WSU CB Jamorri Colson to miss significant time with injury, OL Fa’alili Fa’amoe nearing return

PULLMAN – Washington State will operate without one of its starting defensive backs for much of this season.

Redshirt junior cornerback Jamorri Colson, who was set to start, will miss “an extended period of time” with an injury, coach Jake Dickert said Monday. Colson missed the final handful of WSU’s fall camp practices with the injury, and now it appears it will sideline him for a longer time.

For its season-opener against FCS Portland State on Saturday, WSU will turn to redshirt freshman Ethan O’Connor, who registered a sterling fall camp. A Los Angeles native, O’Connor made a number of plays, including several interceptions, making him a logical fill-in for Colson along the way.

“Ethan O’Connor is ready. I think you’ve seen that through the course of fall camp,” Dickert said. “His playmaking ability needs to be high, but he’s still young. He’s a freshman corner. He’s gonna make mistakes, and that’s fine. Stephen Hall, one of our captains, has been an amazing leader for that room, and really drives all the behaviors that those guys have.”

Colson made his WSU debut last season, playing a few snaps against Colorado State and Arizona, but injuries pressed him into meaningful action in the back half of the season. He logged 46 snaps against Stanford, 28 against Cal, 19 against Colorado and he started in last season’s Apple Cup, allowing 4 receptions on 8 targets, according to Pro Football Focus.

Colson is a junior college product who played three seasons at Iowa Western Community College, where he helped the club win the NJCAA national championship in 2022, earning all-conference first-team honors that year. He redshirted in 2021.

Meanwhile, O’Connor will be forced into real action in his college debut. Out of high school, O’Connor was a highly touted recruit, collecting offers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Kansas, UCLA, Washington, Texas A&M, Penn State and a host of others. A class of 2023 prospect, O’Connor originally committed to UCLA, but he backed out in May 2023, later landing at WSU.

When WSU opens the season at noon Saturday, hosting Portland State for the second time in four seasons, its starting cornerbacks will be O’Connor and Hall, a redshirt junior who also came on strong toward the end of last season.

Fa’alili Fa’amoe nearing a return from injury

WSU’s presumptive starter at right tackle, redshirt junior Fa’alili Fa’amoe, is getting closer to returning from the knee injury that sidelined him the entirety of spring and fall practices. He has passed the final step in his rehab process, Dickert said, and WSU is targeting the Sept. 14 Apple Cup for his return.

But even if Fa’amoe does return for that game, Dickert said, it will be “in some sort of limited capacity.” That means Fa’amoe will miss WSU’s home games against Portland State (Saturday) and Texas Tech (Sept. 7).

“I’m in charge of his future. I’ve told him that every time,” Dickert said. “But this is a major step in his return. And just seeing old 7-9 there in his pads, doing team, is gonna lift my spirits. I know that. So his teammates will feel the same way. Just really excited for that kid, because he’s put in a ton of work and has ton of has had ton of adversity through his career here, and he’s ready to capitalize. We did the right thing for him and his team by getting this really take care of.”

In Fa’amoe’s place, WSU has been practicing with redshirt junior Christian Hilborn at right tackle, moving him over from his usual spot at left guard. At left guard, the Cougs have been playing redshirt sophomore Rod Tialavea, resulting in this offensive line: Left tackle Esa Pole, left guard Tialavea, center Devin Kylany, right guard Brock Dieu, right tackle Hilborn, which is the unit WSU will likely start on Saturday.