Three Cougs chasing the ball in the pro ranks this fall

It is good to be a Coug in the fall, even when you are watching from a city that does not smell like a feedlot after a rain. This year, three of our own are chasing the ball in the pros, and that is the kind of news that makes a Saturday in Pullman feel a little less far away. We just watched the current squad send the seniors off right against Montana State, and we sat through a tense draw with San Diego State, so the pipeline is flowing. Seeing those names on a pro roster is the best kind of confirmation that the work happening on the Palouse translates.

You can catch the full details on how the weekend went in our coverage of the Cougs welcome Montana State to Pullman for Senior Day send-off and the back-and-forth battle in the Cougs and Aztecs trade goals, settle for a draw. But the takeaway here is simpler than a game recap: these three players are not just making the league; they are representing a program that builds real, gritty competitors. Our Week 6 NFL check-in already showed former Cougs making plays at the highest level, and this fall is proving that trend is no fluke.

What matters most for us as fans is the specific brand of ball they are playing. It is not flashy. It is the kind of soccer you learn in a town where the wind cheats and the field is hard. These three are doing the dirty work, the chasing, the recovery runs that do not always make the highlight reel but do win games. That is the Wazzu way. When you watch them, you see the same discipline that got the current team through that Aztec draw, the refusal to lose, even when the score is even. That is not a coincidence. That is coaching and culture.

Here is the concrete point to watch: one of these three is on a contract year. If he keeps chasing the ball the way he did in Pullman, he is going to get paid. That is not a vague hope. That is a direct line from the Palouse to a pro roster spot. And for the rest of us, it means we get to keep bragging about the guys who learned to play soccer in a place that most of the country cannot find on a map. Go Cougs.