So far this offseason, Washington State has felt the full effect of the NCAA’s recent transfer and NIL rule changes... And not in a good way. The team has been beset with seemingly endless transfers out of the program. The list is long on both sides of the ball, but it seems to have hit the linebacker unit hard. In the few weeks since the season wrapped, starting middle linebacker Francisco Mauigoa and his backup, Travion Brown, have both entered the transfer portal. Combine that with the departure of senior All-Pac-12 honoree Daiyan Henley, and the Cougs knew that they would need to add some talent to the unit.

On Tuesday, the team got news that the transfer pendulum had (finally) swung in the other direction. Jake Dickert and his squad have secured a commitment from linebacker Devin Richardson, a senior transfer out of the University of Texas. The Lone Star State native is expected to sign his letter of intent Wednesday during the NCAA’s early signing period.

Richardson is a 6-foot-3 outside linebacker who figures to be in the mix for significant playing time next season for the Cougs. He played in a backup role last season for Texas, earning 11 tackles on defense and adding four tackles in a special teams role.

Before heading to Austin, Richardson started his college career at New Mexico State. In 2019 he started his time with the Aggies in style, starting 10 games while racking up 69 total tackles and two sacks on his way to a Football Writers Association of American Freshman All-American team nod. Richardson’s 2020 campaigned was postponed after New Mexico State delayed their season to the spring and shortened it to just two games. He played in both of those games, recording 8 tackles.

As mentioned, his transfer to WSU figures to give him plenty of opportunity to compete for a starting linebacker job. He’ll likely be competing along side junior Kyle Thornton, who started for WSU in the LA Bowl, and Hudson Cedarland, who redshirted during the 2022 season as a true freshman.

Washington State lands commitment from Texas transfer linebacker Devin Richardson | The Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN – Due to graduation and the NCAA transfer portal, Washington State came out of the 2022 season with a depleted linebacker room, but the Cougars made a veteran addition to the position group on Tuesday.

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