After one week of WSU fall camp, 4 freshman standouts who could make a splash

PULLMAN – One week of WSU fall camp has come and gone. The Cougars have practiced seven times, pulling on the pads beginning on Monday, even moving operations to nearby Gesa Field for the past two days.

In all settings, a few freshmen have stood out, giving themselves chances to earn meaningful snaps this season. Here are four.

Trillion Sorrell, safety

Sorrell delivered his best practice on Wednesday, coming inches away from an interception on two occasions, including one that likely would have turned into a pick-six. On another play, Sorrell came down from his safety spot and laid a hard hit on running back Angel Johnson, who couldn’t hang on to a pass.

It was the best practice of the seven for Sorrell, who was part of coach Jimmy Rogers’ class of 2025 at South Dakota State, his previous school. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, Sorrell has often found himself matched up against WSU’s first-teamers on offense, signaling coaches are high on Sorrell and his potential – not just for his outing Wednesday but for the way he’s turned heads at nearly every practice.

“I would say he’s earning himself a role every day he’s out here. And I would say that with everybody,” WSU coach Jimmy Rogers said after Wednesday’s practice. “He’s taken his training extremely serious, and he’s just grown. He’s extremely smart at his age, and there are things that he’ll mess up that he’ll need to learn from as he goes, but overall, the consistency of confidence shows up every single play for him, and that’s kinda why we recruited him.”

Sorrell also picked off a pass in Saturday’s practice, proving he’s good with his hands – even if he dropped a couple interceptions recently. Sorrell has good size and better instincts, so even though he’s part of an experienced safety corps – veterans Tucker Large, Cale Reeder and Matt Durrance will all play over him – he could get on the field sooner than later, maybe even this season.

Sullivan Schlimgen, linebacker

In each of WSU’s seven practices so far, Schlimgen has made at least one play that has looked better suited for a veteran, a heady read or a sound tackle in space. Also part of SDSU’s class of 2025 with Rogers, Schlimgen was coveted by Texas Tech, which lured him down to Lubbock for an official visit in June 2024.

But Schlimgen stayed committed to SDSU, giving him a chance to follow Rogers to WSU. Schlimgen has made the most of it, leveraging his 6-1, 220-pound frame to match up well with some of the Cougars’ most athletic offensive players.

The best part about Schlimgen’s game, Rogers likes to say, is the way he thinks the game. He’s one of the sharpest freshmen on the team, if not the smartest, which shows up in the routes he takes and the tackling technique he’s established. Schlimgen also happens to play a position inhabited by some of WSU’s most experienced players – seniors Keith Brown, Parker McKenna and Caleb Francl are likely starters – but that may not prevent him from seeing the field this fall.

“He’s extremely, extremely intelligent for his age,” Rogers said last week. “He kinda reciprocates information back to you and understands at a really high level. Has great speed.”

Demarius Russell and Kyle Peterson, safeties

Russell and Peterson’s play at the safety spot, combined with the fall camp Sorrell is turning in, have made one thing clear: Assuming they stay in Pullman, WSU will be good at the safety position for years to come.

On the first day of fall camp last week, Peterson announced his presence with a diving interception of Zevi Eckhaus, the likely leader in the Cougs’ four-way quarterback battle. A few days later, Russell also grabbed an interception, this one off a tipped pass.

Russell is a tad shorter than Peterson – the former is listed at 5-11, the latter 6-0 – but they’re made of similar stuff. Both are fast to the ball, quick to diagnose plays, putting them in position to make the plays they have. Even when they haven’t snared interceptions, both have broken up passes, inserting themselves into plays and blowing them up.

Because of the experience WSU has at safety, it’s unclear what kind of role this duo could play this year, but they’re playing their way into consistent snaps – this year or in the ones to come.

“Demarius Russell will be a special player,” Rogers said. “I believe that. Whether he’s ready right away or not, he’s way ahead mentally at the safety position than many safeties that we’ve come across. He’ll have growing pains like he did today, picked off the ball, ran it back for about a touchdown, basking in his glory. The very next play, they took a shot over his head and scored him. So those are all moments to learn from.”