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Dec. 17—PULLMAN — The punches keep coming for Washington State.
In the past two days, the Cougars have lost two more starters to the transfer portal. Linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah made his announcement on Tuesday, and right tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe was reported to have entered the portal Monday.
That’s on top of losing the biggest player of all, quarterback John Mateer, who entered the portal Monday. The nation’s leader with 44 total touchdowns, Mateer’s departure amounts to the second consecutive year the Cougars have lost their starting QB to the portal after Cam Ward left for Miami last year.
As of Tuesday evening, WSU has lost 22 players to the transfer portal, including 10 starters and three backups. That number may come as a surprise to head coach Jake Dickert, who said earlier this month he was expecting around 15 to 20 players to hit the portal. Now his team has nearly hit that range with only impact players.
“The first step is realizing there are no rules. That’s the first step,” Dickert said Monday, referring to the way Mateer fielded lucrative offers before entering the portal, ostensibly the kind of tampering violation that often goes unpunished. “Tampering is now part of it. It’s a word that’s a buzzword for everyone to use, but if you’re not recruiting other people’s rosters, it feels like in today’s world, that you’re gonna fall behind. So it does put us in a tough spot.”
WSU’s most recent losses, Al-Uqdah and Fa’amoe, add up to particularly brutal blows for the team.
Al-Uqdah started all 12 games at linebacker this season, totaling 19 starts in his WSU career after joining the starting lineup midway through last season. The team’s leader with six takeaways — three interceptions and three forced fumbles — Al-Uqdah also led the club with 76 tackles, 51 solo. He also led the Cougars with 17 missed…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/lb-buddah-al-uqdah-ot-045900726.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-12-18 04:59:00
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