Redshirt freshman quarterback Tyler Bruggman is transferring from Washington State, according to a report from Britton Ransford of WazzuWatch.com. The departure is a big one both for next season and the future as Bruggman was set to compete for the backup role in 2014 and possibly spend three years as the starter following the departure of Connor Halliday.

Bruggman -- a former 4-star recruit -- was the first quarterback Mike Leach recruited during a full cycle. He considered a last-minute switch to Arizona State on signing day, but ultimately signed with WSU. He came in highly-touted, so much so that some even thought he might contend for playing time as a freshman. That didn't happen and he sat out on a redshirt season. There were high expectations for his future, especially with the four stars next to his name. While he didn't have a poor spring, he failed to separate himself from walk-on Luke Falk and spent a good portion of the time running the third team. Still, he was expected to compete and was possibly the favorite to replace Halliday in 2015.

The reason for his departure is still unclear, with Ransford just reporting he was transferring. Regardless of why, the move leaves WSU very thin at quarterback. Former backup Austin Apodaca transferred following the season. That leaves Falk, a walk-on redshirt freshman and true freshman Peyton Bender as players likely to fill out the depth chart next season. The Cougars were thought to be loaded at quarterback just a few months ago and are now precariously thin at the most-important position.