In WSU’s new-look offense, one player has flown under the radar: WR Tony Freeman

PULLMAN – Tony Freeman couldn’t haul in one of his final targets last weekend. It was late in the first half of his Washington State team’s win over Idaho, and as the Cougars tried to tack on points before halftime hit, quarterback Jaxon Potter dropped back and lasered a throw over the middle to Freeman.

Drop.

Freeman tried to corral the ball as he fell forward, but it was second down for WSU, which had a shade over a minute to march down the field. So they went back to the huddle, where Potter and offensive coordinator Danny Freund decided to dial up the same play, again targeting Freeman in the slot.

This time, Freeman turned around, secured the catch and dove forward for a couple extra yards. That stopped the clock and moved the chains for the Cougs, whose offense was far from perfect – but when it looked good, Freeman was often involved.

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If nothing else, that underscored Freeman’s impact and the belief coaches have in him. He totaled a team-best seven catches for 64 yards in Saturday’s game. In his second year at WSU, it was his best game as a Cougar in catches and total yards. He even reeled in a pair of catches on WSU’s final drive, which set up kicker Jack Stevens’ game-winning field goal.

In the leadup to this Washington State season, coaches earned commitments from two transfer wide receivers: Junior college star Devin Ellison and Oregon State’s Jeremiah Noga. The Cougs have also been relying on the experience of fifth-year senior Josh Meredith, who caught the team’s only touchdown of Saturday’s game, snaring a six-yard pass with an acrobatic move in the corner of the end zone.

That has prompted Freeman to fly under the radar, and in the first game of his second campaign as a Cougar, he illustrated why he might not have that privilege anymore. Freeman might be undersized at 5-foot-8, and he might have found a niche as an impact punt returner. But he has made one thing clear: Discounting his impact on offense might be a fool’s errand.

“I don’t think any of our guys have the makeup to hang their head, especially T. Free. He did a good job,” WSU coach Jimmy Rogers said. “T. Free is a confident kid. So is the rest of our wide receiver core, and they made the most of it towards the end.”

A native of northern California, Freeman started his career with one year of junior college, piling up seven touchdowns at nearby College of San Mateo. He transferred to WSU in January 2024, and that fall, he started in one and appeared in 12 other games. On the year, he posted eight receptions for 125 yards.

As the season unfolded, it became clear that WSU already had enough at the wideout spot, relying most on star Kyle Williams, Kris Hutson, Carlos Hernandez and Meredith. So Freeman fell out of the wideout rotation and became the Cougs’ primary punt returner, tallying 12 returns for 81 yards, an average of 6.8 yards per return, with a long of 33 – which came in WSU’s win over rival Washington in the Apple Cup.

Freeman remains the Cougs’ top punt returner, earning the opportunity with his speed and nose for the seams. But this fall, he might be able to leverage those skills in the slot, where he’s most dangerous on offense. Of his 64 receiving yards in Saturday’s game, he logged 51 after the catch, which signals how elusive he can be with the ball in his hands, a blur of crimson and gray streaking down the field.

This fall, things are certainly breaking that way. Ellison, a projected starter, missed WSU’s season-opener with his foot in a boot. Two days later, Rogers said he wasn’t sure about Ellison’s status. In the same breath, he mentioned a teammate was on his way back from injury – so read between the lines and it would seem that Ellison could miss multiple weeks.

Ellison plays on the outside, so that may not have a direct impact on Freeman, but it does shuffle the personnel in the Cougs’ wide receiver room. Noga took advantage, earning a starting nod to catch six passes for 55 yards, including a 17-yarder and 15-yarder in the second frame. Even running back Kirby Vorhees got involved as a pass-catcher, carding 18 yards on five receptions.

But if Saturday’s game was any indication, Freeman could get the biggest boost, and boost his team’s offense in turn. Potter and coaches clearly trust him on offense. He’s given them every reason to so far this fall – and in the games to come, he might not slow down.