WSU hires new RBs coach Robbie Rouse, signs two more SDSU transfers and adds another HS commit

PULLMAN – Washington State’s running back situation continues to change.

WSU has signed South Dakota State transfer running back Maxwell Woods, the Cougars announced Tuesday, marking the third Jackrabbits RB to follow new head coach Jimmy Rogers to Pullman. Woods played his freshman season in 2024, giving him three more years of eligibility.

On Tuesday, the Cougars also added SDSU transfer cornerback Colby Humphrey, SDSU transfer safety Trey Ridley, and three-star defensive lineman Donovan Fitzmaurice out of Marquette High School, in the St. Louis suburbs. Those additions make up the 14 known incoming WSU players, including 12 South Dakota State transfers and two high school pledges, both of whom were previously committed to Rogers at SDSU.

Woods joins Angel Johnson and Kirby Vorhees as running backs to transfer from South Dakota State to WSU, giving the Cougars a new look . The Cougars have hired former Jackrabbits RBs coach Robbie Rouse for the same job, a source confirmed to The Spokesman-Review on Tuesday, perhaps explaining the recent running back transfers.

247Sports was the first to report the hire of Rouse, who spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons as South Dakota State’s RBs coach. Before that, he coached running backs at Division III College of St. Scholastica (Minnesota) in 2017, at Division II Augustana (South Dakota) University in 2019, at FCS North Dakota from 2020-21 and at FCS Cal Poly in 2022.

Rouse played from 2009-12 at Fresno State, where he earned a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference nod in 2011, becoming the Bulldogs’ all-time leading rusher. He’s the program’s first player to record three 1,000-yard seasons.

With Rouse’s help, SDSU’s 2024 offense averaged 236 rushing yards per game, No. 3 nationally, led by starting running back Amar Johnson. Johnson has not entered the transfer portal.

Rouse is the sixth known hire by Rogers, whose staff includes offensive coordinator Danny Freund, defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit, offensive line coach Taylor Lucas, assistant offensive line coach Mike Iupati and defensive tackles coach Everette Thompson.

Last season, the 5-foot-10 Woods totaled 29 carries for 176 yards and one touchdown, playing in seven games. He also caught five passes for 19 yards. A native of the Minneapolis area, Woods flipped from North Dakota State to South Dakota State out of high school at Chanhassen High, where he was named Minnesota Mr. Football and Minnesota’s Associated Press Player of the Year.

Joining three-star linebacker Isaiah Hung as Rogers’ two high school commits, Fitzmaurice comes from St. Louis-area Chesterfield, Missouri, where he earned a three-star rating from Rivals. Fitzmaurice, 6-4 and 285 pounds, turned down offers from a handful of FCS schools, including North Dakota State, Missouri State, Illinois State and Northern Arizona.

As a senior, Fitzmaurice totaled more than 50 tackles, 19 for loss. He forced two fumbles and recovered two, and blocked four kicks. He will be the third new defensive lineman at WSU, which has also signed former SDSU DLs Max Baloun, who had 17 tackles and two sacks last season; and Fernando Lecuona, who redshirted his freshman season in 2024.

The Cougars lost each of their top three defensive linemen from last season, including David Gusta (transferred to Kentucky), Ansel Din-Mbuh (transferred to TCU) and Khalil Laufau (transferred to Houston).

Cornerback Humphrey started all 15 games last season at South Dakota State, piling up 37 tackles, three pass breakups and one interception. Beofre that, he spent three seasons at FCS Northern Arizona, where he totaled a combined 42 tackles (26 solo), six passes defended and three interceptions.

Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, the 5-11 Humphrey played four games in 2023 at NAU before leaving the team midseason, allowing him to redshirt that season and granting him another year of eligibility. Humphrey grabbed one interception against FBS Arizona in the Lumberjacks’ season opener.

Ridley played in six games in 2024, his true freshman season. On defense, he made three tackles in 21 snaps — but most of his playing time came on special teams, where he logged 47 snaps. Because only three of his games came in the regular season, he maintains his redshirt season.

A native of the Kansas City area, Ridley fielded one other offer out of Blue Valley Northwest High, which came from Iowa State.