Hours before transfer portal opens, RB Kirby Vorhees re-signs with WSU, returning next season

PULLMAN – Washington State’s starting running back will return to the team next season.

Rising junior running back Kirby Vorhees has re-signed with the Cougars, the program announced Thursday evening, agreeing on a new revenue-sharing NIL deal hours before the transfer portal is set to open. Vorhees is the 13th Cougar to do re-sign this offseason.

It’s a massive development for WSU, which gets its top tailback back. This season, Vorhees led the team with 576 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 138 carries, good for an average rush of 4.2 yards. After taking over the starting duties midway through the season, Vorhees helped unlock the Cougars’ offense with a physical running style.

One day before the transfer portal opens Friday, it also amounts to a surprise of sorts. On Dec. 18, Vorhees decided to enter the transfer portal, which would have been a costly blow to the Cougars’ in new coach Kirby Moore’s debut season. Vorhees did not play in WSU’s Idaho Potato Bowl win over Utah State, leading many to believe he would be playing for another school next fall.

Instead, Vorhees will be wearing the crimson and gray in 2026. In the backfield, Vorhees will join rising sophomore running back Maxwell Woods, who re-signed with WSU earlier this week, another promising addition for the Cougs. In the Potato Bowl, Woods broke free for 117 rushing yards on nine carries, looking like a candidate for meaningful snaps next fall.

The new one-time transfer portal window will be open until Jan. 16.

After spending the first two years of his career at FCS South Dakota State, Vorhees followed former coach Jimmy Rogers to WSU. Vorhees didn’t take over the starting job until Week 8, but even in the few games prior, he was becoming the team’s go-to running back.

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 208 pounds, Vorhees averaged 4.2 yards per carry this fall. His best game came in a close loss to SEC power Ole Miss, which he burned for 88 rushing yards and one touchdown, which came on a 46-yard burst to take the lead in the third quarter. On the year, Vorhees forced 30 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, which led the team.

“Kirby runs hard,” Rogers said after that game. “When you run behind your pads like that, you’re really physical. He’s really elusive. Kid cares just as much as anybody on this team. One of the first guys in to do everything. He’s one of the last guys to leave, and he’s battle-tested, for sure. He’s a winner.”

Vorhees, a native of Florida, was recruited by Rogers’ staff at South Dakota State. On Dec. 5, Rogers decamped for the head coaching position at Iowa State, opening the possibility that Vorhees would follow him to Ames.

Instead, Vorhees isn’t just returning to WSU. The Cougars’ top five offensive linemen with eligibility are, too: Left tackle Ashton Tripp, left guard Johnny Lester, center Kyle Martin, right guard Noah Dunham and right tackle Jaylin Caldwell have all re-signed with Washington State. That’s a solid start to Moore’s first offseason.

Could Moore hit the portal for offensive linemen? That’s entirely possible. But if the 2026 season started this weekend, that’s the group that would likely take the field for the Cougars. Pair them with two dynamic running backs in Vorhees and Woods and, even with holes at key positions like quarterback and wide receiver, you can see the outline of a robust WSU offense next season.

The full list of players to re-sign with the Cougars include Vorhees and Woods; Tripp, Martin, Lester, Caldwell, Dunham and fellow offensive lineman Nick Bakken; linebacker Keith Brown; safety Trey Ridley; quarterback Owen Eshelman; kicker Jack Stevens and tight end Beau Baker. The last four were also announced on Thursday.