Washington State has an unlikely standout on defense, and Kirby Moore is taking notice

It’s a safe assumption that FBS teams with 1-8 records aren’t going to get many high performance marks from metric-grading services, including the likes of Pro Football Focus.

And yet, there is one player from Washington State University who has consistently graded out in the 80s by PFF on a weekly basis - and whose team-leading 82.3 overall PFF grade would rank in the top 50 in the country for his position group.

It is redshirt freshman Isaiah Hung, one of the running mates to defensive captain Keith Brown at weakside linebacker.

Kirby Moore praises Washington State's emerging defensive standout

Is that grade a surprise to first-year Cougars’ coach Kirby Moore? Not at all - and especially after one of last week’s practices during the bye week.

“We showed clips during a Thursday team meeting on what guys did really well at Wednesday practice,” Moore said. “(Hung) was on multiple of them with just his energy and effort.

Sep 6, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington State head coach Kirby Moore. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I think he is playing at as high of a level as anyone on our defense.”

Is it a surprise to Hung himself?

“I knew I had good PFF scores,” Hung said. “But I didn’t know it was the top one on the team.

“To be honest, it doesn’t really have much meaning to me. It’s cool obviously - and I am sure my parents have a PFF account.“

As he continues to earn more snaps, the 6-foot-2, 229-pounder is just warming up in his WSU career.

“For sure, I am definitely starting to understand the speed of the game better,” Hung said. “It’s different from high school. And honestly, it is different from (WSU) practice.

“Out on the field, it is truly 11-vs-11. Shrink it down more, it is 1-vs.1. So, me just going out and trying to win that (one-on-one battle) is the goal every time.”

From wrestling champion to Washington State linebacker

Hung grew up in a small town just outside Kansas City, Missouri. Ever since he was a boy, he had dreams of playing in the NFL.

And what an example he had in his own backyard - Patrick Mahomes and the Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs.

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Except that is not who he idolized as a kid.

“My mom is from Wisconsin,” he said. “I am a Green Bay fan.”

Each football season, he donned a new Packers jersey. One year it was the No. 88 of tight end Jermichael Finley. The next year it was the No. 27 of running back Eddie Lacy.

But nothing beat putting on the No. 52 jersey of linebacker Clay Matthews III.

“Growing up, I was a (middle) linebacker in youth football,” Hung said. “During that time, Clay Matthews and A.J. Hawk were my absolute favorite guys to watch.”

Once he got to Liberty High School in Missouri, Hung discovered he was pretty good in a few sports.

Blessed with naturally long arms, he was a left-handed pitcher who touched 93 mph on his fastball while featuring a knee-buckling curveball on the baseball team.

For a nationally-ranked wrestling program, Hung won the state 215-pound championship as a junior.

And in football, he was setting program sack records as a hybrid defender who played both as an edge rusher and linebacker.

“All three of my sports were equal in seriousness,” Hung said. “Whatever season it was, I was locked in.”

Why Isaiah Hung chose to stay at Washington State

But he chose football, initially signing with South Dakota State before obtaining his release and leaving for WSU to join Jimmy Rogers, the man who recruited him.

Washington State Cougars lineman Isaiah Hung. | Photo courtesy of Washington State University Athletics

Rogers left for Iowa State last December, but Hung decided to stay with the Cougars and the incoming Moore, who was hired days later as the replacement.

“I feel like this town (Pullman) reminds me of my hometown, so honestly, coming here was so easy,” Hung said. “When I had announced on Twitter I was coming here, my comments were flooded with Cougar fans welcoming me … and I had never felt that kind of support.”

Hung said he’s always had to go the extra mile to show he belonged - at any level of football.

“I was never supposed to be an (NCAA) Division I football player (based on recruiting rankings), and I felt like my whole life has been trying to prove people wrong,” Hung said. “It’s the ‘Wheatfield Underdog’ mindset, and the chip on everyone’s shoulder around here that just fits me and my work ethic.”

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