1307 COMMENTS

  1. I’m watching the Steelers’ O-line versus the Iggles’ O-line this year versus last year, and it seems the reason one is better than the other in any given year is because Seumalo is on it.

      • It feels like we finally have some true point guards for the first time in a long time (Hunter & Schuler), as opposed to hybrids filling in out of necessity. I don’t get nearly as nervous as I used to when the other team starts pressing. And they are both only freshman with 12 college games under their belts. Super exciting if we can keep this core together. Should go undefeated in the WCC next year.

          • Hunter is quite good and she is way ahead of Shuler with respect to protecting the ball, defense and rebounding. Hunter is listed at 6’0” and Shuler at 5’10” but the difference seems much more than that when they stand next to each other. In addition, although Hunter is a pretty fair 3 point shooter and will pull the trigger when open, Shuler hasn’t yet shown that range and she seems uncomfortable shooting the ball from beyond the arc with a first inclination to dribble and drive and I will admit she is pretty fast. But she has a maddening tendency to try to emulate the pros with their entirely one-handed drive transition to a layup only to clank it. Hunter is a far superior shooter off the dribble. Shuler is a bit more likely to get trapped by the defense, if pre-conference play is any indication. This year’s WBB edition is fun to watch and this weekend will be their first really big test in the LA schools. Lady Beavs have a lot of height and a deep bench. I’m just disappointed they don’t press more considering the depth. Keep an eye on freshman Dominika Paurova. A greyhound with the ball, she has range and is a great passer. She is about 3rd off the bench but I have a feeling she’s going to see more floor time.

      • Such a good win. Since the Sabrina days very few piss and green at gill, today was no exception. Pretty full stands, good energy and great comeback from a 1st half of 22% FG shooting. Watching Kelly squirm at the end was fun. Knowing they’ll have to travel 2000 miles next year to take losses is icing on the cake.

        #FTD and Happy New Year angry beavs

    • Yeah it would the best outcome for SEC to get to deal with a Longhorn program with its latest
      National championship entering next year. Longhorn fans and administrators would be insufferable enough to implode the SEC once they begin demanding a bigger percentage than Other SEC teams that don’t contribute to the power of the SEC. Lol could be funny to watch. And Sark as a national champion is a nice story.
      Kind of ironic that the “weak” PAC 12 has been supplying coaches for these CFP teams. Harbaugh, Sarkisian, Sonny Dykes, DeBoer.

  2. Liberty is holding their own with the Yucks. The Liberty QB’s helmet looks it has a 4” spacer in it raising it up… weird. Go Liberty!

    • I wonder how many teams are actually playing their starting qb. Seems like every game he at least one team with a freshman qb or similar situation. Such a bad product to see the bow game as a completely different team than regular season.

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      It’s close to blow-out mode now. 24-6 Quacks. Strange pick-up of the flag when it looked like a pretty obvious Quack facemask. Killed Liberty’s momentum.

  3. From the Tallahassee paper, DJU to FSU:
    Reports surfaced on New Year’s Eve that Cam Ward was headed to the NFL or rival Miami. Uiagalelei is likely the FSU QB in 2024.

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      Blitz rumors are big NIL numbers being thrown around and expecting a few more defections before the portal window closes tomorrow.

      Tanner Miller could be up next and both could end up in East Lansing with Judas.

      Brutal.

      • Like pro free agency (NFL, NBA) people start throwing around stupid money and overpay hoping for a quick fix or eyes on the team…

      • Wow. Kind of risky for Bolden. Chiles is definitely a great talent but there’s no guarantee he’ll ball out and help Bolden put up bigger numbers. I get it if it’s about Financials but seems less likely to be a good fit for growth.

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          Is it confirmed that Bolden is going to Michigan St? I’m sorry, but I hope nothing but a “Riley Nebraska experience” for Smith at MSU. Sweet karma would be to see him as an OC at the FCS school in about five years after he gets shit-canned.

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            Haven’t seen anything was just commenting on the post above. Seems like an X post from Dame the other day alluded to players still being recruited and it would make sense that they’d try and bring in Silas. Maybe he’s wanting to get back home to Cali. Who knows but I think it’s blatantly clear at this point that we’re clearly a training ground for players to spring board to their preferred destinations. Would be nice if they’d have to kick back a % of their new deal for the cost of building them into a more marketable asset.

  4. 4
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    I’ll actually be rooting for UW. I can’t stand Texas, they get carried every year it seems as if they’re legitimate, just like Tenn and NEB…

    I like DuBoer’s(sp?) offense at UW and think he’s underrated/under-appreciated by popular media in these kinds of games.

  5. 4
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    So JS made the call for Bolden to sit the 2nd half. Man the gut punches keep coming for OSU.

    Bolden likely gets his biggest payday by transferring now since he will be even more undersized once he gets into NFL. Good luck to him but man it is frustrating to know everyone has big checkbooks and is just looking over the roster trying to poach the next guy on the list of talented players.

    Begin the Martinez bronze statue now because he is somehow different than the rest.

    Maybe no Bolden means addition by subtraction with the new west coming in and a new qb, they will be forced to perform rather than have seniority nonsense.
    Best players play…

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      Bolden likely won’t get consistent separation in the B10 either…I liked him, but he didn’t produce consistently…part of that is the QB…maybe Chiles will get more out if him.

      • Being an extra in a wonka movie doesn’t help

        Will miss the kick duties though until someone shows that speed and wreckless mindset

  6. I want to point out how well the students seem to do in the Reser crowd these past few seasons, good attendance and energy.

    I was at the UW game this year and crowd seemed better than in years past. I could actually stand and cheer for the D!

  7. Michigan seems to be dominating both lines of scrimmage. They just keep self destructing with turnovers and penalties.

      • Both Penix and Williams i think had their worst games against the Beavers at Reser….USC and Williams 2022 points and stats at Reser were far below their season average of 42 points…I think UW was averaging about 42 points before playing the beavers(?).

        Hope Bray can get the Beavers D tackling again.

    • I had to admit, he looked impressive in person at Reser. during warm ups they looked far sharper than the Beavers, like they were taking the reps seriously, while OSU’s offense appeared to be just going through the motions in contrast.

      After Williams, Penix might be the best pro prospect coming out of UW’s offense. NE might be smart to draft him?

    • Didn’t you hear that Penix was sick for those 6 games in the middle of the season when they barely beat all of those bad PAC12 teams? And he was likely distracted with Heisman stuff when they played OSU…

      I’ve got to root for Michigan at this point.

  8. 6
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    That pass break up in the end zone to end the UW/Texas game was the worst possible form I have ever seen from a DB. Should absolutely have not been looking at the QB’s eyes or for the ball.

  9. So, who do you boys got winning it all? I think the Dogs because they have a more potent offense. Reminds me of the Superbowl between the Greatest Show on Earth, Rams against the Titans.

  10. 8
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    The Beavs have some serious roster building to take care of before next season. At one point we were talking about trying to run the table with a MW schedule, but now I’m not so certain we’ll be a .500 team, without some big additions to the OLine as well as a complete overhaul of the offense, especially.
    Losing so many upper classmen to MSU was a killer. And we have no idea what to expect from the Gundy/DeVan coaching combo on that side of the ball. Add a brand new quarterback to that mix and we’re in for a rough start.

