WSU signs UCLA transfer TE Jack Pedersen, adding to Cougars’ solid stable at the position

PULLMAN – Next fall, when Washington State coach Kirby Moore needs a tight end, he’ll have a few options to choose from.

The Cougars have signed UCLA tight end Jack Pedersen, the program announced on Sunday afternoon, good for their 22nd addition of the offseason. Pedersen stands to be the third tight end next season at WSU, which could have even more depending on how the rest of the offseason shakes out.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Pedersen spent four years with the Bruins, totaling 23 catches for 198 yards and one touchdown in that span. He played in one game in 2022, five in 2023, 12 in 2024 (with four starts) and 11 games with one start last season, reeling in 11 receptions for 72 yards in his final campaign with UCLA.

All told, Pedersen played in 29 games, starting six, across four seasons at UC. His single-game high for receiving yards is 37, which he set at Washington in 2024. His single-game best for catches is three, which he registered twice.

With Pedersen in the fold, the Cougs are set to have a stable of three tight ends next season, including Trey Leckner and Beau Baker, both of whom recently re-signed with WSU. Next season will be Leckner’s third of college football, Baker’s second and Pedersen’s fifth, meaning the Cougars will have quite the experienced tight end corps.

Much of Pedersen’s game seems to revolve around his pass-catching abilities, which show up in his numbers. His blocking does, too: Last season, he finished with a Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade of 55.0, which is below average. He recorded a run-blocking grade of 48.5, which is pretty poor. Both came in smaller sample sizes, 127 run-blocking snaps and only 24 pass-blocking snaps, in fairness.

According to 247 Sports, Pedersen was a three-star transfer prospect and a four-star high school prospect in class of 2022, earning offers from Oregon, Ole Miss, USC, Washington, Michigan State, Nebraska, Florida State, Colorado and others out of Vista Murrieta High in southern California. Interestingly, he was recruited by Derek Sage, who was UCLA’s tight ends coach at the time – and now he is WSU’s wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator.

Could the Cougs have even more than three tight ends on next season’s roster? The only surefire ones include Pedersen, Leckner and Baker because all have signed with the program. Tight ends from last season’s team also include Hudson Cedarland and Peyton Read, but neither have re-signed with the Cougars, leaving their statuses in question.