Chau Smith-Wade

Chau Smith-Wade attended Simeon Career Academy where he earned a 3-star recruit rating from ESPN, rivals.com and 247 Sports. He had several offers including three from power 5 schools (Pitt, Purdue, and Washington State). Smith-Wade chose to join Washington State following high school. In his freshman year, he saw action in just 2 games, making 8 tackles. He redshirted heading into his second year. He finished that season with 17 tackles in 11 games off the bench. His first season as a starter came in 2022. He played 13 games and totaled 43 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 10 passes defended. This performance gained him some attention, but he returned to Washington State for the 2023 season. This year, Smith-Wade played 7 games, missing the final 5 games due to a soft tissue injury. However, he made 36 tackles and 6 passes defended in his limited playing time.