Washington State receiver Robert Ferrel’s journey brought him from Southern California juco grind to starring role at SoFi Stadium

LOS ANGELES – Three years ago, Robert Ferrel was grinding through the unenviable realities of junior college football in Southern California.

Now he returns to Los Angeles as a standout performer on a Power Five team – the top receiving target for the Washington State Cougars.

Ferrel has come a long way since his one-year stay in the heart of the L.A. metro, as a player at El Camino College. In his final college game, Ferrel will play under the bright lights of SoFi Stadium, a state-of-the-art venue and the home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Chargers. WSU faces Fresno State at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl.

“It’s definitely full-circle,” Ferrel said of his college career on Thursday after a practice at LA Harbor College.

On Sept. 21, 2019, Ferrel caught a touchdown pass during El Camino’s 70-7 win over LA Harbor on the same field that hosted the Cougars’ practice sessions before this week’s bowl.

“Right when we pulled in, I was like, ‘I wonder if I played here,’ then I was like, ‘Yeah, I definitely remember (the stadium),’ ” he said. “All of my ex-coaches at El Camino came out (Wednesday) and saw me. I haven’t seen most of them since 2019. It’s pretty cool to see that they support me, even now that I’m not on the team. And being able to play at SoFi is like a dream come true.”

Ferrel walked on at Nevada in 2018 and took a redshirt year, then joined El Camino in spring of the following year. During his first semester at the Torrance, California, junior college, Ferrel shared a three-bedroom home with seven teammates.

“Two to a room, and two in the living room, just to pay the rent,” he said. “It’s hard to find rent money. You have to scrounge it, get a little job on the side.”

When summer came around, Ferrel’s living conditions worsened. His Ford Mustang became a temporary home.

“I stayed in my car throughout the whole summer, all the way until the fall,” he said. “I just took showers at the school and did my laundry there. I was real close with the equipment guy, so he helped me. It was tough. Then, I lived on my friend’s couch for the whole (2019) season.

“JUCO is a struggle, as they say, especially here in California – no scholarships or really any help like that, and being out of state, tuition is a little higher. It definitely shapes you, makes you grow up a little bit faster. Going through those struggles earlier in life I feel like have helped me now that I’m older. I know how to persevere through obstacles.”

The Sparks, Nevada, native earned All-America junior college honors as an all-purpose player. He led the state with 449 yards on punt returns and finished in the top 20 among all California JC players with 784 receiving yards to go with 11 touchdowns.

Ferrel broke into the Division I ranks in 2020, accepting a scholarship offer from the FCS program at Incarnate Word in San Antonio. He led the Cardinals in catches (35), receiving yards (474) and touchdowns (six) during the team’s abbreviated campaign in spring 2021. Ferrel earned All-Southland Conference honors as a return man and receiver the next season. He totaled 815 yards and nine TDs on 74 receptions.

At UIW, Ferrel played two seasons under coach Eric Morris and alongside quarterback Cameron Ward. All three of them made the move to WSU this offseason.

In the summer, Ferrel fractured a bone in his foot, which caused him to miss the Cougars’ first two games of the year. After healing up, he became an immediate impact player for WSU in a familiar offense – a version of the Air Raid system, coordinated by Morris and quarterbacked by Ward.

Ferrel claimed a starting role in Week 5 and held the job for the rest of the year. Reflecting on his difficult background, Ferrel is grateful.

“If I started here (at WSU), I wouldn’t be the same person,” he said. “Everything is a little bit easier here. … I’ve definitely taken advantage of all the facilities, the coaching and everything Washington State had to offer. I’m very appreciative for them, giving me the opportunity.”

The rapport between Ward and Ferrel showed throughout the year. The 5-foot-8, 173-pound senior slotback finished his first and only regular season at WSU second on the team in catches (46), yards (517) and touchdowns (four).

“It took me a little bit to get used to the game speed. I eventually did,” Ferrel said.

Ferrel took home All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors for his special-teams exploits after averaging 10.7 yards per punt return.

“He’s an ultimate competitor,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said of Ferrel. “I remember the first time I heard (his story). I was like, ‘This is a Coug. This is a fighter. This is a guy that’ll do anything to get an opportunity.’ That’s what Rob Ferrel has been and that’s what I’ll remember most about Rob.

“Even though it was a short period of time, only six months, he has impacted me on what you do in adversity – you keep pushing and great things are going to happen on the other side of it. It hasn’t always been easy for him, even here. He broke his foot in the middle of the summer, had to start slow. But Rob is the ultimate competitor and he’ll forever be a Coug.”

Ferrel will be the first look for Ward on Saturday, and the Cougars (7-5) will lean on the pair’s knowledge of this offense.

WSU’s No. 1 receiver this year, De’Zhaun Stribling, entered the transfer portal earlier this month and recently committed to Oklahoma State.

The Cougars’ No. 3 receiver, Donovan Ollie, is in the transfer portal. Senior slot receiver Renard Bell will miss the game due to an injury, and the Cougars will also be without Morris, who accepted the head coaching position at North Texas on Tuesday.