WR Tony Freeman re-signing with WSU, reversing course from decision to enter portal

PULLMAN – Washington State is returning another key piece on offense.

Wide receiver Tony Freeman is re-signing with WSU, the program announced Friday evening, agreeing to a new revenue-sharing NIL deal. The 15th Cougar to do so this offseason, Freeman will have one more year of eligibility.

In his second season of action at WSU this fall, Freeman played in all 13 games, starting in seven. Undersized at 5-foot-8 and 171 pounds, Freeman ranked second on the team with 54 receptions for 590 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 10.9 yards per reception.

It’s a surprise development around Freeman, who decided to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 15, the weekend after WSU hired the offensive-minded head coach Kirby Moore. One day later, Freeman was in attendance for Moore’s introductory news conference, perhaps opening the door for him to return to the Palouse.

He’s the second WSU player to change his mind about entering the portal and return to the Cougars, joining running back Kirby Vorhees, who did the same on Thursday evening.

Freeman was also the second player to re-sign with WSU on Friday, joining tight end Trey Leckner. With those two , the Cougars are set to return their top two running backs with eligibility, their top five offensive linemen and their top two tight ends

In Freeman, the Cougars aren’t just getting a speedy receiver back. They’re also retaining a dynamic punt returner. This fall, Freeman logged 24 punt returns for 415 yards with a long of 59 and an average return of 17.3 yards, the sixth-best in the country. He also set single-season program records with his punt -return average and 415 total punt -return yards.

In WSU’s home win over Oregon State in November, Freeman returned six punts for 169 yards, a program single-game record. In that game, he returned one punt 59 yards and another 43 yards, putting his blazing speed and elusiveness on display – the kind that figures to make him a centerpiece of next WSU’s offense under Moore next year.

While the wide receiver is staying in Pullman, he isn’t a stranger to the transfer portal. After beginning his career at College of San Mateo in 2023, Freeman transfered to WSU ahead of the 2024 season – a year in which he found a niche as a punt returner.

This fall, the undersized Freeman kept those duties and became one of the Cougs’ go-to receivers. His best game came in WSU’s close loss to Ole Miss, when he reeled in nine catches for 92 yards and a touchdown, and he also caught six passes for 81 yards and a touchdown against JMU.

“Just seizing the moment and being prepared,” Freeman said of his performance against Ole Miss. “It was just a situation where opportunity met preparation. I was prepared for that moment, and it was on the big stage, and I wanted to go perform well.”

A Bay Area native, Freeman didn’t play his senior year of high school football. Ahead of the 2022-23 school year, he transferred from Pinole Valley – a high school in Pinole, California – to its rival, De Anza in Richmond. At De Anza, he was held in limbo, ineligible to get on the field entering Week 5.

Then, after one practice on a rainy day, Freeman walked into the locker room and checked his phone, which gave him the news he was dreading: He was denied eligibility for the season.

“I was crushed hearing that,” Freeman said.

The way Freeman described it, De Anza’s athletic director didn’t want Freeman teaming up with his friends on that team and forming what would have been something resembling a super team.

So after the season, Freeman went the junior college route. He enrolled at the College of San Mateo, where he piled up 40 receptions for 660 yards and seven touchdowns, helping the team go 11-2 with an appearance in the state championship game in 2023.

Toward the end of the season, former Washington State University GM Rob Schlaeger noticed Freeman’s freshman junior college season and gave the wide receiver an offer at WSU. Freeman accepted. Two years later, he’s still leveraging his lightning speed for the Cougars, now coming back for a third.

Cougars retained so far this offseason

Freeman and TE Leckner; RB Kirby Vorhees and Maxwell Woods; OL Ashton Tripp, Jonny Lester, Kyle Martin, Jaylin Caldwell, Noah Dunham and Nick Bakken; LB Keith Brown; safety Trey Ridley; QB Owen Eshelman; K Jack Stevens and Baker.