Former Fresno State WR Josh Kelly commits to Washington State
Former Fresno State wide receiver Josh Kelly has found his next home. Kelly announced his commitment to Washington State on Saturday.
Kelly entered the NCAA Transfer Portal after the Mountain West Championship game and before his former Bulldog team faced what would become his future Washington State team in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. The Bulldogs won 29-6 to complete a 10-4 season and the first-ever turnaround for a team from 1-4 to 10-4.
Kelly has two more years of eligibility. Fresno State and Washington State are scheduled for two future games but not until 2026 after Kelly’s eligibility expires.
Kelly entered the 2022 season as a starter for Fresno State but suffered an injury in the Bulldogs’ third game at USC. He returned for three more games before suffering a second injury. In all, he finished with 12 catches for 207 yards in six appearances – he was healthy from start to finish just three times.
Kelly first redshirted in 2019, then immediately saw four starts in six games for the Bulldogs as a redshirt freshman in 2020. He broke out in his sophomore season in 2021 with nine starts, catching 52 passes for 778 yards and 3 touchdowns.
In his Bulldog career, Kelly had 17 starts with 87 catches for 1,305 yards and 4 touchdowns. He played in 26 games over four years.
Kelly was a 3-Star recruit for the Bulldogs in the 2019 class out of local Fresno (Calif.) San Joaquin Memorial. He was recruited late by Fresno State as a flip from his previous commitment to San Jose State.
Kelly’s departure adds to the offensive graduations of quarterback Jake Haener, wide receivers Jalen Moreno-Cropper, Nikko Remigio, Zane Pope and Ty Jones, tight end Raymond Pauwels, running back Jordan Mims and offensive tackle Dontae Bull.
The outgoing seniors, plus Kelly, combined with 249 receptions for 2,910 yards and 15 of the Bulldogs’ 20 touchdown catches. The Bulldogs’ leading returning receivers are Erik Brooks (34 catches for 351 yards and 3 touchdowns) and Mac Dalena (9 catches for 92 yards and one touchdown).
The other returning receivers on the roster include senior Emoryie Edwards, junior Jordan Brown, sophomores Josiah Freeman, Vallee Washington and Isaiah Batton, as well as freshmen Jalen Moss, Nathan Acevedo and Joshua Johnson. The Bulldogs have one wide receiver committed in the 2023 class – Ventura College 3-Star Tim Grear.
Fresno State’s other transfer portal departures include star safety Evan Williams, offensive lineman Bula Schmidt, walk-on QB Alec Trujillowide receiver Josh KellyO lineman Tyrone Sampson, defensive tackle Leonard Paynedefensive end Andrew Foxnickel back Emari Pait and cornerback Cale Sanders. Sanders has signed with SMU and Payne has committed to Colorado.
The Transfer Portal has produced a commitment for the Bulldogs so far – UCF quarterback Mikey Keene. no comes to Fresno State with 11 starts under his belt. He started 10 games as a true freshman in 2021 and one more in 2022, leading the Knights to an 8-3 record in those games. In 14 total appearances, he completed 233-of-355 passes (66%) for 2,377 yards, 23 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.