    • Yep lots of questions on both sides and an entirely new offense to get up to speed for all players.

      I hope Johnson is the real deal and we have an immediate impact qb for the next couple of years.

    • On the other hand, we could potentially have former 4-stars at every skill position on offense (I’m counting DM, because his HS career warranted a 4-star rating, but he got Beaver bumped). Young group, but a talented one for sure.

      OL will be they key, of course.

      Bray should be able to field a good enough defense to keep us competitive.

      • Good point, should have said losing starters to the transfer portal
        Thinking about Chiles/Velling/Mascarenas-Arnold/Arnold/Sibo/McCoy/Sappington. All guys who were the projected starter at their position next year, and if you look at the average portal ratings of guys leaving vs guys we’re bringing in, we’re seeing a pretty significant drop in talent. (if we trust the ratings at all)

        https://247sports.com/college/oregon-state/season/2024-football/transferportal/?institutionkey=24091

        • Using PFF ratings…

          Out average offense: 75 (DJU is the biggest hit here)
          Out average defense: 70

          In average offense: 70 (assigning McCoy a -10 to his rating playing FCS)
          In average defense: 61 (assigning Norris a -10 to his rating playing FCS)

          These aren’t one for one replacements and there are plenty of caveats here. Point still stands: Bray and co. have work to do to replace talent.

          • If you consider the guys who left though only qb would be playing so DJ/Chiles would really only be 1 starter, Overman was already out the door, McCormick never played

            So it comes down to replacing a qb (DJ and Chiles), a TE (Veiling/Overman), a lb and a safety (Arnold bros )and a kicker Sappington. 5 starting positions have transferred out which is actually better than it get during the last few weeks.

            Is Bolden not transferring then?

            Of those 5 positions:
            QB: 2 incoming transfers/Johnson 4* out of high school
            Kicker: Hayes is still on the roster for next year
            LB: 1 transfer from Idaho(?)
            Safety: Alton Julian returns
            TE: no transfer yet

            So even as highly skilled guys are leaving, we have all but TE addressed in the short term and Bray was clear they weren’t just going to bring in bodies to back fill losses in personnel, but would be pretty selective over time.
            I think the key will always be the oline and the Dline recruits and the offensive approach/qb maturity

    • don’t know, but also don’t think we’ll know all of the portal entrants until another 2 days goes by, because that’s how long a school has to submit the player’s paperwork to the NCAA. Once they officially hit the portal, then we start seeing news reports from the 247/Rivals sites(unless the player announces it early)

  11. Keith Brown taking a visit to Wash State. Was curious if Beavs were interested in him being a local guy with high stars outta HS but haven’t seen anything suggesting we are. Interesting since Bray would’ve likely been involved in his initial recruiting as the LB coach at the time and it appeared we were in the final few on the list. Or maybe it was purely Cookus being the OR recruiter.

    With Bolden bolting I guess a more tenured WR would be more paramount now unless they say fuck it, we’re rolling with the frosh/sophs.

    • Yep, saw that. Guess he’ll end up at MSU as well probably. Fuck that Traitor up there. We might be lucky to win 6 or 7 games next year despite the schedule. Nearly every single fucking player leaving is a starter and big-time contributer. Jesus christ its ugly.

    • I know that miller is very good and I assume he has really good technique and a smart player being a former walk on and undersized. I do think that he got exposed at the end of the season and the ucks were just bullying him with bull rushes and putting him on his back. Still I though loss because of his experience and skill level.

      • Yup. He was definitely up and down this season. Not irreplaceable, but losing good players necessitates adding more. Time for someone like Vincic or Voltin to step up.

      • Well, he also played several spots really well for us. Versatility played a huge role for us this season. The skill positions hurt but this is a much more impactful loss imo

      • UO had two transfers that i think announcers said had “13 years experience ” between them. One was pretty damn big. Miller is clearly a fighter and a gamer, but he isn’t big and at some points that catches up to him.

        I suspect he’s following Coach M more than anything….

  12. I bet I totally lost track of things over the Holidays but did the coaching staff get finalized? Last I saw here there was talk of one more spot open and that were totally getting Jay Harbaugh lol

  13. BASEBALL INDEPENDENCE:
    Barnes expecting to announce a Baseball Schedule for ’25 before months end. Plans a national schedule as an independent under the PAC “umbrella”.
    Barnes said he is working with baseball coach Mitch Canham and others to produce next year’s schedule. It will include series and single games against schools from the SEC, Big 10, Big 12, current Pac-12 and other western United States-based conferences. He said schools from the Power conferences “are very interested, because of what our baseball program has done over the years.” Barnes said an independent schedule would include a home schedule “that our fans are used to seeing, including Surprise (Arizona).”

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/oregon-state-leaning-into-an-independent-baseball-schedule-under-pac-12-banner-for-2025-2026/ar-AA1mnlLC

  14. 4
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    Response to the departures in the locker room is likely divided but I’d guess the staff would rather have guys leave now than go through the motions until
    Next offseason.
    Bray needs to have a 3 pronged approach:
    1) Selll Opportunity- guys like Anderson and Johnson see it as a valid option for themselves and no one is promised a starting spot ever. Best players will play
    2) Get focused and be excellent with executing gameplans, develop great schemes
    3) Messaging through social media to expand OSU brand that instills full buy in from players, fan base, school administrators and coaching staff.

    I’m hoping that by the time spring ball and fall camp end, this team has fully refocused and will be ready to go toe to toe with the schedule.

  15. We really need to get into a power 4 conference or some how rebuild the Pac with maybe some unhappy power 4 conference teams. Don’t think it will happen. Until we play in big time conference it is going to be an uphill battle recruiting top players.

    • Yep, we’re at a massive disadvantage compared to where we’ve been the past 50 or whatever years.

      Hopefully we can utilize the portal ourselves well enough that it can help mitigate the impact of hs recruiting. Or hs recruiting in general leaves us at a similar spot- due to other teams utilizing the portal more

  16. I’m curious how you all would grade Barnes and Murthy through this mess? Personally, I’m not happy that Barnes was asleep at the wheel while the conference fell apart.

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    I’m curious how you all would grade Barnes and Murthy through this mess? Personally, I’m not happy that Barnes was asleep at the wheel while the conference fell apart.

    • Not sure he was “asleep” – more like he was trusting when he should have been suspicious – as in believing GK had a deal. M & B came through with the lawsuit.

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      I’m not sure what this is supposed to mean.

      If he had knowledge that UW was scuttling everything, he still had operate in good faith, as the bylaws and his job mandate.

      Doing the right thing shouldn’t be seen as bad. And it will engender trust among whoever we bring aboard in the future. When any of the ten return, they won’t get a vote on anything like dissolving the Conference, having now breached that trust.

      Life goes on. We just have work to do. But I think the opportunity for growth is out there, especially if nobody is going to do anything regarding the mediopoly. The PTN can just blatantly do what they do. And our product is better. Imagine having a show like SC on every night… like SC used to be, except for all the fans of several different teams of several sports on all levels within our footprint.

