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Washington State quarterback Cammon Cooper enters NCAA transfer portal

Washington State quarterback Cammon Cooper (2) comes in for the final drive of the second half of a Pac-12 game against Southern Cal on Sept. 18 at Gesa Field in Pullman. Cooper has entered his name into the NCAA's transfer portal. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
By Colton Clark The Spokesman-Review

One of the highest-rated quarterback recruits ever to sign with Washington State’s football program, Cammon Cooper will likely leave Pullman having played in just six games since arriving in 2018.

Cooper, a redshirt junior, entered his name into the NCAA’s transfer portal recently, as announced Monday by Rivals.com’s transfer-tracking Twitter page.

A four-star prospect out of Lehi High in Utah, Cooper redshirted in his first year on the Palouse before backing up Anthony Gordon in 2019 and Jayden de Laura in 2020.

He was part of a three-man competition for WSU’s starting job before this season but fell out of the race a few weeks before the Cougars’ opener against Utah State.

Last season, Cooper appeared briefly in a lopsided loss to USC and filled in for an injured de Laura in WSU’s season finale at Utah.

This year, he took a couple of snaps in a goal-line running package against Utah State and saw some minutes late versus USC, Utah and Cal.

He completed 15 of 23 passes for 143 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in a Cougar uniform.

The 6-foot-4, 208-pound left-hander was a record-breaking quarterback at the Class 5A level for Lehi. He was named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior and was considered the No. 14 pro-style QB in the country by 247Sports.com.

Cooper’s offer sheet included Georgia, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, Indiana, Arizona State, Oregon State and Boise State.

He seemed to be in line to capture starting duties for the Cougars at some point in his career. He became somewhat of a favorite among WSU fans who, considering Cooper’s resume, were eager to see him in action.

But de Laura’s ceiling was perhaps higher. The sophomore from Hawaii had bright moments during his true freshman season in 2020, then took full command of the position this year.

Rivals reported Monday that reserve tackle James McNorton has also entered the portal.

A 6-5, 275-pound sophomore, McNorton has not appeared in a game since signing with WSU in December 2019 as a three-star recruit out of Liberty High in Brentwood, California.