 778 yards and three scores on 52 catches. Kelly dealt with injury issues this season and was limited to six games, during which he logged 207 yards.
He gives WSU quarterback Cameron Ward a deep-ball target. Kelly logged four catches of 60-plus yards over the past three years.
Kelly entered the NCAA transfer portal Dec. 14 — three days before Fresno State beat WSU 29-6 in the LA Bowl. He picked up offers from Kansas, San Diego State and Nevada, among others.
Hamilton had 98 catches for 1,566 yards and 10 TDs between 2019-22.
WSU was in need of receiving options after losing four key pass-catchers following the 2022 season — slotbacks Renard Bell and Robert Ferrel graduated, and outside receivers De’Zhaun Stribling and Donovan Ollie transferred out of the program. Reserve outside receivers CJ Moore and Anderson Grover also entered the transfer portal.
The Cougars added three receivers during the NCAA’s early signing period last month, including a juco prospect with intriguing potential in slot receiver DT Sheffield.
Returning pass-catchers of note include Leyton Smithson, Orion Peters, Lincoln Victor and Tsion Nunnally. Smithson, from Bellingham, started six games last year during his true freshman season and tallied 235 yards and two touchdowns. Peters played sparingly as a redshirt freshman in 2022 and finished with 138 yards. Victor came into the season as a starting slot receiver, but lost his first-team job early in the season and ended up with 245 yards off the bench. Nunnally saw some time as a redshirt freshman reserve and came up with 70 yards.
Maryland transfer McCullough commits
Ahmad McCullough, a linebacker who spent the last five years at the University of Maryland, announced via Twitter that he will be transferring to Washington State for his final season of eligibility.
McCullough appeared in 33 games, starting seven, during his time with the Terrapins.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder made two starts this past season, rotating frequently off the bench, and totaled 45 tackles with three tackles for loss, one sack and two fumble recoveries across 12 games. He entered the transfer portal on Dec. 1, missing Maryland’s win over NC State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
McCullough played in 12 games as a junior in 2021 and appeared in all five games during the coronavirus-affected 2020 season. He saw the field in one game in 2019 after taking a redshirt during his first season at Maryland. McCullough, who prepped at Mount Saint Joseph in Baltimore, finished his Terrapin career with 89 tackles and 5½ for loss.
He pledged to the Cougars over offers from Baylor and Arizona State. McCullough had also drawn recruiting interest from Auburn.
McCullough is the second transfer linebacker in WSU’s 2023 recruiting class, joining grad transfer Devin Richardson (Texas). McCullough has experience at both inside and outside linebacker, while Richardson is primarily an outside LB. Both of those veteran newcomers will presumably compete for first-team jobs at WSU.
The Cougars had lost their top three linebackers after the 2022 season. All-Pac-12 outside linebacker Daiyan Henley is headed to the NFL. Francisco Mauigoa and Travion Brown, who shared reps at middle linebacker, transferred to Miami and Arizona State, respectively. Junior Kyle Thornton is the only returning linebacker with playing experience at WSU.
WSU has yet to name its next defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Brian Ward held those responsibilities during the 2022 season, but left the program in early December to take the DC job at Arizona State.