      If the question is about accessibility to our product, we have a tool to make it available. But that tool can also do so for many other underserved populations, creating numbers we don’t even get now.

    • Damage was done under BDC. Barnes was polishing a turd. The Andersen hire doomed the program.

      Granted, he signed Tinkle to a huge contract, which was his biggest mistake.

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      I think Murthy did very well. Very businesslike, wanted I think a reckoning.

      Barnes was likely trusting of the league commissioner and other ADs. Ostensibly, one SHOULD be able to trust one’s conference mates to act in the interest of the conference…sadly, that wasn’t the case.

      They clearly thought the settlement was the best deal, and time was likely a factor. Dragging it out would result in prolonged uncertainty that would have hurt OSU even more.

      Still, I’d like to see what evidence they had the traitors didn’t want revealed in discovery!

      I think they need to use the funds strategically to eliminate as much AD debt as they can. I don’t see a good financial future in the WAC or 2PAC/WAC=New PAC…

      Maybe WBB can close out a respectable PAC season…

    • I give Barnes credit for not panicking, and making prudent decisions in what was a chaotic episode in the short term.

      Worth acknowledging Barnes/Murthy effort in conjunction with WSU in bringing in legal team that they did, as well as being steadfast in their communication. Even with just two entities, it’s easy to make missteps in messaging, and that can lead to deep misgivings.

      We’re still in a “mess,” but there is a plan now. The serious praise will come in how the next few years are navigated imho.

  18. Recruiting for mid-year transfers goes from a dead period to a quiet period today through Sunday (1/7), so you should see visits happening for the portal players they want to have on-campus ASAP.

  19. Any late O-line follows?

    Even Bama is losing players to the portal, though, their C is one of them.

    Still, I imagine he’ll find a new home pretty easily.

  20. In a waiting room, watching replay of Lions’ 20-19 loss to cowboys on the road. Pretty Beaver-like, aggressive on 4th down (excellent execution on fake punt though in contrast to Smith), went for 2 for the win, lost by 1. Woulda coulda shoulda…

    Guess I’ll “root” for them in playoffs….

  21. Rumors out there that Jam Griffin wants to come back for his last year of eligibility as a grad-transfer after sitting on the bench (but making $) at Ole Miss this season.

      • So did I but apparently he could have 1 year left and ability to transfer again? Dunno could be a bullshit fake news rumor just seen it going around the last couple days.

        • Grad xfers have earned the freedom to transfer, since they’re grads, and that’s the NCAA’s primary concern.

          They figure if you’re smart enough to complete school, you know how to manage your remaining eligibility, if you want to leverage it for more education or whatever.

    • where’s the rumor coming from?

      Thought there was a recent supreme court ruling that basically squashed the NCAA’s ability to enforce a 1 year sitting period for anybody. At least temporarily.
      So as of right now, i don’t think the 1 time transfer or grad transfer rules are even a thing.

  22. From Teddy Cahill at Baseball America:

    45. Who are the eight teams that really need to be making Omaha travel plans? My first Eight for Omaha of the year: Arkansas, Florida, LSU, Oregon State, Texas, TCU, Virginia and Wake Forest.

  23. Myles Rowser started off committed to Michigan, flipped to Arkansas, then flipped to Campbell (a FCS team that had gone 3-8 the year before). He then transferred from Campbell to NMSU, and is now transferring again.

    Arkansas internet folks hinted at some off-field issues, but I haven’t been able to find anything on public record. Former NFL safety Mike Minter was the HC at Campbell, so maybe he was just impressed by him? Truly a bizarre recruiting path.

  24. This opinion piece is more than late….

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/columnist/dan-wolken/2024/01/04/michigan-washington-national-championship-game-college-football-changes/72103891007/

    “These are no longer cohesive leagues that were built on academic and cultural commonality, they’re chain restaurants trying to plant their flag in every suburban shopping center with foot traffic and good parking. You might as well root for Chipotle and Starbucks.”

  25. mbb – Is Roberto Nelson on staff, “player development” contributing to glimmers of success? GT article last fall. He was responsible for getting 3 mbb alumni stars sitting behind the bench for the USC game. Funniest thing: For all the supposed difficulty getting recruits to Corvallis, once here, many seem to want to return to work and live, many to OSU.

  26. PS: Listened to a partial Canzano interview w WT. The usual: “young team,” losses becuz team doesn’t pay attention to him. Acknowledged the horrible chemistry in the team 2 years? ago

    • What about the team last year? Just as bad and had some worse losses in general? WT seems like a nice guy and has definitely got a good scam going. Can’t fire me for results if I’m perpetually in a rebuild and the team is young.

  27. The NCAA and ESPN announced on Thursday an eight-year, $920 million agreement that will give the network exclusive rights to 40 championships, including the Division I women’s basketball tournament, an event growing in popularity that the association has been accused of undervaluing in the past.
    ….
    The deal covers 21 women’s and 19 men’s sports, adding tennis, track and field, men’s gymnastics, the women’s Division II and III volleyball and basketball championships, and the men’s DII and DIII basketball championships.

    The deal guarantees national championship events in Division I women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, women’s gymnastics, and the second-tier of Division I football known as FCS will be aired on ABC, though it does not guarantee any start times.

    ESPN will also air selection shows for at least 10 championships on its linear networks.

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      ESPN is on the verge of bankruptcy within the Disney corporation and yet they try to make this kind of PR deal that trickles down into lower divisions. It gives them all a taste of the forbidden fruit so that when the house of cards collapses, it will rope in multiplied more campuses. The collapse will bring down the whole structure if any of these smaller schools begin the operate based on these dollars added.
      This just seals the deal for an widescale implosion of college athletics. The repulsive coverage and slanted for ratings approach will only continue to supplement the chosen conferences that ESPN has a vested interest in hyping. Watch the championships become more consolidated within Big10 and SEC for all sports.
      Guarantees on linear networks is a promise made in ignorance and hoping to fend off the eventual streaming of all sports within the next 10 years.

  28. PAC12 accepts Cal State Bakersfield……….in wrestling.
    Wrestling is a different cat, for sure, but ya gotta recognize the talented squad Beavs coach Chris Pendleton has developed.
    And how ’bout those attendance figures?…….6,784 on hand in Gill for Oklahoma State match, that even beats several WBB games!
    From Eggers:
    In their last competition before the Christmas break, the Beavers shut out Pac-12 opponent Cal State Bakersfield 48-0.
    Penn State is up next, on Jan 5. Oregon State should not be easy prey for the Nittany Lions, however. The Beavers are ranked 12th — their best team ranking in the Pendleton era — and eight of 10 starters are ranked nationally.

    • Yeah, people should definitely show up for the wrestling matches. Amazing what heard the staff have done in such a short time frame. Glad he’s brought prominence and respectability back to a once storied program. Penn State is #1 I think…gotta pack legendary Gill!

      • PSU has 7 wrestlers ranked in the top 10, with 4 ranked @ 1. If the beavs knocked them off it would be monumental. But in all reality getting 15-20 team points would be a big night for the orange and black. I love where this squad is heading but they are not at Penn States level yet but anything is possible. Go Beavs!

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      None of them. They’re collective athletic depts can crumble as far as I’m concerned. I’m a beaver alumnus and fan only (WSU when not playing us). Fuck them all.

