WSU earns commitments from two JUCO prospects: DT Andy Burburija, RB Daniel Swinney

PULLMAN – For a second straight day, Washington State beefed up its class of 2026.

The Cougars have landed commitments from two junior college prospects: defensive tackle Andy Burburija and running back Daniel Swinney, both of whom announced their decisions on Friday, both making the jump from Iowa Western Community College. That’s the same school where the Cougs went for a commitment from offensive lineman Ashton Mozone, who announced his decision on Thursday.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 290 pounds, Burburija has played each of the last two seasons at Iowa Western, where he’s totaled five sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss in only six games this fall. For his career, that gives him 8.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss – 51 total tackles – doing all that in only 19 games. That’s remarkable efficiency, especially for a relatively undersized defensive tackle.

On the recruiting trail, Buburija turned down offers from Boise State, USF, Charlotte, Western Michigan, Coastal Carolina, Eastern Michigan, Old Dominion, Arkansas State and two FCS clubs to become a Cougar.

Burburija and Swinney make the 16th and 17th members of WSU’s class of 2026, including the third defensive lineman and the first running back. Alongside Mozone, they are the second and third prospects from the JUCO ranks.

Burburija’s commitment also means another recruiting win for WSU over Boise State, a future Pac-12 opponent. Mozone also chose the Cougars over the Broncos.

Burburija hails from Crystal Lake, Illinois, which is about 50 miles outside Chicago. At Crystal Lake South High, Burburija also starred on the wrestling team.

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Swinney is also enjoying a breakout year at Iowa Western. In six games, he’s logged 530 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 107 carries, good for an average rush of 5 yards. Swinney started his college career at Garden City Community College (Kansas), where he posted 904 yards and 12 touchdowns last fall.

For those efforts, Swinney earned offers from UTEP, Toledo, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Texas State, South Alabama and FCS schools Sacramento State and UT Martin.

The Cougars’ updated class of 2026:

• RB Daniel Swinney (Iowa Western CC, Council Bluffs, Iowa).

• DL Andy Burburija (Iowa Western CC, Council Bluffs, Iowa).

• Three-star OL Ashton Mozone (Iowa Western CC, Council Bluffs, Iowa).

• Three-star QB Hudson Kurland (Lake Oswego, Lake Oswego, Oregon).

• Three-star edge JaVon Joseph (Oak Ridge, El Dorado Hills, California).

• Three-star S Matthew McClain (Prestonwood Christian, Plano, Texas).

• Three-star TE Luke Galer (Del Oro, Loomis, California).

• Three-star OL Beckett Schreiber (Memorial, Madison, Wisconsin).

• Three-star TE Drew Byrd (Rocky Mountain, Meridian, Idaho).

• Three-star cornerback Kameron Hurst (Lift For Life, St. Louis).

• Three-star edge Jacob Lopez-Veasey (San Antonio).

• Three-star edge Tyler Burnstein (Liberty, Peoria, Arizona).

• Three-star S Bradley Esser (Harrisburg, Harrisburg, South Dakota).

• Three-star OL Kingston Fotualii (O’Dea, Seattle).

• Three-star OL Cooper Daines (Spokane).

• Three-star DL Jake Jones (Campo Verde, Gilbert, Arizona).

• Three-star ATH Landon Kalsbeck (Dakota Ridge, Littleton, Colorado).(tncms-asset)36be4819-880c-4da3-abf6-f2b670e8e71b[2](/tncms-asset)