Washington State has a starting quarterback. Caden Pinnick, the UC Davis transfer who won Big Sky Freshman of the Year last season, got the job Monday afternoon over Julian Dugger and Owen Eshelman, and he'll make his first start September 6 at Husky Stadium. One year to the day before that, he walked into the same building wearing UC Davis blue and threw for 50 yards in a 70-10 loss. We break down where he came from, the four days in January that landed him in Pullman, and what fall camp actually decided.

Then there's the part nobody at either school wants to talk about. The Cougar Marching Band isn't traveling to Seattle for the Apple Cup. The reported reason is where they'd be seated at Husky Stadium. Washington says the decision belongs to WSU. WSU's band director answered a student reporter with two words: "No comment." Band members were told not to discuss it. We get into what that silence says about a rivalry that has already lost five Apple Cups this year across other sports.

Erik Coleman joins us on the Couch. Coleman was a first-team All-Pac-10 safety at Washington State, led the Pac-10 in interceptions in 2003, and forced the fumble that flipped the Holiday Bowl against No. 5 Texas. He played nine NFL seasons with the Jets, Falcons and Lions, and he's now USA Network's Pac-12 studio analyst for the conference's first season. That means he has to say what he actually thinks about this league on national television every week. We asked him to do it here first, including a prediction on the Apple Cup he can't take back.

We've also got our sit-down with Ben the Cowboy Realtor, and we're proud to announce that Ben is the presenting sponsor of Cougs on the Couch for the 2026 season. Ben's a Real estate agent serving Washington & Oregon, and he's the kind of Coug-owned business this show was built to support. If you're buying or selling in the PNW, reach out to him at 503-201-1934 or find him at @BenCowboyRealtor . Tell him the Couch sent you.

Cougs on the Couch is collab-posted with The Couch GM. Subscribing to Cougs on the Couch directly is what grows this show, so if you get anything out of this one, hit subscribe.

THANK YOU to Bad Birdie Golf! https://badbirdiegolf.com/collections/washington-state-university?srsltid=AfmBOoo_YmieF1SRQ5ZB9EEgyqgLMlkgLr3OZhif0dWfvsdF4n_rOf8J

Connect with Connor/ The Couch GM- https://lenderconnorwebb.com

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-...

My equipment list- https://www.amazon.com/shop/thecouchgm

Livestream across channels using StreamYard- https://streamyard.com/?fpr=connor-35

Connor Webb- Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS #1529504

Envoy Mortgage NMLS #6666 www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

0:00 Intro/ Caden Pinnick QB 1/ WSU Band

24:02- Ben The Cowboy/ WAZZU Realtor

34:35- Erik Coleman

Two of Washington State's newest defenders join the show, and neither one took a normal road to Pullman.

DJ Warner was the No. 67 recruit in the country coming out of Desert Edge in Arizona. He went to Kansas with his cousin and a high school teammate, spent a year at SMU, and is now learning a brand new position: he played on the edge his first two years and Trent Bray has him at off-ball linebacker. Bray says he's night and day from where he was in the spring, and he looks like a starter.

Linus Zunk grew up in Berlin playing club basketball, picked up football as a teenager because the practice field happened to be close to his house, and showed up at a Georgia prep school as a junior with zero college offers. Four years and 36 games at Vanderbilt later, including the best season in that program's history, he's a 6-6 edge rusher spending his last year of eligibility on the Palouse.

We get into the Berlin-to-the-SEC path, why you leave a program right after it wins 10 games for the first time ever, what it actually feels like to drop into coverage after two years of rushing the passer, and what this defense has to do differently after finishing 41st in the country in sacks last season. The Apple Cup is 19 days out.

If you're new here, hit subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss a Cougs on the Couch episode this season. New shows every week through the fall. Follow us on Instagram for clips, graphics and mailbag questions, and drop a comment with what you want us to ask the next guest.

Go Cougs.

Connect with Connor/ The Couch GM- https://lenderconnorwebb.com

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-...

My equipment list- https://www.amazon.com/shop/thecouchgm

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-...

Livestream across channels using StreamYard- https://streamyard.com/?fpr=connor-35

Connor Webb- Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS #1529504

Envoy Mortgage NMLS #6666

www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

We got WSU FB's GM on the Couch two weeks out from the opener at Washington, and he walked us through all of it: the 32 portal additions, how 12 of them came from Power Four programs when WSU had only 16 power-conference transfers in the previous five years combined, and how the Cougars kept 67% of an eligible roster through a third head coaching change in three years.

He also told us the Caden Pinnick story. Pinnick entered the portal on January 2, visited Colorado on January 5, and committed to Washington State on January 6. Larrondo explains how Pinnick got on the board, why the UC Davis offense translated, and why he still has to win the job in camp.

Plus: the quarterback room top to bottom, why the backup job matters as much as the starter, what Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk brought to the defensive line, and Larrondo's twenty-year history with Kirby Moore going back to Moore's playing days at Boise State.

Subscribe to The Couch GM for Cougs on the Couch every week. Follow us on Instagram for the graphics, clips and mailbag prompts.

