Washington State Cougars Announce First Starter For Season Opener

Washington State linebacker Anthony Palano prepares for a drill during spring ball in Pullman. Credit: Anthony Palano/Instagram

On Wednesday, Washington State Cougars coach Jimmy Rogers named his first starter for the start of the 2025 season, naming MIKE linebacker Anthony Palano the starter in the middle of the defense.

“Anthony Palano has had a great camp,” Rogers said in his press conference. “He’s extremely intelligent, he’s special because he knows what he’s doing and he can play fast because he can process quickly.”

After transferring from South Dakota State, Palano is expected to start next to veterans Parker McKenna, a returning Coug, and Caleb Francl, another transfer who came to Pullman from South Dakota State along with Rogers. Last season, he recorded four tackles in six games as a freshman for the Jackrabbits.

While Rogers previously made it known he won’t announce a starting quarterback prior to the opener, the Cougars are expected to release an unofficial depth chart next week. Putting unofficial in bold, you can expect to see many OR’s on the position groups, which means the program doesn’t necessarily have a specific starter or backup at this point. You can expect to see many guys listed on the depth chart not necessary as a starter who will get meaningful snaps in the season opener as well.

Rogers also mentioned there will be five freshmen ready to play right away for the Cougars that won’t redshirt:

Carter Pabst, WR, 6-1 194 pounds

Sullivan Schlimgen, LB, 6-1 220 pounds

Trillion Sorrell, CB, 6-1 170 pounds

Damarius Russell, S, 5-11 183 pounds

Kyle Peterson, S, 6-0 192 pounds

The Cougars first game in the Rogers era will be Saturday, August 30th at 7 PM PT vs. Idaho at Martin Stadium and will air on the CW.