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        Can’t agree with you more. The more I read of the Seattle Times article, the more pissed off I got. These emails are quite revealing. The ‘stroking’ via email of each other by the various school presidents and AD’s was tough to stomach, especially Cauce from U of W; can anyone believe anything coming out of her mouth going forward? These people are despicable and why WSU or OSU trusted any of these people to be honest and up front from the get-go is beyond me.

        So U of W, go ahead and win your title and then burn in hell for all eternity. May you be cursed to college football mediocrity forever.

        • I hadn’t seen that chronological detail before. Infuriating.

          She’s shameless.

          Yet both schools will feel vindicated by their presence in the title game.

  29. Will be interesting to see where this all goes. The Tucker/Brenda Tracy story took another twist this week.
    Previously Brenda had accused the school of leaking her name, which then forced her to go public via the media with the story of Tucker’s phone sex calls.
    But, no evidence exists that would indicate anybody at Michigan State even knew she was the Jane Doe prior to the story coming out.
    In addition to that, Tracy had shopped her story to more than 1 media outlet before landing on USA Today to run her story.
    Something smells, and I’d love to find out Tucker was set up by Tracy and that MSU screwed up when they fired Tucker for cause, since the relationship was consensual.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1eArQ8lM-Y

  30. An intereting name I hadnt seen in awhile popped up today. Former Jefferson High DE/OLB, Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge. He was the highest rated local recruit of a few years back. Class of 2021 4* who landed at Oklahoma.
    But didnt stick there after Riley left, and then ended up at South Alabama and injured. So probably hasnt had many snaps at all since high school. But at one point he was a highly sought after recruit. And he and Gundy started following each other recently.

    https://247sports.com/Player/nathan-rawlins-kibonge-46085715/high-school-237679/

    • I’d give him a shot with no second guessing. Especially if he would want to give TE a try. He’s really athletic, moves much better than many guys his size.

  31. Rowser is visiting right now I believe. It would be great to get a signal from bray for him. I would really start feeling pretty good about the defense heading into next year. They still need some pieces but Rowser would be a huge pickup.

    • Boise State is cooking. They’re also in the lead for the USC QB xfer. Malachi Nelson? Maybe have the name wrong but a 5* qb ends up at BSau? Would be pretty cool. Maybe that would also get the local WR back. Although Mich or Oregon seem in the lead for him now.

        • He’s coming off a major shoulder injury/surgery for a torn labrum. Haven’t read to see how the rehab has gone, but I think that’s a big part of why he left USC. They werent prepared to commit to him as a starter next year.
          So maybe Boise State lucks out and he’s back to normal when the season starts, but there’s definitely some risk for a QB coming off that type of surgery

  32. WSU court just looks weird.
    I was not impressed with OSU b-ball during their road trip a few weeks back, but they have looked like a different group in PAC12 play.

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        They like Corvallis and Oregon State
        They have a major that Oregon State excels at teaching
        They like the coaches
        You know, the same reasons people choose any college…

        The only reasons to leave are if none of the above are true or you get a paycheck.

        If it is about making it to the NFL, they do not care if you play in the B1G or at OSU.

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          But they’re football players not students, for the most part they committed to Smith/other coaches, etc. I can’t imagine being really good, established, and playing the game I’m great at at a lower level.

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            While most college football players are actually students but you are entitled to that opinion.

            I’d stay but I am guessing I am more like Martinez than you.

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            Martinez staying is also beacause his girlfriend is an osu cheerleader. Dont underestimate the persuasiveness of a lady for a 20 year old

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            I also don’t view a conference like the Big 12 as being all that much better than the MWC.

            And honestly don’t think getting blown out a bunch of times by better teams is a selling point to transfer to MSU.

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      I wouldn’t be surprised if people were overpaying on our players to get them to leave, I think the establishment doesn’t want us to crash the party next year, and the easiest/cheapest way to do it is to pay our players to go somewhere else.

    • Another gut punch for Beavs fans. He had his moments but perhaps don’t confuse him with Swancutt. Wish him well, another starter to replace. How many starters are we down now? I count a possible 30 guys lost to transfer portal or graduation, and a lot of guys on both lines, plus all of the offensive production except Martinez. Yikes!! Bray has some real challenges with this roster.
      Transfer portal-
      DJU
      Veiling
      Bolden
      Mascarenas
      Akili Arnold
      Sappington
      Lolohea

      Backups-
      Tanner Miller
      Chiles
      Valsin
      McCoy
      Overman

      Graduates-
      Fuaga
      Gould
      McCartan
      Sharp
      Oladapo
      Gray
      Levengood
      Bloomfield
      Munyagi
      Fenwick
      Gulbranson
      Golden
      Hodgins
      Shippen
      Hart
      Rawls
      Cooper
      Robinson

      • Is Valsin gone? Haven’t seen anything official on him being in the portal. Now, that’s only 1 player so doesn’t make a massive change to the amount and quality of the players leaving, but if he’s not gone that’s a small win.

        • Also, Robinson is said to be exploring a final season. Perhaps he’ll have to qualify through a medical hardship or something but he’s trying to come back for 1 more year.

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    Nobody should assume we’re losing players to the portal because Oregon State is an undesirable team to play for. The portal is the new norm. EVERY TEAM is losing guys to the portal. Some of the blue bloods are losing more guys than OSU. If you don’t have players going to the portal then it means you don’t have players that other teams want. Or you have a lot of dedicated, loyal players…yeah right :)

    We didn’t cause this shit show, we’re just living in it, just like everyone else.

      • Certainly not ALL of them. Chiles would have stayed. But look at the blue bloods who didn’t have coaching changes. The players are taking the opportunity to get paid. It’s not about playing your entire college career for a particular school or coach. Those days are gone.

      • Wonder how many of them will become stars/have NFL interest where they go. Cam Ward is declaring for the NFL draft. I saw a blurb with Coug coach who said he had been working for a long time with Cam’s family and it was all about the money. Perhaps he didn’t get enough from anywhere else.

  34. 6
    1

    Wow. Based on the graduations and xfers, we are seriously down to potentially 2 maybe 3 returning starters total?!! And the xfers we got coming in, granted they all actually show up for class, only the 2 linemen and McCoy at qb were starters right? We’re really in a situation where we’ll have 15-17 brand new starters and our likely QB (McCoy or Johnson) has 0 P4 snaps. Even more concerning is that the majority of the guys filling those spots have largely 0 playing time at all.

    What is a realistic w/l for this squad next season even considering the weakened schedule? I’d say if you’re someone projecting double digit wins you probably need your head examined. Lol. Shooting straight here, this is essentially an entirely new team with very minimal experience being coached by a brand new staff where some of them are taking on entirely new roles as well. Holy shit. Wonder how many people will still be all happy go lucky about wanting to continue playing the CW year in and year out once they see what the fuck will happen in Sept next year.

    Based on what i see as of today, 6 or 7 wins seems most realistic. I think we should beat Idaho State and SDSU (only because SDSU changing staff as well), losses to Yucks, Purdue, and Cal. I give WSU the win as well based purely on the better stability of the staff and xfer portal but they are replacing the QB so that’s a small bonus for us eventhough we’re replacing ours too. That leaves the 6 MW schools and I don’t see us running the table on all 6. Realistically thinking 4 wins out of those 6.