Hosted by Connor and Dylan Haugh.

Connect with Connor/ The Couch GM- https://lenderconnorwebb.com

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-...

My equipment list- https://www.amazon.com/shop/thecouchgm

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-...

Livestream across channels using StreamYard- https://streamyard.com/?fpr=connor-35

Connor Webb- Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS #1529504

Envoy Mortgage NMLS #6666

www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

Six practices into the Kirby Moore era and Washington State already has a quarterback pulling away. Jamey Vinnick of Cougfan.com has been on the sideline for every one of them, and he sits down on the couch to tell us what the box scores can't.

We get into his insights on the full depth chart, who the standouts are, and the vibes of Coach Moore's fall camp compared to Jimmy Rogers'. Plus Saturday's scrimmage, the Pac-12 preseason poll, and 24 days until the Apple Cup.

🎙️ OUR GUEST Jamey Vinnick covers Washington State football and basketball for Cougfan.com. He files the daily camp report, the two-deep and the injury list, and he was one of 16 voters in this year's Pac-12 preseason media poll. Read him at cougfan.com.

📅 NEXT UP WSU's 1st scrimmage is this Saturday, afterwhich QB1 may be announced.

📬 GOT A QUESTION FOR THE MAILBAG? Send it to [email protected] and we'll read it on air.

🤝 SPONSOR THE SHOW We're selling partner slots for the 2026 season — September through the bowl game. Coug-owned businesses especially welcome. Email [email protected].

👍 If this was useful, hit like and subscribe — it genuinely helps the show reach more Cougs.

Connect with Connor/ The Couch GM- https://lenderconnorwebb.com

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-...

My equipment list- https://www.amazon.com/shop/thecouchgm

Livestream across channels using StreamYard- https://streamyard.com/?fpr=connor-35

Connor Webb- Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS #1529504 Envoy Mortgage NMLS #6666 www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

Fall camp is here. Washington State opens fall camp Thursday, Aug. 6 — Kirby Moore's first as a head coach.

🔴 SPOKANE WILDFIRE RELIEF Our thoughts are with everyone affected and with the crews working these fires. Second Harvest is accepting non-perishable food donations for fire victims at 1234 E. Front Ave., 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Keep checking KHQ for the latest on how to help.

🎙️ WE REBRANDED — this is now Cougs on the Couch, cross-posted with The Couch GM. Subscribe here for all things WSU athletics and follow the new Instagram: instagram.com/cougsonthecouch

IN THIS EPISODE Camp dates — Media Day Aug. 5, camp opens Aug. 6, scrimmages Aug. 15 & 21, closes Aug. 23 under the lights

The QB race — Caden Pinnick, Julian Dugger, Owen Eshelman

CougsFirst! QB Classic — Rypien, Falk, Mayes, Tobeck, Halliday, Levenseller and Marquess Wilson

The $8.43M/ 5 year Colville Tribes jersey patch — largest annual sponsorship in WSU history, first patch sponsor in the new Pac-12

Martin Stadium's new turf, wider video board and LED lights — plus the flipped sidelines

Pac-12 preseason media poll: WSU picked 5th, and why we think that's disrespect

Cougfan's projected two-deep — eight of eleven defensive starters are transfers

Kirby Moore's staff, Trent Bray, and all those Boise State ties Apple Cup Sunday Sept. 6 on NBC (WSU +21.5) and the case for the over on 5.5 wins (+145) 📊

Roster and two-deep reporting via Cougfan.com — go subscribe to their premium membership. 💬 Who's your QB1 on Sept. 6, and who's taking down Boise State? Let us know below. 🤝

SPONSOR THE SHOW — Coug-owned businesses, founding-season spots are open for 2026. Named segments, logo placement, host reads. Email [email protected]

📲 instagram.com/cougsonthecouch

—————————————

Connect with Connor/ The Couch GM- https://lenderconnorwebb.com

My equipment list- https://www.amazon.com/shop/thecouchgm

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-...

Livestream across channels using StreamYard- https://streamyard.com/?fpr=connor-35

Connor Webb- Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS #1529504

Envoy Mortgage NMLS #6666

www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

Curt Warner was the Seattle Seahawks' first true superstar — a two-time All-American and national champion at Penn State, the No. 3 overall pick in the legendary 1983 NFL Draft, and the running back who carried Seattle to its first-ever playoff run. He came back from a torn ACL to win Comeback Player of the Year and finished his career with 6,844 rushing yards, a spot in the Seahawks Ring of Honor, and a place in the College Football Hall of Fame.

But the toughest fight of Curt's life didn't happen on a football field. In this episode of The Couch GM Podcast, Curt sits down with Connor to tell the whole story — growing up in a tiny West Virginia town with a graduating class of under 90, becoming a Seahawks legend, and then spending two decades raising twin sons with severe autism. Curt and his wife Ana shared it all in their book The Warner Boys: Our Family's Story of Autism and Hope, and today he's working to build assisted-living housing so his boys — and other adults with severe autism — have a safe place to call home.

