Incarnate Word transfer linebacker Isaiah Paul commits to Washington State

PULLMAN – Washington State added another transfer linebacker with veteran experience, picking up a commitment Monday from former Incarnate Word standout Isaiah Paul.

Paul is the third graduate transfer linebacker to join the Cougars this offseason. Devin Richardson, who spent the past two seasons at Texas after three years at New Mexico State, signed with WSU last month. Ahmad McCullough pledged to the Cougars’ program last week after a five-year stay at Maryland.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Paul recorded 137 tackles and 20½ tackles for loss over the past four seasons at UIW, an FCS program in San Antonio. He also notched three sacks, forced two fumbles, recovered two fumbles, broke up five passes and logged one interception during his Cardinals career. Paul has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Injuries derailed Paul’s 2022 campaign. He appeared in UIW’s first three games, then spent the next two months sidelined. Paul returned to the lineup in mid-November, but sustained an injury that kept him out for another month.

Paul got back on the field Dec. 16 and shined in the Cardinals’ FCS playoff semifinal matchup against North Dakota State, piling up a game-high 14 tackles with three TFLs and a sack. UIW lost 35-32 and finished its best season in program history with a 12-2 record.

A graduate of Brennan High in San Antonio, Paul took a redshirt as a true freshman in 2018 and earned a rotational role in 2019. He established himself in UIW’s first unit as a redshirt sophomore in 2020 and was named to the All-Southland Conference third team after the season.

Paul brought home all-conference second-team honors in 2021 after registering 42 tackles, 6½ TFLs and two sacks for a UIW team that had a breakthrough season under coach Eric Morris, claiming the Southland title and advancing to the second round of the FCS playoffs. Morris accepted the offensive coordinator job at WSU after the season. He left the program last month to take the head coaching position at North Texas. WSU recently hired Ben Arbuckle, out of Western Kentucky, as its new OC.

The Cougars came into the offseason with holes to fill in their roster and coaching staff, but they shored up a couple of shorthanded position groups and plugged in several new staffers this month.

WSU used the NCAA transfer portal to bolster its linebacking corps after losing three key players from the position group following the season. All-Pac-12 outside linebacker Daiyan Henley likely is headed to the NFL. Francisco Mauigoa and Travion Brown, who shared reps in 2022 at middle linebacker, transferred last month to Miami and Arizona State, respectively.

Paul, Richardson and McCullough will be in the mix for significant roles next season, along with Cougars veteran Kyle Thornton and redshirt freshman Hudson Cedarland – one of the prized recruits in WSU’s 2022 class.

The Cougars are reportedly set to hire Jeff Schmedding as their next defensive coordinator. The Spokane native will presumably take over as WSU’s linebackers coach, as well. Schmedding, a former longtime Eastern Washington assistant, served as DC/LBs coach at Boise State in 2019-20. He tutored LBs at Auburn in 2021 before landing the Tigers’ DC job in 2022.

Schmedding will replace Brian Ward, who left WSU last month for the DC job at Arizona State after one season in charge of the Cougars’ defense and linebackers.