    Still some portal opportunities before next season but I don’t think you can be honest with yourself and say with a brand new staff, 15-17 brand new starters, many of whom haven’t played many snaps at all, that we’re going to have any kind of meaningful success next season.

  35. 8
    4

    Beavs new lot in life is to be the JV/Rehab squad for actual P5 teams going forward. We’ll find the occasional diamon in the rough, but everybody is looking for a pay day and as soon as an offer presents itself, they’ll he gone.
    We may also get the occasional former 4*/5* guy who is rehabbing from injury. But as soon as they show promise, they’ll be gone too. It really cant go any other way

    • I agree Nicebeaver. I believe getting into a conference will alleviate some of this, but the bottom line is until college sports gets fixed with rules that even the playing fields this is the world we now find ourselves in… he with the most money wins. The money being thrown around has made college football a profession and as universities are now professional sport teams go we need team caps and wages distributed to all team players. The reason pro sports put in money perimeters that apply to all was to save the sport from becoming one team/league dominate.

      • Yeah, in a way this worse then professional sports. No long term contract to sign, just ine and done and to the highest bidder. We all know they opened a pandora box with the transfer portal and NIL money.

  36. 1
    2

    Not a good situation if this was a traditional PAC12 schedule. It may be more manageable with the MWC elements but many of those programs are on the rise of course.
    Bray may be a wild card as a head coach, even better strategist than JS but it may not matter since the cupboard has been nearly stripped bare. Again, I think some of the “depth” of the last couple of years also amounts to extra experience and continuity with the system after Covid year. This team hasn’t been dominate in any area except oline and that was limited by qb play/play calling for the last 3 years.

    2022 defense had undersized dline/safeties and a lot of experience across the board, at LB especially. JS was recruiting slightly higher than historically OSU has. Perhaps Bray will be better but the rules of the game are so drastically different and the conference question marks have tipped the chess board out of whack.
    Bray is in for a monumental task. I think it may be similar to Pat Casey around 1996, or Boise St in 1996. The possibility is there but it is a long haul for dramatic success. The hope needs to be an ultimate collapse of the current system and a reimagining of the PAC12 in a new version with access and funding to compete with other similar schools, rather than getting bashed by all as a nothing school.

    • Rumor i was told is 1 Ty Thompson was the same price aa 1 Gabarri Johnson + 1 Jordan Anderson.
      No idea if that’s factual though

  37. As far as the MWC part of the schedule being more ‘manageable’ next season, I recall the Beavs and (ducks, for that matter) in all their power 5 glory, suffering some curb stomping’s by both Boise State and Fresno State.

    • I’m almost sure Pettibone was hired because his NIU team throttled Fresno, and we wanted some of that.

      Maybe Bray should do like the bone and have a pass-punt-kick competition in the quad.

    • 2
      1

      Exactly. If we had retained everyone outside a couple of guys I’d say it does look very good for us but that reality has changed with 11-12 starters in portal and the 6 or 7 guys graduating. Not to mention, with the exception of maybe a couple spots, if we lose the 1st strong guy to an injury, we’re fucked. Roster depth under optimal circumstances was always a little tenuous much less now.

      • All of our “P5” opponents for next year have lost more guys to the portal than we have. WSU has had 17 go in the portal. Purdue has lost 25!

        • 3
          1

          I think it would be difficult, assuming a player has any interest whatsoever in academics, to continually transfer. I’m not sure I care about college football at this level with its cutthroat, greedy machinations. Probably more fun to follow, for example, Colorado School of Mines. I wonder if NIL is even mentioned. OTOH, for the most part, players will graduate with serious degrees and money-making potential.

        • Well, we’re not too far off from what the Cougs have lost but I don’t believe all theirs are all starters. Thats the biggest difference. Sure, there’s schools with more bodies in there but I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a program with as many starters as we do. For most schools it’s the 2nd/3rd string guys moving on and maybe a couple starters. Only guy not a starter for us was Chiles and he would’ve been the starter next season. I’d also give WSU a advantage in not having to replace their coaching staff and introduce a new offensive system. I know Bray said we’d run a similar defense but have to imagine there could be some slight changes based on KHJ philosophy. I’d love to be wrong but let’s be realistic in what we’re dealing with here.

          • 1
            4

            Bray seemed pretty confident in the defense before KHJ was hired. He said “I know what we want to do there so I’m not concerned.”

            KHJ is going to be the Langsdorf to his Riley.

    • Offensively it could be ridiculous year. We need some pitchers to eat some innings though. Last season our starter making it beyond 4 innings was considered a long outing for them. I still believe a run in the post-season requires a good pitching unit. Guys get into a mini-slump during a 3 game series and you can’t pitch, you’re toast. Starting rotation should see Hunter, Kmatz, May as the top 3. Jimenez showed he could be a dude too. Never been big on Lattery and Lawson but assume based on tenure they’ll be in that top 4-7 guys to be utilized. Need to find that true closer too. I know we brought some xfers/juco guys in so perhaps one of them fits the mold. On paper it appears to be a better pitching staff and we should have Mundt back, although after essentially 2 years of rehab who knows what type of shape physically and mentally he’ll be in. Just glad to have Trosky back and be moving on from Dernedde.

    • Was a 4 star outta high school and had offers to most every SEC school. Has 3 years left to play. Can’t imagine a former 4 star guy is super cheap so curious why Lolohea left. Guess his playing time gives him more legitimate offers than higher stars with less game experience.

    • Young guy that had some garbage time snaps at LSU. Not a lot of data on him. I’m curious why he chose OSU.

      Between him and the Houston guy, we’re getting some guys with good potential.

      • got to be playing time, right? I mean these kids have big dreams. You don’t make it to the NFL very often on the bench, but plenty of guys make it from lower level schools. That being said I don’t know anything about this particular case but I imagine there are quite a few kids out there that would take less money to play than they would to sit on the bench at a top school.

  38. 8
    1

    Bill December 6, 2023 at 9:03 pm

    “Seems like once the postseason awards came out, the value of a few players went up enough to get a lot of attention.

    So look for Tanner Miller, Lolohea, and Bolden to be the next ones out. My advice to them? Get paid! And get the most money you can”

    Hate to have been right…hope they are getting paid well. I think they know they won’t make the NFL so they made a business decision. Bank some money now. Just the way things are right now.

    Other teams are vulturing off the carcass that is the football team. Beavs need to lean into the last chance U aspect. Maybe netflix will pay some money to make a show. Can’t hurt to increase exposure

  39. 3
    1

    Wow, wrestling got their asses handed to them tonight.
    For all the buzz they generated about huge attendance hosting a #1 ranked opponent, they sure didnt deliver.

    Penn State 36
    OSU 3

      • Yes. A good portion of us were likely pumpkin pushers growing up. Please explain to those of us less educated on wrestling the significance of this so that we can become better fans/supporters of the program.

        • Well, PSU has nearly all their lineup in the top 10 in the country and several of them are the number 1 ranked wrestlers in the country. So, we just played Alabama if half their starters were the #1 recruit in the country at that position.