This is a conversation about grit, faith, family, and what it really means to never quit.

You can get your copy of "The Warner Boys" here: https://a.co/d/07ulyibv

Get your Couch GM gear here: https://thecouchgm.shop

Connect with Connor/ The Couch GM- pillar.io/thecouchgm

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-webb/

My equipment list- https://www.amazon.com/shop/thecouchgm

Connor Webb- Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS #1529504

Envoy Mortgage NMLS #6666

www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

For the first time in 16 years, WSU is dancing in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Mountain West Conference Championship. We sit down with 2026 Mountain West Pitcher of the Year Nick Lewis to talk about his breakout season, the team's incredible turnaround from preseason last place to conference champs, and what it means to end a 16-year postseason drought.

Then Joe Doyle of the Overslot Podcast joins to break down the Eugene Regional matchups. The Cougs open against two-seed Oregon State on Friday, May 29th at noon PT on ESPN+, with Oregon and Yale rounding out the bracket. Joe gives his scouting reports on key arms, players to watch across all four teams, and what WSU needs to do to make a run at super regionals.

Players discussed: Nick Lewis, Gavin Roy, Max Hartman, Trevor Smith, Matthew Priest, Dustin Robinson, Brock Bladder, Tate Evans, Jack Omen, and more. Subscribe to Cougs on the Couch for all things WSU athletics. Go Cougs!

Connect with Connor/ The Couch GM- https://lenderconnorwebb.com

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-...

My equipment list- https://www.amazon.com/shop/thecouchgm

Read The Couch GM's Blog- https://thecouchgm.videotoblog.ai

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-...

Livestream across channels using StreamYard- https://streamyard.com/?fpr=connor-35

Connor Webb- Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS #1529504

Envoy Mortgage NMLS #6666

www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

0:00- Opening

9:00- Nick Lewis Interview

23:00- Joe Doyle/ Regional Preview

The Mariners swept the Astros in a dominant four-game series, outscoring Houston 29-16 and snapping a five-game losing streak — then went to San Diego and immediately dropped three straight to the red-hot Padres. Sweep then swept. That's the 2026 Mariners in a nutshell so far.

Luke Raley is quietly putting up MVP numbers (.339 AVG, 1.035 OPS, 198 wRC+) and nobody's talking about it. Josh Naylor broke out with a multi-homerun game, his first HR's of the season. Julio finally got his first homer of the season — a 426-foot moonshot. But the bullpen? Andrés Muñoz blew a 6-1 lead in the ninth inning, surrendering five runs to give the Padres a walk-off win and pushing his ERA to 9.45 on the season. Meanwhile Matt Brash hasn't allowed a single run in seven appearances.

We're breaking it all down LIVE — the Astros sweep, the Padres reality check, the closer controversy, where things stand in the AL West and Wild Card race at 8-11, prospect updates from the minors, and everything else happening around the league. Come hang, talk ball, and let us know your takes in the chat.

TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Intro

🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss a Couch GM stream

💬 Drop your hottest Mariners take in the comments

Connect with Connor/ The Couch GM*- https://lenderconnorwebb.com

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-webb/

My equipment list- https://www.amazon.com/shop/thecouchgm

Read The Couch GM's Blog- https://thecouchgm.videotoblog.ai

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-webb/

Livestream across channels using StreamYard- https://streamyard.com/?fpr=connor-35

Connor Webb- Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS #1529504

Envoy Mortgage NMLS #6666 www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4997128208384000

The Mariners open the 2026 season 3-4 after splitting with Cleveland and dropping 2 of 3 to the Yankees. Tonight we break down everything you need to know — Emerson Hancock's near no-hitter, Julio Rodriguez's ice-cold start, Josh Naylor's historically bad opening week, and the full Colt Emerson $95M contract breakdown.

Plus — the road trip opens tomorrow in Anaheim. We preview the Angels series (three starters with ERAs of 5.79, 11.25, and 16.20 waiting for us) and the Jacob deGrom vs. Logan Gilbert matchup at Texas on Monday.

Connect with Connor/ The Couch GM*- https://lenderconnorwebb.com

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-webb/

My equipment list- https://www.amazon.com/shop/thecouchgm

Read The Couch GM's Blog- https://thecouchgm.videotoblog.ai

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-webb/

Livestream across channels using StreamYard- https://streamyard.com/?fpr=connor-35

Connor Webb- Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS #1529504

Envoy Mortgage NMLS #6666 www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4997128208384000

Previewing starting lineups and depth charts for the AL West along with adding in a hot take for each team.

How do you think the AL West will line up this season?

Connect with Connor/ The Couch GM*- https://lenderconnorwebb.com

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-webb/

My equipment list- https://www.amazon.com/shop/thecouchgm

Read The Couch GM's Blog- https://thecouchgm.videotoblog.ai

My Mortgage Lending website- https://www.envoymortgage.com/connor-webb/

Livestream across channels using StreamYard- https://streamyard.com/?fpr=connor-35

Connor Webb- Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS #1529504

Envoy Mortgage NMLS #6666

www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4997128208384000