Someday, the rancor this current Washington State University quarterback quagmire has created will all die down and fade away.
Six games remain in a frustrating Cougars’ season in the rebooted Pac-12 Conference. The chances of a late-season rally to a bowl game seem remote, at best.
Sophomore Caden Pinnick has been the six-game starter at quarterback. He was the hand-picked choice by first-year coach Kirby Moore and his staff to lead the offense. And while the dual threat has flashed on-field brilliance, it’s been marred by his decision-making, penchant for turnovers and seen-as-brooding demeanor.
Even if Moore turns to redshirt senior Zevi Eckhaus, who passed for 2,094 yards and 15 touchdowns in 10 starts a year ago, or redshirt sophomore Julian Dugger as replacements at some point - maybe even for the upcoming game at Oregon State University - does anybody believe either can lead a drastic turnaround?
So, it’s fair to wonder if Moore has given a fleeting thought about how to fix his signal-caller problem in 2027.
Because a sensible solution is not far away.
It’s 10 miles down the road, blinking loudly and brightly across the border in Idaho.
It’s Joshua Wood, the Idaho Vandals’ master of playmaking excitement.
Why Joshua Wood makes sense for Washington State
Now, for those who are less enthusiastic about the Cougars fishing in FCS waters again for their future quarterback, the sentiment is understandable. Pinnick was supposed to be a dual-threat wunderkind from UC Davis, and that hasn’t worked out very well at the FBS level.
Wood’s case is different. He came to Idaho in 2025 from Fresno State University, where he signed out of Graham-Kapowsin High School near Tacoma, Wash.
And while Wood was considered an unpolished project - physically and mechanically - when he joined Moore (who was then the offensive coordinator) and Fresno State in 2022, the tools have always been there.
So has the “It” factor.
In his brief career as a high-school starter, all Wood did was lead Graham-Kapowsin to one of the most dominant state-championship runs in Washington high school football history as the school won the WIAA Class 4A championship at 14-0.
A few weeks after winning that state title, Graham-Kapowsin was invited to the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series to face a Travis Hunter-led Collins Hill team from Georgia, which was ranked No. 7 in the country at the time.
Wood led his team 63 yards in 28 seconds to win the game - capped by his 32-yard bullet to Stephen Mars in the back of the end zone for the final touchdown with one second remaining in a 40-36 victory.
After sitting his first two seasons at Fresno State, Wood played in all 13 games in 2024, including his most extensive action in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against Northern Illinois.
Since transferring to Idaho, Wood has been undeniably productive from a statistical standpoint. In 16 games as the starter at the FCS level, the senior has thrown for 3,601 yards, 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Not impressed? In those 16 games, he’s added 852 yards and 14 scores.
Still on the fence? The night before, the Cougars and Pinnick completed their three-game homestand with an all-time stinker against Fresno State. Wood led the Vandals to one of their all-time greatest highlights in upsetting defending national champion and top-ranked Montana State University.
Rallying his team from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter, Wood threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Jezioro on the game’s final play.
And Wood ran it in on the two-point conversion to complete a wild 35-34 victory in the Kibbie Dome.
Whether Moore, who was likely confined to the WSU team hotel that Friday night, watched the game or not - he didn’t really need to. He should be very familiar with Wood’s wizardry.
Could Wood make the jump back to the FBS?
At this point, would Wood even want to look at leaving Idaho? One source close to him said the quarterback’s aim has always been to jump back to the FBS level.
And as far as where the Cougars stand, they do have promising Ryan Harrington, out of Anacortes High School, coming in as their top quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class. He is a high-upside dual threat.
But for one season, if WSU needs a ready-now quarterback to lead the offense next season, Wood - who would have a strong case with current NCAA eligibility rules to play one more season - makes as much sense as any potential target in the upcoming transfer-portal period.
Especially being just 10 miles away.
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