Despite losing seven starters to the portal, EWU football in solid shape ahead of signing day | Analysis

The NCAA’s consolidated two-week transfer window, which closed Friday for nearly every team, left the Eastern Washington football team, for the most part, intact.

Seven starters from last season’s 5-7 team entered the transfer portal, as did eight others who primarily filled roles on special teams or as reserves.

The team’s roster heading into spring practices will be clearer after National Signing Day on Feb. 4, when the program will announce its full recruiting class. That will no doubt include players recruited through the transfer portal who will take the places of some of the departed.

Here ’s a look at the team’s offense, defense and special teams: who graduated, who transferred and what that means for the unit.

Offense

Transferred: WR Miles Williams, RB Marceese Yetts, QB Anthony Quinones, TE Will Roberts, OL Gabe Rhue

Graduated: QB Jared Taylor, WR Nolan Ulm, WR Noah Cronquist, WR Riley Rudolfo, OL Aidan Corning, OL Dylan Conner, OL Fletcher Gibson, TE Landon Cooper, RB Talon Betts

Simply from a numbers standpoint, there are a lot of places to fill on offense. The team didn’t announce any quarterback signings in December, leaving Jake Schakel, Nate Bell and Kaden Rolfsness as the de facto top three. Expect the Eagles to add two more before spring ball.

The Eagles appear set at running back, even without Yetts – the starter but someone who ceded carries late in the season – and Betts, who was a backup his whole career at Eastern. With Kevin Allen III and Wilson Medina returning, as well as Malik Dotson, if his appeal to the NCAA for another season is approved, this is a group with talent and experience.

At wide receiver, the Eagles are looking to replace four of their top six pass catchers. Cole Pruett, who had 27 receptions last year, is the leading returner. Wesley Garrett, remains as well after a 23-catch season in 2025. The Eagles have a bevy of young returning receivers, including Jaxon Branch, Drew Carlson and Bode Gardner, as well as a complement of highly touted incoming freshmen.

Along the offensive line, Corning and Conner were the two starters last year who already had plenty of starting experience. It would make sense for the Eagles to bring in a few upperclassmen through the transfer portal.

Defense

Transferred: DB Jonathan Landry, DB Isaac Redford, DB Marcus Lloyd, DB Jeremiah Polk, DE Tylin Jackson, DE Tariq May, DT Jirah Leaupepetele, DT Ethan Williamson

Graduated: DB DaJean Wells, DB Bryce Lucas, DB Jaden Price, LB Read Sunn, LB/DE Trevor Thurman, DL Jheison Saunds, DE Brandon Thomas

Much improved in 2025, Eastern’s defense relied on mostly underclassmen. Some of them decided to transfer, notably Jackson (to UAB), Leaupepetele (Washington State), May (Rice) and Landry, who has yet to publicly announce a commitment for next season. The graduation of Wells, Thurman and Sunn is significant from a leadership standpoint, and Sunn led the team in tackles.

But the Eagles still return key players in the secondary, such as first-team all-league safety Jaylon Jenkins and all-league honorable mentions Drew Carter (safety) and Isaiah Perez (defensive tackle). They also return starting cornerback Ambrose Marsh, nickelback Bryce Smith and their entire linebacker corps minus Sunn.

The loss of edge rushers Thurman, Jackson and May leaves the Eagles will gaps to fill there, and losing Leaupepetele leaves them short a key interior lineman. But unlike the last few seasons, Eastern’s coaching staff – which is itself at this point fully intact – can recruit to a defense with a demonstrably successful track record as it tries to replenish this group in the transfer portal. And that says nothing of the previous recruiting classes whose members have yet to see much of the field (or haven’t yet graduated from high school).

Special teams

Transferred: LS Tyson Jacobson, K Hunter McKee

Graduated: P Landon Ogles

The loss of Jacobson is notable, as he had been the team’s starting long snapper for three straight seasons. Jacobson announced he signed with UNLV for his final year of eligibility. Replacing him is Bennett Nield, who announced his commitment to Eastern via social media. He has been Central Washington’s long snapper the last two seasons.

McKee’s departure (to the University of Washington) leaves the Eagles in need of a kickoff specialist and a backup field goal kicker behind Soren McKee, who had a strong redshirt junior season in 2025, making 11 of 13 field goals.

There’s also the graduation of Ogles, who punted a Big Sky-high 78 times last season while also leading the league in punts inside the 20-yard line (25). The Eagles did not announce a punter among their early signings in December. The only punter currently on the roster is Luke Faccone, who graduated from Puyallup High School in 2024 and redshirted with the Eagles last season.