Washington State Football: Tyler Bruggman Transferring to Louisville

Tyler Bruggman’s decision to leave the Washington State program has landed him on a path to play for the Louisville Cardinals. The Ville was among three or four schools that the former 4-star prospect was looking into joining.

Bruggman, of course, was expected to vie for the backup job behind Connor Halliday this season but had a poor showing in the Crimson and Gray game after only a decent Spring session. By no means did that indicate that he was out of the race, but it was going to be undecided until late into the Fall, but it may have been an uphill battle. Even so, Bruggman specifically addressed the issue as a change of heart, more than a concern for playing time or competition.

Luke Falk will be the presumed backup for Washington State now in 2014. With Bruggman out (and barring injury), Mike Leach probably won’t go beyond Falk if he can help it this season. Walk-on Connor Ennis could see some late game reps against Portland State in the second game of the season if the game is completely out of hand, but more than likely Falk gets those reps simply for game experience.

Incoming freshman (3-star prospect) Peyton Bender is a prime redshirt candidate if the Cougs can swing it, mostly to strengthen the future of the position but also because Bender hasn’t played a snap of in-game action since early last season as a high school senior. He injured his shoulder just a few games into the season and it would be nice to get him acclimated back into the game via Thursday night football, which the Cougs have used under Leach for development of their youngsters.