PULLMAN, Wash. – Kaden Beatty helped lead Washington State football’s great defense. The sophomore returns to the turf after consecutive foot injuries derailed his 2025 Cougs debut and gives Wazzu Tasmanian Devil-energy as a team captain.
We sat down with the defensive tackle today to pick his brain on his journey to the sport, what drives him, and why he returned and wants to stay at Washington State.
JACK WALLACE: Just wanted to start off with asking you about your journey to get here and about you growing up in Virginia, making that move to Kent State, and just what kind of got your initial love for football rolling? Like, why? Why is this your sport?
KADEN BEATTY: Yeah, so I have three older brothers, and being the youngest of four, I feel like I just really look up to them. And I wanted to do what my brothers did. So, all three of them played football growing up, and then my oldest brother went and played college football at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And I remember going to those games. I have a few pictures of me, young Kaden. I had blond hair at the time, and I was watching his games, and I just fell in love. And I looked up to my oldest brother, Mike, like he was an absolute superhero. So, I always wanted to be like him. And when he watches this, I wanted to be better than him. So, that really, I think, is what stirred my love for football, as well as my dad. We are big Baltimore Ravens fans, and he always had us on Sundays watching the games with him. And, yeah, that just sparked a love for football and just a unity within my brothers and my whole family.
JW: So what’s special about defense for, like, why? Why the position that you wanted to go in?
KB: So I’ve always been a big guy. I’ve played offensive line, defensive line, fullback, linebacker. And really, I just didn’t find the joy in any other position but defensive line. I’ve looked up to guys when I was growing up, like Haloti Ngata, J.J. Watt, guys like that who were big guys who were big, strong guys on the field, fierce competitors. But off the field, they’re the nicest guys, awesome people. And people fear them, but they got the biggest heart as well. And I wanted to be just like them. And, yeah. So getting after the quarterback and being able to get up and celebrate sometimes, I love doing that.
JW: So how do you balance that kind of emotion that comes with that, where you have these big high highs of making these big plays, having these celebrations, and then the lows, like whether it’s a missed assignment or they get a big gain, or how do you kind of balance those big emotions?
KB: Yeah, it’s always a next-play mentality no matter what. If you make the sack or if they just threw a touchdown, you got to play the next play. And so it doesn’t matter really what happened before. So that’s the mindset. That’s the mentality. You just see ball, get ball after the play.
JW: I remember it was during the Duquesne game, and I was walking past the sideline, and I heard you yelling at the rest of the defense. I forget the exact quote, but you were saying, like, ‘got to be faster or got better’ or some of that, being less sloppy. You were sort of taking command of that and getting these guys to it. And then, I mean, we saw the second half of that game looked a whole lot better, came up with the huge win. And how do you think that you’ve seen your leadership grow of you being so vocal and being so just standing out front and saying that things and at least on that smaller scale of a game, we saw that pay off pretty quickly.
KB: Yeah, I think it’s really a testament to the guys. First and foremost, you could have people who are great leaders in their own right, but if people don’t buy in and really want to listen or respect them, then their leadership is nothing. “So I really love that the guys allow me to be myself and to try to motivate and bring them up, and they really listen to it, buy in, and respond.
JW: So we kind of saw that on the other side too, of, when you got on the jumbotron dancing around a couple of weeks ago, and the whole crowd just going nuts, everybody loving it. I mean, how do you think that can kind of affect the team on a bigger scale, even in a little moment like that, just sort of being goofy and dancing along? Like, how do you think that showcases your character and gets the team feeling a little bit more? I guess maybe better be better out of that.
KB: Yeah, that’s just me. Even if you guys come out to practice, you’ll probably see me dancing out there as well. I just love being an uplifting, positive force for the team. And also I wanted to get the fans included in it as well and really just make the entire environment of Gesa Field and Martin Stadium just incredible, and everything that I wished of when I was a young kid. Just that, that loud stadium rock and everyone’s on their feet and just excitement and ready to play some football.
JW: And with your journey and just sort of going back to that of having these fans, having this team with, with Washington State, what makes it so special to be here and to be a Coug?
KB: Oh, being a Coug is everything. Being from the East Coast, you’d be like, ‘you don’t know what being a Coug is’. I do know what being a Coug is now, and it’s having a chip on your shoulder, being a hard worker, blue-collar, wanting to go out there and punch somebody in the face every single moment, and, on the field, of course, but then when you’re off the field, it’s a family you’re loving. You want to be around other people, and as I said, uplift and encourage others, and being a Coug is awesome. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
JW: So, when you were presented with a bit of an odd situation this offseason, with Coach Rogers leaving and Moore coming in, having a lot of guys in and out, but a lot of faces still sticking around. How did you kind of balance that in your mind, seeing a lot of change around here, but still saying, no, I want to stay, I want to come back, I want to be a part of this new era of WSU football?
