Tialavea was the Cougars’ part-time starting left guard, entering the portal Jan. 17 and just before it closed for WSU players. His absence from the roster indicates there will be no eventual return. He started 12 games over his WSU career but struggled with consistency. It’s an open secret Jake Dickert and Co. at Wake Forest have been charging hard after him.

The most notable of WSU’s three apparent returnees from the portal is cornerback Warren Smith.

A 6-1, 181-pound rising third-year from Richmond, Calif., Smith hit the portal right after the regular season concluded. But with the coaching shift, it appears Jimmy Rogers sees the upside and potential in Smith, while Smith is ready for a fresh start with the new coaching staff.

In addition, wide receivers Leon Neal Jr., and Kyson Thomas both appear on the roster. Neal has developed into a solid role player on special teams and blocked a punt in the Holiday Bowl. And while Thomas is only entering his second year, he made a number of plays on scout team during fall camp. Both are walk ons.

THERE ARE ALSO notable position changes plus other nuggets from the new roster.

• Hudson Cedarland has been moved to tight end from linebacker, perhaps speaking to the increased need at the position with last season’s SDSU team playing two TEs in its base offense.
• Leyton Smithson played at safety last year but is now listed at wide receiver on the roster, the position he originally came into WSU at and earned a starting gig as a first-year in 2022. He has served primarily as the Cougs’ kickoff return man the past two seasons.
• Moving to linebacker from safety is Gage Jones. He’s a walk on but early indications are the new staff may have bigger plans for him with the addition of a third linebacker in the base defense.
• Former running back Lane Heeringa, a second-year walk on out of Lynden, is now at LB.
• OL Austin Lawrence, RB Jalen Ridgeway, and DB Joe Taylor no longer appear on the roster. Lawrence was a transfer from Northern Colorado with one season of eligibility remaining. He appeared in three games in ’24, all in a reserve role. Ridgeway and Taylor were walk ons, although Taylor was high on the scout team depth chart. 
• All of the former EDGEs are now listed as defensive ends.
• And instead of a roster chock full of catch-all “defensive backs,” Rogers has divided them into either cornerbacks or safeties (and no nickels).
• Heights and weights haven’t been updated yet by Washington State. If history is any indication they won’t be until spring football drills.

But all of the new faces have been assigned jersey numbers.

Related: Cougs land their Tasmanian Devil while Tialavea is officially out

Here is the list of crimson newcomers on the spring roster.