    • In wrestling the rankings are kind of skewed. There is a huge gap between the top 5 ranked programs and the ranked below.

      • Much of this is due to the reduction in the amount of college wrestling programs combined with declining participation at the high school level.

        Top guys in high school typically stay at the top in college. Very few guys win titles without a stellar prep record. There are no 3 stars turning into 5 stars.

        Beavs are slowly climbing towards the top. Don’t think they’ll be a top 5 program but top 10 seems reasonable.

        • People also need to know that rankings are basically a snapshot of how teams would finish, if the NCAA Tournament was now. So having two or more potential all Americans puts a team in or near the top 20. Having an ace at any weight means more points. And it’s hard to compete at the highest level in all weights, except for PSU.

          • Forgot to add that in, the top programs can hoard all the talent in wrestling. Also helps if the coach is one of the greatest of all time.

  40. I was thinking about when Riley left the Beavers the first time, anyone remember who else was in the mix to replace him before Dennis Erickson landed the gig? I’m 90 percent certain Erickson wasn’t even on the first “lists of possibles” when Riley left for the Chargers.

    • 8
      1

      It was mostly just Erickson.

      The timing with MR quitting was when all the NFL coaches were getting canned, and DE was one of them. So it just seemed a natural fit.

      It took something like a week after MR quit to hire DE.

      It was funny, because I think it was Housh who came for an OV on the day DE was hired, and the band was playing and everyone was having a big hiring party, and Housh told USC and the Phighting Phils to take a hike, after that.

    • My recollection is that DE called the Beavs AD and the AD thought DE was going to recommend someone for the head coaching job. DE told him that he wanted to apply for the HC. The AD told him he did didn’t think they could afford to hire him. DE said he got at settlement with the Seahawks that whatever salary that he got from his next job would be subtracted from what the Seahawks were going to give him so he would take less from the Beavs and let the Seahawks pick up the rest.

      • Yeah… and most of our fans were simply screaming for DE, as the major dream catch to salve the pain of yet another coach not working out… after extending the losing season streak to 28.

        • As I recall, many major giving spurts by alums were spurred by Riley quitting, both times.

          The man did almost nothing to build the program while he was here. But every time he quit, we got money to build stuff.

    • So you’re telling me we could theoretically have Muslim blocking for Allah?

      Only had meaningful playing time in 2021 (PafF grade was lackluster, but he was a sophomore). Looks like he’s been hurt. I guess Devan sees something in him.

    • I jist checked and he hasn’t visited yet, and doesn’t have a visit planned either. So maybe he’s not high on the list when it comes to our OL transfer options.

    • What’s with the Central Catholic DT?

      He’s a space-eater who needs development. But being a space-eater has value. And his talents are that he’s actually pretty good in short spaces… which is why he’s a great space-eater.

      He’ll register zero tackles all day, but you’ll have to run to one side or the other , because he isn’t moving in the trenches in ways the O would want him to move.

  41. 3
    1

    @MHver3:

    “My first post of 2024…lots of smoke continuing to build on a possible merger of ACC/B12/Pac with a knock out “benefactor”. FSU on the clock: Expected to announce their intentions to leave ACC by the end of the month possibly for the 2026 football season-I’ll have more soon.”

    In regards to Kliavkoff firing

    “I was told “as early as” (the 2nd). Didn’t happen as early as. Give it time. It’s coming soon.”

    • They need to trot Kliavkoff out there if UW wins the national title. The fact they’re in that game is the only reason he’s still around. Not saying it makes sense, but he’d be gone by now.

      Maybe they’ll 1 up the airport tarmac firing setting and do it at the title game on live tv?

      • 6
        1

        It makes perfect sense to trot Kliavkoff out after a UW win.

        And if I were Murthy and Schultz, I would tell him he has to stay on the stage for the whole thing–no running off the stage like last time.

        Then tarmac him.

      • 1
        1

        I don’t think apparel companies pay money, so much as they just supply unis/gear/shoes and are guaranteed they are exclusively used by the schools. Some of the biggest schools can demand some on top, because their markets for licensed apparel are huge, and their fans like to spend money. But for the most part, schools get unis, and coaches get endorsement deals.

        Finding companies to do that, instead of the three big ones, is probably not likely. But there are several brands out there who are better as sport-specific brands, so a piecemeal approach might work. Asics for VB.

    • I know fans would love to see the Beavs drop Nike (myself included) but don’t think it will ever happen. OSU is a Tier-1 Nike school and I don’t think they get nearly as good of a deal with any other brand especially with the current market. Uncle Phil even donated to keep Pat Casey around when Notre Dame was throwing $ at him. They were probably part of the “anonymous” gifts to help finish Reser too. Billionaires are weird.

      • 4
        3

        I’m fine with Nike, they already have the perfect uniform for us too. The 2010 Civil War Giant Killer uniforms were perfect.

        Add ‘Old Benny’ pride stickers to the blank flat black helmet and you’re set.

        • 2
          3

          The concept is fine, but Nike apparel is cheapo crap that adheres to the concept of planned obsolescence… without trying.

          I would buy any licensed product created by Columbia. They are a trusted apparel company. Nike can play with deez nuts.

      • 3
        3

        Phil Knoght has donated zero dollars to Pat Casey and Oregon State.

        ZERO.. DOLLARS.

        What Phil Knight did as CEO of Nike was to increase Nike’s endorsement deal with Casey, so as to make potential poaching less enticing to the poached. Since it was done in talks with Casey himself, we should assume they knew what was happening.

        But Phil Knight hasn’t even paid a “donation” that would “guarantee” his chance to buy a skybox. He has given zero dollars to OSU.

        Stop pretending he has done so.

  42. Yes, I’m watching the Beav/Husky MBB game. They just showed a graphic that Big Tink’s record is 294-253. Is that correct? I didn’t think his overall 10-year record was 41 games over,500.

      • 300 games, and only a handful have not been painful to watch.

        If Zach Snyder made a film about Tinks at OSU, it would be a marriage made in heaven.

        • It just makes the end of that season in 2021 and elite 8 run so special.

          It wasn’t because of WT. All parties involved need to accept this, get divorced and move on.

    • He was 158-91 (64%) @ Montana for 8 seasons before Beavs hired him, took them to 3 NCAA and 1 CBI appearance his last 4 seasons.

      136-163 (45%) in his 10th season @ OSU. 1 NCAA berth in 2016 and the run to the Elite 8 in 2021.

      294-254 (53%) overall.

    • Bes also clearing the bench vs UW. Gavin Mars and Thomas Ndong…both freshman. Is WT starting to build that yearly narrative that were young and inexperienced? Backs it up by being able to show the minutes the freshman are playing? I’ve watched a fair amount of the men’s bb so far this year and don’t recall either of these guys getting any action at all.

      • 1
        1

        Except for UA, the Pac 12 sucks rotten eggs at hoops this year.

        I mean… we are bad. Oregon is still undefeated, and they absolutely suck.

        • Not so bold prediction. Beavis will not win a game in the month of January. Next win will.come in February when WSU and UW come to Corvallis.

