Washington State transfer LB Taariq Al-Uqdah signs with rival Washington

Washington State transfer linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdah is going from one side of the Apple Cup to the other. Al-Uqdah has signed with Washington, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.

A redshirt sophomore, Al-Uqdah led Washington State with 76 tackles in 2024. He added 5 tackles for loss, 4 fumble recoveries and 3 forced fumbles. Al-Uqdah also had three interceptions, running one of them back for a touchdown.

Al-Uqdah redshirted as a freshman in 2022, before having a much bigger role in 2023. That season he appeared in 11 games, making five starts. He recorded 40 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and an interception.

He helped the Cougars to an impressive 8-4 season in 2024. However, with Washington State coach Jake Dickert leaving for Wake Forest, Al-Uqdah made the decision to leave the Cougars program, too.

Wake Forest hires Washington State coach Jake Dickert as Dave Clawson replacement

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons previously hired their next head coach. Jake Dickert, who was leading the Washington State Cougars, is set to take over in Winston-Salem.

This comes following the sudden and surprise resignation of previous head coach Dave Clawson, who led the program from 2014 through the 2024 season. He held a record of 67-69 there and has since moved into an advisory role.

With him, Dickert is going to bring four seasons of head coaching experience with him. He took over as the interim head coach at Washington State in 2021, replacing Nick Rolovich, and would go on to earn the full-time job in Pullman. Since then, he has a 23-20 record and led the Cougars to three bowl games.

Just 41 years old, Dickert is seen as an up-and-coming coach in college football. Prior to his time at Washington State, he worked his way up as a defensive assistant, with stops at Wyoming, South Dakota State, Minnesota State, and North Dakota State among others.

While at Washington State, Dickert coached several talented quarterbacks. That includes Cam Ward, who would later transfer out of the program. In 2024, he turned to John Mateer. Again, Dickert saw his quarterback thrive and go on to be a highly sought-after transfer.

Unfortunately, for Washington State, it has been a difficult couple of seasons as the Pac-12 had its membership drop from 12 schools to just two schools. Washington State, along with Oregon State, was one of the teams left behind. Since then, the Cougars have been part of the effort to recruit new schools to the conference and rebuild but it’s a long path to get there.