Huge Announcement: WSU lands commitment from 6-foot-2, 187 pound star, he announced via social media
About a week after losing a wide receiver to the transfer portal, Washington State has found a replacement.
On Saturday, WSU landed a commitment from Oregon State wide receiver Jeremiah Noga, he announced on social media. Noga spent three years of action with the Beavers, hauling in 23 catches for 266 yards last fall, giving him one year of eligibility with the Cougars.
Listed at 6-foot-2, 187 pounds, Noga played in all 12 games last season, making at least one catch in 11. His best game came in a loss to Nevada, when he made six catches for 94 yards. He also recorded four catches for 47 yards against San Jose State.
Noga’s addition helps WSU replace senior wideout Tre Shackelford, who entered the portal last weekend, landing at Tulane a few days later. Shackelford earned first-team reps throughout the Cougs’ spring practices, indicating they were losing a likely starter. He would have been a returner, playing his first season at WSU last fall.
But the Cougars are getting an even more experienced receiver in Noga, who redshirted his freshman year in 2021, then joined OSU’s receiver rotation for the next three seasons. In 2022, he caught two passes for 25 yards. In 2023, he reeled in eight catches for 113 yards and one touchdown, which came in a win over San Jose State. For his OSU career, he made 33 catches for 404 yards and one score.
Last season, late in Oregon State’s win over WSU, Noga snagged a crucial catch, a 15-yard reception on fourth down. That set up the Beavers’ game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Noga is the eighth transfer to join WSU coach Jimmy Rogers’ team this spring. He’s also the first offensive skill player in that group, signaling that Rogers and his coaches have placed a high priority on strengthening the Cougs’ offensive and defensive lines, which have grown with six additions.
Noga makes for a particularly important addition to WSU’s wide receiver corps, which is light on experience, especially after Shackelford’s departure. The Cougs have two likely starters in junior college transfer Devin Ellison and veteran returner Josh Meredith, both of whom earned first-team reps in spring ball, but only Meredith has played Division I football.
Even Meredith’s resume is relatively light: In three years of action, Meredith has combined for 43 catches for 530 yards and three touchdowns, with a majority of those numbers last season.
This fall, WSU could also elevate former junior college transfer Tony Freeman, an undersized speedster who started one game last fall, or senior Leon Neal, who enjoyed a good spring, earning praise from Rogers on multiple occasions. A 5-foot-10 senior, Neal earned a scholarship this spring, perhaps indicating Rogers and Freund are ready to entrust him with a bigger role this season.
But Neal has yet to play significant snaps, which may have factored into WSU coaches’ decisions to recruit Noga.
WSU adds transfer long snapperOn Saturday, the Cougs also used the transfer portal to add long snapper Colton Peoples, according to a report from 247Sports.com.
A native of Kentucky, Peoples started his career with one year at Ohio-based junior college Notre Dame College before transferring to UT Martin, where he played the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Last fall, he played all 12 games for the Skyhawks, earning second-team all-conference honors at the LS spot.
Peoples is the Cougars’ replacement for long snapper Colson Brunner, one of 25 Cougars to enter the transfer portal this spring. Many are walk-ons or players who didn’t figure to see much playing time this fall, part of the team’s effort to make the most out of incoming roster limits of 105 players.