KB: So I relied heavily on my faith. I’m a big faith guy. God is everything in my life. And so, I really just relied on God and speaking to God and saying, ‘Show me. Show me a path. Show me a way. What am I supposed to do here? Should I go back home? Should I go with the old staff? Should I like…’. I felt lost, and then He showed me the way, and He told me, ‘Just be patient. Wait.’ I broke both feet last season, and I think there was 100% a reason for that, because I don’t think, if I was fully healthy last season, I don’t know if I would be here, truly. But everything has a reason. Everything has a purpose. And I’m so excited that God kept me here, and I’m going to be able to be a Coug.
JW: So talk about the mental and physical journey of coming back from that. It’s having two different injuries like that, so similar. But the setbacks you had to go through, and you know, seeing those guys in that bowl game, that was sort of a funny bowl game. We have a lot of guys that have our lot still in some graduating guys. Just how is that process from a recovery standpoint of having to kind of rehab so much and get back in the playing form that you now are in?
KB: Yeah. So it’s very mentally challenging. First and foremost, I’m going through that a little bit with my roommate is Tony Freeman. And he, unfortunately, tore his ACL in the first game versus Washington. And so I was down on myself last year. And what I’ve been really preaching to him lately is, as I said to you just now, there’s a reason for everything. There’s a reason for him tearing his ACL. And I think it’s maybe the Lord is trying to show him that he needs to improve in other aspects, like his leadership. And I think that’s what really helped me breaking both feet. I wasn’t the leader I am today before that. So that happened. I can’t work on the field. I can’t give you my body. So I got to give you my words, give you my mental. And so I had to find other aspects where I can be involved in the team and really still contribute, and be a great contributor. And that’s where I learned to be more vocal, be a leader. And so everything happens for a reason, and it was a good reason.
JW: And in that same kind of breath, you have a season where you’re about almost a third through, which is weird to think about, that we’re already getting in October. And the record, I wouldn’t say, reflects how the team looks so far this season. Obviously, playing a lot of hard competition. How do you take these kinds of games and learn from them and improve through conference play, knocking on the door this weekend?
KB: Yeah, it’s frustrating because we still believe and we know that Washington State we are still a high-caliber team, and teams like Arizona, Washington, Kansas State are incredible teams, great teams. But we’re just right up there with them. They’re Power Five. And I still say Power Five because I believe Pac-12 is still within that Power Five. And, coming into conference play, that just shows even more with Pac-12. I just said we’re Power Five; all of our teams in this conference, no one’s a slouch. Everyone can beat anyone on any given day. And so it’s going to be exciting, and it’s going to be games that are tight every single week. And I just can’t wait to be involved and back in a conference. It’s exciting. And everyone’s zero-zero in conference play right now. So records are out of the window. So it’s exciting.
JW: And how much better does that feel, and like talk about like now having this different game plan where last year was so many odd games and all the I think it was, I’m not mistaken, ten different conferences across the 12 games, so very strange kind of schedule. And now you’re in a little more of the solid kind of Pac 12 ahead. And I mean, what’s kind of the buzz around the team of knowing that, like, you have those new patches on for a reason, you’re finally going to see other guys with it. It’s not, I guess, just Oregon State, but you see this kind of different vibe now; the college football world is settling a lot more here in Pullman.
KB: Yeah. Knowing that we’re in a Pac-12, a new conference, well, a new conference with the teams. It’s electric. Knowing that no matter what, you could go out there and still win the Pac-12 championship and hopefully get a bid into the playoffs. And so, it just lit a fire under everyone around this building. Last year, we didn’t have a conference, so you’re really just playing for the bowl game and excited to see what you get. Now you can get a ring for winning the Pac-12 championship, get a banner up, and really, that’ll live in legacy forever. So it’s just exciting to be back in a conference, and I’m ready to get started.
JW: And so when you look ahead, and I know it’s week at a time, I don’t want look too far ahead, but when you see the season from 30,000 feet up and view it as a whole, how do you think you can have the best legacy and success over the course of this versus just, of course, winning a title? What other kind of success and legacy do you think you could leave over the season?
KB: Yeah, it’s, legacy left within the team, within the culture. I want to leave a positive, fired-up on fire for our work every single day. It’s an intense mindset, an intense sense of being, but it’s also relaxed. So it’s a balance between being intense and being relaxed. And I want to leave that culture here for years to come, where everyone’s just excited to be in these walls, excited to be a Coug, excited to be in this building because it’s an absolute blessing to be here in Washington State, Pullman. It’s awesome.
JW: All right. That’s all I have for you. Thank you so much.
KB: Thank you so much. Yeah, so great to meet you.
JW: Yeah, pleasure.
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