WSU to honor a senior class that stayed

Kyle Thornton says he was a “nobody” when he arrived in Pullman in 2019 as a walk-on to the late coach Mike Leach’s Washington State football team.

“If you would have told me six years ago that I would be here, being a captain on this amazing team with hopefully a shot to create a pretty special season here, (I wouldn’t have believed it),” Thornton said. “You never know where your story is going to start, but you decide where it ends.”

That story has included two seasons as WSU’s starting linebacker, a senior season as team captain and an opportunity to make plays, the most iconic perhaps being the game-sealing tackle in WSU’s 2024 Apple Cup win over Washington.

Prior to the Cougars’ 3:30 p.m. Saturday meeting with Wyoming (The CW) at Gesa Field, WSU will honor 17 seniors who each have spent anywhere from six months to six years on the Palouse.

“Whether you’re here for six months or six years, it’s a little bit unique in today’s college football as far as what seniors are,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said. “Just a blend of really good kids, kids that love representing Washington State. Running out in Gesa Field really means something to them, and they’re really proud of what they built.

“And anyone that’s in our locker room has a lot of respect for those guys. So all the effort and time that we’re going to spend this week is going to be with those guys in mind and sending them out on the right way.”

WSU will recognize seniors who transferred to the team this season, including safety Tyson Durant, wide receiver Kyle Maxwell, linebacker Wesley Steiner and edge Syrus Webster.

They will also recognize transfers who have made an impact for multiple seasons, including left tackle Esa Pole, nickel Kapena Gushiken, edge Nusi Malani, defensive back Jerrae Williams, tight end Billy Riviere III and wide receiver Kyle Williams.

In a sign of the times in college football, seven of the 17 seniors chose Wazzu out of high school and stayed through coaching and conference transitions, including tight end Cooper Mathers, safety Tanner Moku, defensive back Cole Norah, Thornton, edges Quinn Roff and Andrew Edson and kicker Dean Janikowski.

Thornton and Janikowski walked on to Leach’s 2019 WSU team and left as perhaps two of the most loyal Cougs in school history.

Both experienced three head coaches, a pandemic, conference realignment the emergence of the transfer portal and of name, image and likeness opportunities in their six years in Pullman.

Other seniors like Roff and Edson, who arrived in Pullman in 2020 and 2021 respectively, laid the groundwork for a Dickert-led defense and then a Dickert-led team that has WSU on the cusp of a special season.

Dickert acknowledged how the mood surrounding the program is down following two consecutive losses in which WSU conceded 38 points to New Mexico and 41 points to Oregon State, but encouraged fans to show up Saturday to honor the senior class and support a team that, despite a two-game skid, still has something to fight for.

“They did stay here,” Dickert said. “It was important to them to build a great program. And I think we’ve had a great season. I know everyone feels down right now, I’m with that, but at the end of the day these kids, have really honored what it’s like to wear that logo. So honor them by showing up and supporting them this weekend.”

WSU has a chance to win nine regular-season games for the first time since 2018 and play in a bowl game with a win making the Cougs just the seventh team in school history to win 10-or-more games.

While reflecting on the Cougars’ senior class, Dickert said that Edson is the first player that he has recruited and seen go through their entire college career.

That’s not by accident. It’s a product of loyalty.

“It means a lot that I’ve been with coach Dickert since (he was) the defensive coordinator my freshman year,” Edson said. “He had a big part in recruiting me.”

Edson, from Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie, Wash., said he has appreciated the opportunity to play in the same defensive system, but that the main reason he chose to play and remain on the Palouse was that he wanted to play for Washington State.

Also among the senior class are three guys who have played a huge part in WSU’s top-20 scoring offense. Pole has protected the nation’s leading touchdown scorer, sophomore quarterback John Mateer. Mathers’ six touchdown catches are a single-season WSU record for a tight end. And Williams’ 12 receiving touchdowns this season are the second most in the nation and his 18 touchdowns as a Coug in just two seasons place him just outside the top 20 for the most receiving touchdowns in school history.

Janikowski’s impact on WSU extends much further than his 52-yard, game-tying, fourth-quarter field goal on Sept. 20 against San Jose State which sent the Cougars and Spartans to a thrilling 54-52 double-overtime finish.

Dean Janikowski has honored the memory of his late mother, Heather Janikowksi, by raising money for people with cancer.

Through the Heather Janikowski Foundation, Dean Janikowski has raised money for cancer patients with every field goal and extra point he has kicked with his “More Than a Kick” initiative. His Kicking Cancer event each April at Zeppoz has been a Pullman community staple for the last several years as well.

Janikowski has made several donations to people dealing with the financial burdens of cancer recovery, including a woman from Colfax and a girl on Garfield-Palouse’s softball team.

The senior kicker is one of three finalists for the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy, which recognizes a college football player who gives back to their community.

Janikowski said he will miss his mom when he steps onto Gesa Field alongside his fellow seniors.

In a time of loss, Janikowski continued to play football with guys like Roff and Thornton who have been at WSU for half a decade.

“I think it’s something special, especially with the transfer portal and things like that. It means a lot more,” Janikowski said. “It’s cool to be able to have just one home and be able to come back here.”

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.