Washington State projected starting lineup and depth chart for Holiday Bowl | 2024-25 College football season

On Friday, the 2024 Holiday Bowl will pit the No. 21 Syracuse Orange against the Washington State Cougars. The game will take place at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. The kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET and has the Orange heavily favored.

The Cougars come into this game with several key pieces entering the transfer portal. This includes starting quarterback John Mateer. Moreover, they'll be without their head coach, Jake Dickert, who left to coach Wake Forest, leaving the reins to interim coach Pete Kalgis.

Let's take a look at Washington State's projected starting lineup and depth chart.

Washington State projected starting lineup and depth chart

Offensive Positions

WR-X (Wide Receiver X):

Starter: Kyle Williams

• 2nd: Branden Ganashamoorthy
• 3rd: Kyle Maxwell

WR-Z (Wide Receiver Z):

Starter: Kris Hutson

• 2nd: Tre Shackelford (Questionable)
• 3rd: Carlos Hernandez

WR-SL (Slot Receiver):

Starter: Josh Meredith (Questionable)

• 2nd: Tony Freeman
• 3rd: Chris Barnes (Questionable)
• 4th: Brandon Hills

LT (Left Tackle):

Starter: Esa Pole

• 2nd: Jonny Lester

LG (Left Guard):

Starter: Rodrick Tialavea

• 2nd: AJ Hasson
• 3rd: Austin Lawrence

C (Center):

Starter: Devin Kylany

• 2nd: Noah Dunham

RG (Right Guard):

Starter: Brock Dieu

• 2nd: Landon Roaten

RT (Right Tackle):

Starter: Fa'alili Fa'amoe

• 2nd: Christian Hilborn
• 3rd: Ashton Tripp

TE (Tight End):

Starter: Cooper Mathers (Questionable)

• 2nd: Andre Dollar (Questionable)
• 3rd: Billy Riviere III
• 4th: Trey Leckner

QB (Quarterback):

Starter: Zevi Eckhaus

• 2nd: John Mateer (Out)
• 3rd: Jaxon Potter

RB (Running Back):

Starter: Wayshawn Parker

• 2nd: Djouvensky Schlenbaker
• 3rd: Leo Pulalasi

Defensive Positions

LDE (Left Defensive End):

Starter: Raam Stevenson

• 2nd: Nusi Malani
• 3rd: Isaac Terrell

LDT (Left Defensive Tackle):

Starter: David Gusta

• 2nd: Bryson Lamb

RDT (Right Defensive Tackle):

Starter: Ansel Din-Mbuh

• 2nd: Khalil Laufau

RDE (Right Defensive End):

Starter: Syrus Webster

• 2nd: Quinn Roff
• 3rd: Andrew Edson

WLB (Weak-Side Linebacker):

Starter: Kyle Thornton

• 2nd: Keith Brown
• 3rd: Wesley Steiner

MLB (Middle Linebacker):

Starter: Taariq Al-Uqdah

• 2nd: Parker McKenna

LCB (Left Cornerback):

Starter: Stephen Hall

• 2nd: Warren Smith Jr.
• 3rd: Kenny Worthy III

SS (Strong Safety):

Starter: Jackson Lataimua

• 2nd: Tanner Moku

FS (Free Safety):

Starter: Tyson Durant

• 2nd: Adrian Wilson

RCB (Right Cornerback):

Starter: Ethan O'Connor

• 2nd: Jamorri Colson
• 3rd: Jaylon Edmond

NB (Nickelback):

Starter: Kapena Gushiken

• 2nd: Kayo Patu

Special Teams

PT (Punter):

Starter: Nick Haberer

• 2nd: Ryan Harris

PK (Placekicker):

Starter: Dean Janikowski

• 2nd: Connor Calvert

KO (Kickoff Specialist):

Starter: Dean Janikowski

• 2nd: Connor Calvert

LS (Long Snapper):

Starter: Durham Harris

• 2nd: Colson Brunner

H (Holder):

Starter: Nick Haberer

• 2nd: John Mateer (Out)

PR (Punt Returner):

Starter: Tony Freeman

• 2nd: Kris Hutson

KR (Kick Returner):

Starter: Leyton Smithson

• 2nd: Tony Freeman
• 3rd: Kris Hutson

Injuries:

• John Mateer (QB): Out
• Dylan Paine (RB): Out for Season (OFS)
• Cooper Mathers (TE): Questionable
• Josh Meredith (WR): Questionable
• Tre Shackelford (WR): Questionable
• Chris Barnes (WR): Questionable
• Andre Dollar (TE): Questionable