          The schedule is not kind. I looked

          • 4
            1

            I like to think that OSU and WSU are going to sacrifice any potential Pac12 wins in order to help get as many Pac12 teams into the tournament as possible. And then we’ll take all of the money from their NCAA tournament credits. All part of the plan

          • I hope Barnes is smart enough to use some of the money to buy out Tink’s contract. This madness has got to stop at some point. I’m suspicious though that Barnes will look at going to the WCC as a fresh start for Tinkle. God knows he doesn’t deserve a fresh start.

  43. Any body know the script for these departures? I assume the player notifies the coaching staff before portal entry – phone, txt, in-person? Who signs what papers? Is there a frosty handshake? I haven’t seen any of those gruesome postings, I’ll always be a beaver but after discussion with family, yada, yada . . .

    • It’s on the players to fill out the paperwork and file it with the athletic dept. I think compliance then files it with the NCAA. They don’t have to notify the coaches but I would say few departures are complete surprises. With the portal, there’s no reason to burn bridges since guys may be able to transfer multiple times. A real world lesson, at least appear to leave a job on good terms.

      • Also, they could remove themselves from portal and come back so unless there was something serious going on, you’d assume it would be done on “good” terms. That said, you’d assume that a lot of these proven guys must have some assurances they’d have a home so that begs the question on when contact is being made, etc. Really hurts to lose these OL guys for sure. Tanner was viable in multiple spots which helps tremendously.

  44. 1
    1

    favor, please, from one of you fellows who follows this closely, what is the running total of Beavs who have officially signed with traitor Smith’s new school?

    • Rowser and Singleton would both be good additions. Rowser was originally a 4* Arkansas commit out of HS but never ended up there. With about 20 P5 offers including Michigan and Alabama. Lots of potential.

      Singleton was a freshman all-american at Southern Utah. Spent a season at Liberty too.

  45. 7
    1

    I pray that Dame is getting taken care of by the OSU NILs and gets some scratch in the league in a year or two when his time comes. He’s probably (certainly?) leaving some money on the table with his loyalty to OSU. He’s definitely reached OSU legend status for his commitment to the program.

  46. WBB holding their own against UCLA in the first quarter, but a very suspect call against Beers gives her two fouls already and she’s on the bench.

  47. 8
    1

    Especially considering over a million dollars worth of it was crowd sourced, I feel as though the fanbase is entitled to some transparency regarding the DamNation fund. Who are the payments going to? What was done to try and retain players with the fund? I assume Martinez is getting quite a large chunk of the NIL fund, but how exactly is it being spent?

  48. 3
    1

    I think jam coming back is a huge recruiting win now and possibly for the future. Having a guy that’s left and came back can share with guys on the team that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

    I just hope we have a decent line to run behind!

    • Did he actually visit this weekend? Saw that he was scheduled to visit, don’t know if he did. Similar frame to Xe’ree Alexander who I had high hopes for becoming a Beaver, but doesn’t seem like Alexander has any interest in Beavs. He was at Michigan State earlier this weekend, at Cal right now.

    • Recent possible OL targets

      Juco OT Casey Fuaau
      Juco OT Jakob Lemus
      Juco OT Jonah Tauanu’u
      Florida transfer LG Richie Leonard IV

      • 1
        1

        I’m glad they’re looking at tackle. We definitely need one or two to come in and compete for a starting job. Not sure how much I trust strand, tank, and morano. A couple of guys to push for those spots would definitely help.

      • Jonah was an Oregon player at one time right? Did he transfer to a jc? He was rated very highly out of high school and would be a huge get.

    • Been thinking the exact same thing the last couple days. No idea on Bloomfield, but Brewer seems to be a possibility just from the interactions I’ve seen him have on the socials.

  49. Former Beaver recruited by Anderpants Trajon Cotton got absolutely bullied in the FCS championship game today.

    Safe to say that Bray’s “rebuild” is at a much better starting point than Smith’s.

  50. ex-Florida OG Richie Leonard IV was Florida’s third-best OL this past season. PFF grade of 64. Had a similar grade in 2022 in lighter duty.

    Devan’s Charlotte team actually played against him this past season. Who knows if that means anything or not.

  51. Sounds like we’re picking up another a big DL. Nike transfer from the state of Utah who was a true frosh last season. Played 4 snaps.

  52. 10

    Regarding the former Oregon OT who played at Camino Juco, Jonah Tauanu’u.
    Sounds like we’ve been in contact with him from time to time, but it’s very preliminary at this point.
    I don’t know what the extent of his injury was that caused him to medically retire from that Cristobal team, but from the JUCO 2023 film, he seems to be moving really well, plus he’s just really solid athlete, manhandling the smaller defensive players. Was a top 70 recruit coming out of HS in 2019.
    I like the idea of bringing in guys who have been humbled early in their careers and have something to prove.

  53. USAToday mock:

    25. Philadelphia Eagles – Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State

    Maybe this seems like a luxury for a team that has undergone a full-blown defensive collapse late in the season. But Howie Roseman’s affinity for building up his line is well-documented, and the massively powerful Fuaga could be a short-term option at guard while shaping up as a potential long-term replacement for Lane Johnson at right tackle.

  54. 3
    3

    hey Angry: since tonight is the end of the college football season, and the most active part of the year on this site, why don’t you team with the other editors (like One Old Beav) and do an annual awards announcement? To get you started, I nominate Electric Eye as Rookie of the Year. I don’t remember him being on site until recently but he’s offering great stuff. Two other categories to consider: most valuable contributor, and most improved contributor.

  55. 4
    1

    This site has a variety of longtime reliable posters and many have contributed in magnificent ways. The treachery we have all witnessed and endured over the last 5 months should only bring the angrybeav family closer together. JS has galvanized the crew to new heights of visceral fury.

    Keep the eyes alert and the skepticism level at high as we head into the heart of MBB season. Mitch and the boys may bring the trophy home but it will not be until June so hang in there angrybeavs everywhere.

    Go Michigan just to see the traitors get beat.

    • 4
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      It’s interesting. I don’t feel that way about Smith at all. It makes total sense to go play big boy football (lol) if you’ve turned yourself into a big time coach. This is how I knew he’d be gone the moment the news broke about the Conference. There was no doubt in my mind he’d be gone, and any player who proved themselves would be gone. It’s business, not personal. It’s decades of OSU incompetence/Riley/status quo/”we can’t do better” mindset that has lead to this. We thought we could suck the Conference teet without bringing anything to the table, and they called our bluff, and the emperor was left standing there naked with no clothes. I mean, objectively, that’s what happened.

      • 16

        For me, it’s more about Smith being an emotionless robot and just 1 day being out the door and also poaching our current players in the process.
        Sure, go take your new job, but start building something new at the new place. Don’t strip the copper wires and pipes from the walls on the way out. OSU didn’t do him wrong, he shouldn’t have a reason to strip this program apart on the way out.

        • 4
          10

          They’re his players who he spent hours if not days recruiting, so it makes sense. I’m sure a lot of them wanted to follow him, and he probably didn’t even have to ask them. All of this is normal NCAAF business, and OSU fans are taking it personally. The big problem here is we spent two decades justifying mediocrity. When the conference called us out on that (seriously, what did we contribute?), then suddenly we care. The time to care was 20 years ago so to avoid this situation all together. I tried to stress that here. I said over and over we contribute nothing and would wind up in the MWC…

          • 7
            2

            Blah, blah, blah, blah….

