WR Branden Ganashamoorthy shines as WSU QBs unlock deep ball on Day 3 of fall camp

Aug. 8—PULLMAN — At first there was only silence, the kind of anticipatory stillness that can only mean something breathtaking is on the horizon. Washington State players from both sidelines, offensive players in crimson on the far end and defenders in white on the near side, held their breath as the ball fell back toward the earth, toward the corner of the end zone, where junior wideout Branden Ganashamoorthy was jockeying for position on a pass from quarterback Caden Pinnick.

The ball was a hair underthrown, so Ganashamoorthy adjusted his route accordingly, positioning himself against veteran cornerback Khamari Terrell. He let the ball hit him in the right arm, then cradled it against his body, securing it in the process. He stumbled forward with the ball intact, a one-handed catch.

Cougar players met the moment, perhaps the top individual highlight of WSU fall camp, which wrapped up its third day on Saturday afternoon. Ganashamoorthy jumped in the air with running back Maxwell Woods. He high fived receiver Tony Freeman. "Yeah, BG!"

"He's really progressed since spring ball," WSU coach Kirby Moore said.

Ganashamoorthy made that abundantly clear on Saturday, enjoying by far his best day of fall camp, perhaps the best individual day any of these Cougars have had thus far. On top of his long touchdown reception in one team period, he also made one sliding catch and two more touchdown receptions in 7-on-7 settings, putting on display the physical transformation that might have unlocked his sterling afternoon.

From a 30,000-foot view, these two things become clear. One: Ganashamoorthy could be angling toward a meaningful role in the Cougars' wide receiver room, which he didn't quite earn in his first three seasons in a WSU uniform. Two: After struggling with the deep ball in the first two days of fall camp, Cougar quarterbacks unlocked it in the third, one from Pinnick and one from Owen Eshelman.

Could this be the year Ganshamoorthy finally breaks out at WSU? It's hard to say. After redshirting as a true freshman in 2023, he appeared in 24 games across the next two seasons, but he totaled only 10 catches for 97 yards in that span. Last fall, he excelled as a blocker, utilizing his 6-foot-3, 199-pound frame to find a niche e. He was likely the Cougars' best blocker in their wideout room.

But he has yet to flourish as a pass-catcher, which has sometimes been a function of the receivers ahead of him in the last few years: Kyle Williams, Kris Hutson, Josh Meredith and Freeman to name a few. Still, the Cougs were a bit thin at wide receiver last fall. If Ganashamoorthy was going to earn a key role in the pass-catching department, wouldn't that have been the year to do it?

Maybe, but that doesn't mean it's impossible he does so this fall. It's early, way early. So early that it's tricky to discern which team — first, second or third — Ganashamoorthy took reps in on Saturday because of the mixing and matching coaches are doing. But he's only bolstering his case for first-team with outings like Saturday, when he looked like the best receiver on the field.

"He's worked his tail off in the off season with (strength) coach (Malcolm) Hardmon," said Moore, whose team returns to practice on Monday. "I think building some weight, his speed has always been there, athleticism. His broad jump is through the roof, highest on the team. So for him, I think it just showed up today. Just strong hands. There were some third-down contested catches. There was the long ball down the field, and so we gotta keep that up."

The other long touchdown pass in Saturday's practice went from Eshelman to Freeman. There wasn't as much ambiguity on this one. Eshleman dropped back, gave Freeman a second to jet downfield and lofted a parabola his way. Once it became clear Freeman had a step on his man, redshirt freshman cornerback Ishmael Gibbs, it became clear that a touchdown was in store. Freeman reeled it in in stride, a perfect strike from Eshleman, who is battling Pinnick and returner Julian Dugger for the starting gig this season.

For WSU, it added up to a key development for a couple reasons. It was encouraging to Moore, who watched his quarterbacks misfire on deep throws each of the first two days of fall camp, overthrows that looked a bit off the whole way. To Moore, it was also more evidence of what he was already convinced of: Freeman has keyed the Cougars' offense all year, even on the couple days of spring practices he was healthy enough to participate in.

Moore, whose team will wear shells on Monday and Tuesday before putting the pads on Wednesday, hardly hesitated at this question: Who has stood out the most through these first three days?

"The consistency of Tony Freeman," Moore said. "He's the same guy all the time. You take it for granted, just the route-running, the hand-eye coordination. I don't think the balls touch the ground when it's come his way. The catches down the field. We're just really excited about him this fall."

A few other notes from Saturday's practice:

—Offensive lineman Max McCree missed his second straight practice. He has been present for each, just not suited up. On Friday, Moore said McCree "came in this morning, wasn't feeling well. He'll be back, I think, here shortly."

—In McCree's absence, everyday left guard Jonny Lester has kicked out to right tackle

—Fellow offensive lineman Kyle Martin, usually a center, has been getting reps at left guard

—On one team-period play, transfer safety Jeremiah Bernard dropped what could have been an easy interception of Dugger

—Dugger threw an interception on a tipped pass, which was a bit behind his intended target and picked off by safety Jaylen Thomas

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