PULLMAN — As Washington State was preparing for the Holiday Bowl last December, there were already rumblings.
Then the rumblings turned into action.
Former head coach Jake Dickert left for the same position at Wake Forest. The Cougars ended up losing to No. 21 Syracuse 52-35 to close an 8-5 season that ended with four consecutive losses.
With a new staff in place and the evolution of college football changing rosters on a yearly basis, the max exodus of players into the transfer portal made its way to the Palouse.
Yet for Jack Ellison, Gavin Fugate and Dylan Paine, there was no other place to call home.
“I just love the community aspect, my brothers in the linebacker room,” Fugate, a W.F. West alum said. “The ability we had to come together and push forward.”
Powered by a bond shared by the other returners and some unfinished business, the trio of Southwest Washington athletes made the decision to stay for new coach Jimmy Rogers and prepare for the 2025-26 season donning the crimson jerseys once again.
“It feels like I’ve been here forever,” Paine said.
Ellison and Paine, grads of Black Hills and Tumwater, respectively, plus Fugate, all felt like the brotherhood established was too strong to leave.
All three have been through ups and downs throughout their college careers. Still, to be able to do it as in-state kids for a program that will soon be in a fully rebuilt Pac-12, the chance to be a part of something special was palpable.
“That bond has gotten stronger,” Ellison said. “The guys that did stick around, they’re able to find who else feels that away.”
Rogers was quite happy after watching them on film from last season, they stayed.
“At that time, they were talking about roster limitations at 105 and so when the whole team knows that, you’re looking at how intentional they’re going about their work,” he said. “It is easier to see than most people think. Those guys care a ton.”
Paine enters his sixth and final year of college ball. His younger brother, Ashton, did end up in the portal and committed to South Dakota, one of the premier FCS programs in the country.
Ashton’s move had little effect on Dylan’s future.
“I’ve seen a lot of coaches come and go, so for me, it wasn’t a big surprise,” the elder Paine said. “I don’t wanna leave Pullman. There was no doubt I was going to stay. At the end of the day, we’re two different people.”
The running back, coming off a leg injury at the end of last season, is one of the elder statesmen in the running back room. The maturity, coupled with experience, has made him a viable leader for that group.
“How he went about his work, the ability to ask a question to him schematically and he knows the answer and he hasn’t taken any reps,” Rogers said. “He is a tough kid that wants to be here.”
Ellison and Fugate have yet to see the field, even on special teams, entering their third year in the program. The two linebackers, both relatively new to the position, have bought into the new philosophy by Rogers and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jesse Bobbit.
“There’s no resentment anywhere in the room,” Ellison said.
“It is always competitive every single day,” Fugate added. “We’re building each other up. We want to be the best football team.”
Malijah Tucker is the other SW Washington athlete on the roster, also from Tumwater.
The trio of returners feel their own sense of pride representing not only their high schools, but Class 2A football in the Evergreen Conference. For a league that only has six schools, the four Cougars licked their chops in a league that has plenty of run-first programs.
“It is a big honor,” Fugate said. “You haven’t seen a lot of guys go at this level from the EvCo area.”
