Reserve Washington State edge rusher Gabriel Lopez enters NCAA transfer portal

PULLMAN – Gabriel Lopez, a deep-reserve edge rusher for Washington State over the past three seasons, announced Monday over Twitter that he has entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Lopez appeared in three games this year – late in the Cougs’ blowout wins over Colorado State, Cal and Stanford – and made one tackle. The 6-foot-2, 245-pounder played in 11 games in his WSU career. He did not record any statistics during the 2020 and ‘21 seasons.

Lopez’s strength impressed WSU coaches this preseason, but the Cougars’ edge-rushing rotation was too deep for him to crack.

As of now, all six of WSU’s top “edges” are set to return in 2023 – senior captains Brennan Jackson and Ron Stone Jr., along with rotational pieces Quinn Roff, Andrew Edson, Lawrence Falatea and Raam Stevenson.

A three-star recruit from Desert Pines High in Las Vegas, Lopez was the No. 12-rated prep prospect in Nevada and the No. 103 defensive end in the country, according to 247Sports.com.