‘Guys are really buying into what we’re saying’: The importance of WSU defenders Kaden Beatty and Nylan Brown

PULLMAN – Even in his first season of action, Kaden Beatty could see the writing on the wall, the scrawls of all the lopsided scores his Kent State team was on the wrong side of. It was the fall of 2024, when he had finally earned some playing time on the Golden Flashes’ defensive line, and he was psyched about the opportunity.

But he couldn’t do much to stop Kent State from picking up loss after loss. Nobody really could. One setback turned to two, two turned to three, and before he could make a meaningful impact, the Golden Flashes’ season had spiraled out of control.

So as Kent State’s winless season continued to unfold, Beatty began to speak up. He found a teammate willing to do the same in linebacker Nylan Brown, himself a freshman. They did their best to rally the group and hold their older teammates to account.

“Sometimes, I guess the older guys didn’t really like that the young guys were trying to step up and be outspoken,” Beatty said.

Eighteen months later, Beatty and Brown are no longer learning to find their voices on a winless group. They’re becoming full-throated leaders at Washington State, where Beatty transferred last winter, Brown this January. After three days of the Cougars’ spring practice slate, it’s becoming clear that if their defense flourishes this fall, that duo will likely be at the heart of the effort.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see why. Last year, Beatty had earned a backup role on WSU’s defensive line before injuries cost him five straight games, putting him out of rhythm even when he returned for the final two. But when he’s healthy – and he is now – he can be a physical run-stopper, a voracious tackler. In his debut season at WSU, Beatty totaled seven tackles and half a sack.

For his part, Brown has a bit more experience. In his two-year Kent State career, he posted 58 tackles (30 solo, three for loss) and forced two fumbles, both of which came in his freshman season. He seems like a clear candidate to start in WSU defensive coordinator Trent Bray’s 4-2-5 system.

But what ties Beatty and Brown together isn’t just their experience, their time as teammates in the Midwest. It’s also that they’re built. Beatty might be the strongest player on the team, with arms shaped like tree trunks. Brown looks the part too, built like, well, a linebacker. Neither will tower over many of their teammates – Beatty is listed at 6-foot, Brown at 5-foot-11 – so what they lack in height, they make up for in brawn.

How did the Cougars land Brown, one of the first to commit to the program over the winter? Brown tells the story like this. He entered the transfer portal in late December, looking for a new home. He knew his potential, but as an undersized linebacker, he needed a place that could help him develop and make the most of his frame.

That’s about when he heard from Bray, the former head coach at Oregon State, where he also excelled as a defensive coordinator and linebackers coach before he ascended to the top of the program. Bray helped place former Beavers around Brown’s size in the pro ranks, he told Brown, and you could be the next.

“It was the people. It was literally the people,” Brown said. “He made it a no-brainer for me. I wanted to take that next step, and Washington State was the easy choice for me. I’ve been embraced by this entire team, this entire staff is very welcoming. So I’ve been grateful for the entire experience, man. It was easy to make this decision, and I made it in three days. So it was quick.”

“When you think of the linebacker position, it really starts with size, toughness and instincts,” WSU coach Kirby Moore added. “For him, the instinct shows up with just the communication, whether it’s pre-snap doing a good job, finding the ball, getting the call, whether it’s a set, something the offense is doing from a split standpoint. He’s done a really good job in terms of taking the meeting room to the field.”

Will Brown turn into the weapon he projects to be? The Cougars might need him to. They have three top linebackers: Brown, SMU transfer DJ Warner and returner Keith Brown, the last of whom missed the entire 2025 season with an injury. The year before that, in his first season with WSU, he played 190 defensive snaps in a rotational role.

For comparison’s sake, Nylan Brown logged 275 defensive snaps last fall, plus 147 the year prior. That means he has some meaningful experience, as does Warner, who registered 175 of his 207 defensive snaps playing edge rusher. He posted just 31 snaps at linebacker.

Will that be enough experience for the Cougars to build a formidable linebacker corps? Behind that trio in that room are players who haven’t gotten on the field much at all in their college careers. In that way, the two Browns and Warner might need to excel in their roles later this fall.

If there’s good news folded in there for WSU, it’s this: Beatty and Brown both take pride in their leadership abilities. Only a couple of years ago, they caught some side-eyes when they waded into those waters.

“Now that we’re here, we’re a little bit older. Guys are really buying into what we’re saying,” Beatty said, “and I think we’re definitely gonna lead this team to a lot of wins and hopefully the College Football Playoff.”