WSU adds HS QB Owen Eshelman, plus three more transfers, two from South Dakota State

PULLMAN – Washington State may have lost its class of 2025 quarterback with last month’s coaching change, but the Cougars are bringing in another high school QB.

Norman North (Oklahoma) product Owen Eshelman, who previously committed to coach Jimmy Rogers at South Dakota State, announced Wednesday he’s flipping to WSU. Eshelman is Rogers’ third high school pledge with the Cougars, all of whom were former Jackrabbits commits.

Eshelman joins three-star linebacker Isaiah Hung and three-star defensive lineman Donovan Fitzmaurice as former SDSU pledges to follow Rogers to WSU, which also landed two more Jackrabbits transfers on Wednesday: linebacker Anthony Palano and offensive lineman Nick Bakken.

Those two make up the 14th and 15th former SDSU players to transfer to WSU with Rogers, who also signed his first transfer from another school on Wednesday: former Cal Poly defensive tackle Soni Finau, who started six of 11 games last season for the Mustangs.

Later Wednesday, the Cougs reeled in their fourth high school commit under Rogers, who secured a pledge from two-star defensive lineman Connor Sullivan, a previous South Dakota State commit. Sullivan missed his senior season with an injury. As a junior, he recorded 54 tackles (12 for loss) and five sacks.

Eshelman, a three-star QB, according to Six Star Football, is a dual-threat quarterback. As a senior at Norman North, he completed 171 of 321 passes (53%) for 2,691 yards, 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, adding 224 carries for 1,383 yards and 19 touchdowns. At 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Eshelman has good size for the position.

Eshelman, whose only other reported offer out of high school came from Rogers at South Dakota State, led Norman North to a 4-8 season in 2024, including one playoff win. He does not carry a star rating on 247Sports or Rivals.

His starting career began late in the 2022 season, Eshleman’s sophomore year, when he stepped in for Norman North’s injured starter for the team’s first playoff game. The Timberwolves fell by a touchdown, but it was the springboard for Eshelman, who went on to thrive in Oklahoma’s 6A1-2 division, the largest in the state.

“I think there’s not a lot of guys that could do what he does and he’s a very mentally strong person,” Norman North coach Jones told Sports Illustrated. “He’s an ultimate competitor and I think him playing multiple sports and being an exceptional basketball player as well, he brings that to the game and gets some tough runs. … He takes a lick a lot and he just has a growth mindset and doesn’t worry about the previous play. Moves on to the next one and that’s why he’s having some success right now.”

While five players have decommitted from WSU’s class of 2025 – QB Steele Pizzella, running back Jamar Searcy, defensive tackle Josiah Pratt, wide receiver Jack Foley and linebacker AJ Tuitlele – Rogers is free to keep or drop the remaining 18 players in the class.

Rogers’ introductory news conference is set for 2 p.m. Thursday in Pullman.

The 6-2, 345-pound Sinau totaled two sacks on 12 pressures last season, picking up seven tackles. Starting for the final six games of the Mustangs’ 2024 season, Finau recorded a strip-sack in crunch time against Sacramento State, opening the door for Cal Poly’s winning field goal in a 26-23 win.

Finau, a native of the Sacramento, California, area, turned down offers from FCS teams Idaho State, Georgetown and Northern Colorado out of high school. He spent three seasons at Cal Poly, making three starts in nine games as a freshman, then playing in 11 games as a sophomore.

Finau, who took his visit to Pullman in mid-December, will have one year of eligibility. He joins a WSU defensive tackles room that lost its top three players from 2024: David Gusta transferred to Kentucky, Ansel Din-Mbuh transferred to TCU and Khalil Laufau took his talents to Houston.

Palano was a freshman in 2024, playing six games on special teams. But only three came during the regular season, allowing him to retain his redshirt year, giving him four years of eligibility with WSU. Palano, 6-1 and 210 pounds, hails from Arlington Heights, Illinois, where he also fielded offers from FCS teams Butler and Valparaiso out of Buffalo Grove High School.

As a senior at Buffalo Grove, Palano earned first-team all-state recognition, totaling 65 tackles, surpassing 1,000 all-purpose yards and scoring 17 touchdowns . As a junior, Palano earned honorable mention all-state honors, totaling 94 tackles and four sacks. He also had 42 receptions for 452 yards, adding 277 rushing yards and seven touchdowns .

Bakken, an offensive tackle, was also a true freshman in 2024. He played 64 snaps, appearing in four regular-season games, staying eligibile for a redshirt year

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