WSU lands commitment from South Dakota State RB Angel Johnson, Jimmy Rogers’ first transfer

PULLMAN – Jimmy Rogers’ first transfer as Washington State’s head coach is a familiar face.

WSU earned a commitment Saturday from South Dakota State running back Angel Johnson, according to a report from ESPN, giving Rogers his first transfer since accepting the Cougars’ job last weekend. Johnson will have one year of eligibility.

Playing behind the Jackrabbits’ veteran starter, Johnson totaled 91 carries for 646 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games this season, good for an average carry of 7.1 yards. He also forced 30 missed tackles, per Pro Football Focus data, and he recorded back-to-back 100-yard games in blowout wins over North Dakota and Murray State.

Johnson also returned kickoffs this season, finishing with 15 returns for 393 yards and one touchdown, which came on a 99-yarder in a win over Youngstown State. He also returned two kicks for 109 yards in a victory over Incarnate Word.

He also had 14 catches for 174 yards and one touchdown, a 68-yard reception against Northern Iowa.

Johnson totaled 321 yards after contact on 92 carries, averaging 3.5 yards per rush. At 5-foot-9, Johnson is a tad undersized, which he makes up for with a combination of speed and strength.

Johnson joins a bit of a crowded WSU running back groups, which includes Leo Pulalasi, Djouvensky Schlenbaker, Dylan Paine and rising sophomore Josh Joyner.

If Johnson has any advantage over them, it’s his experience: He played four years at SDSU, winning an FCS national title and 2023 and making the national semifinals in 2024.

The Cougars were banking on running back Jamar Searcy, the only RB in WSU’s 23-man class of 2025, but he decommitted in December shortly after former coach Jake Dickert left for Wake Forest. Also decommitted from the class are QB Steele Pizzella, DT Josiah Pratt and WR Jack Foley – all of whom are headed to Wake Forest – plus edge rusher Lucan Amituanai and linebacker AJ Tuitele.

Former WSU freshman running back Wayshawn Parker also entered the portal and signed with Utah last month, following former WSU running backs coach Mark Atuaia, who took the same job with the Utes.

Johnson might still have some competition in Pulalasi and Schlenbaker, who saw an uptick in carries when Paine went down with a torn ACL early last season. It’s unclear whether Paine will be ready to go for the 2025 season. He suffered the injury in early October, and the recovery time for torn ACLs is usually eight months or more.