            Several schools that have seats in P4 conferences haven’t done much more than OSU and several have been worse in the last 20 years.

          • Yeah, deep down there is a part of me that hates what he did as a famed alumni of OSU. But the business side of me can understand it.
            For me JS leaving had more to do with how he coached this last season… one foot in and one foot out. He was getting paid to do a job, do the job! We had the players in place to get the job done just as well if not better then the previous year. Yes one could make the argument that OSU paid him to recruit so the players were not his to take. but we all know that is just not how it is these days with college football so I get it. But the games we lost coincide with the times his foot was out so tells me we didn’t get what we paid for this year. I felt used by him this year.

          • 14

            Fuck JS, only making like 1.5 mil more. He’s a fucking pathetic human being with no integrity. Going to be enjoyable watching him crash and burn

          • It’s not that he left, but the how, the when and the hypocrisy he’s displayed. Don’t tell your players to lock in and commit for 4 months then turn around and take interviews in sep/Oct. Also, did knowing he was leaving determine plays that he called during the season? Really throws a lot of uncertainty on some of the really asinine play calls…even for him. Also, decision to not play Chiles vs Ducks. And don’t give me that shot about them wanting to give DJ all the snaps as it might be his last game. Really seems like he threw in the towel well before the season ended and how would’ve those losses been different had he waited until after CW to pursue other schools. The Apple Notes screen shot is Busch league but whatever. Also, why drop the knowledge he was leaving to some/all of the team the day before the CW? WTF is that about?

            I get some of his players want to follow him but when did these conversations take place? Was there also tampering going on? Lots of uncertainty around Coach Legi and the manner of his release, etc and I’m not sure I’ve ever heard the “real” truth on what happened there.

          • 2
            8

            Every coach is a hypocrite who does the same thing. Players shouldn’t buy into coaches but their best opportunity to advance (if that’s their goal) in the game.

          • Yeah, that’s the only part I have a problem with Smith about. You can’t tell your players the day before the biggest game of the season that you’re leaving. That’s a rat move.

          • Of course we take it personal, we’re fans of our team. If it’s not personal to you then you’re just an objective observer, or just a fan of the sport. But if you’re a true fan of a team, then it’s personal. We fly their flags at our homes, we wear their colors on our bodies, we donate hard earned money to the school. Damn right it’s personal.

          • 2
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            Dooz, that’s simply not true. I’m as big a fan as anyone, but if someone is good at their job and a rising star, I don’t expect them to stay at OSU when OSU higher ups can’t even get us to stay in a relevant conference. Smith would have stayed if OSU was going to be playing in meaningful games vs good competition.

          • That’s just priorities and time management…. when you consider fall weather, terrible game presentations/announcing, you can take advantage of the day and watch highlights in 25 minutes or less as opposed to 3 hours…or catch part of the game…

            He DID after all create a site to discuss Beaver athletics….so, prtty big fan.

          • I didn’t say anything about my expectations for Smith. You said we’re taking it personal (like we shouldn’t), but we do because we’re fans. We have emotional and financial investment in the team. That makes it personal.

          • He was fairly compensated for the hours/days recruiting. Those are things the school invested in as well. Comes with the job description.
            but tampering with players who are not in the portal is definitely not part of the job description.

          • 2
            9

            Smith seems to have Asperger’s or something like it. I just figure that’s why he left so abruptly and was awkward in interviews. I’d take him back if we ever get into a real conference, and he wanted to return. I don’t take this personally. In fact, I’d leave OSU under his circumstances. If I were a really good up and coming coach, I’d leave rather than play vs bad competition. So, I get his perspective 100%. I don’t know about tampering etc. I’m sure players reached out to him, etc. I’m sure he wants to take the guys he recruited, and it makes sense that the guys he recruited want to play for him.

          • 2
            12

            People get way too hung up on loyalty. Then they get indignant when that breaks down. There’s no loyalty in college football, period. That is (1) players who transfer for better opportunities/money, (2) coaches who bail for a new school (3) coaches who bail to get a promotion (4) fans who turn off games or don’t attend games when the team is bad, etc.

            It’s a sport based around being disloyal. So where does this ideal of loyalty come from? It seems like a pipe dream people want to believe in but has never really existed. On the flip side, people perceived Riley as loyal, and that made them put up with his mediocrity. Way too much emphasis and weight being put on loyalty above what really matters: production.

            Smith was productive. If we ever get into a good conference, and he wants to come back, we should take him. He’s productive. Loyalty doesn’t matter. It’s an idealistic concept that’s not realistic in the NCAAF landscape with players, fans, or coaches.

            OSU’s predicament is on OSU’s upper end (lack of) leadership and low expectations over the past 20 years. It culminated in this scenario. It was obvious this was a very likely outcome if you were being objective. People are taking it out on Smith.

          • 2
            2

            Yeah, that’s the only part I have a problem with Smith about. You can’t tell your players the day before the biggest game of the season that you’re leaving. That’s a rat move.

            Yeah, this was stupid. I assume he has Asperger’s or some condition and doesn’t know how to fully interact with society. I’ve seen enough weirdness to think this is true and more the issue than anything else. But yeah, somehow this should not have happened, even if he does have some condition. Someone on the staff should have stepped in and explained to him that’s not how to do things. Lol. They should have explained the math of 4th down while having that difficult conversation, too.

          • Might explain the crying at introductory press conferences too. His brain doesn’t quite know how to process the emotions of the moment and he starts weeping. If you watched the Michigan State intro press conference, he even got choked up at that one too.

          • Angry, there’s systems for (2) coaches who bail for a new school and (3) coaches who bail for a promotion, and most fans understand that movement like you describe does happen. Some grumble and yes will make a stink but understand that coaches desire to advance their career.

            None of that has anything to do with disloyalty.

            None of that has anything to do in this specific example of “how” Smith chose to leave.

            His choice. And his planning in how he decided to do it.

            I have no skin over “loyalty” to the Beavers; I never attended the school, and only attended the occasional game when they happened to play away games near where I lived.

            What transpired was despicable.

      • 5
        2

        every school goes through this… in multiple sports. it just happens until someone with any ambition and ability lands at your school.

        Since 2008, how many Conference Champions have come from Los Angeles?

        Who’s sucking teats?

        • 1
          1

          Jack has the obvious counter-argument for the “who is contributing?” line of justification. USC/UCLA then UW/UO all made the same arguments that they were holding the banner and the mantle for the entire conference over the last 30 years.

          Newsflash- Stanford has the most national championships across all sports, OSU has 3 baseball titles, UA has a baseball title, UA has a MBB title, USC’s last football title (2004/20 years ago!) was vacated because they were cheaters. And the “conference of champions” leans pretty heavily on tennis, beach volleyball and track and field rather football over the years to make the claim.

      • I think ppl weren’t surprised/shocked he chose to leave; it’s the manner in which he did.

        “It’s just business, not personal,” was just a foil used as an excuse.

  56. 1
    1

    Yardbarker (yeah i know…) on big performances in PAC history:

    Yeesh, 1954 Stanfiord v. OSU

    “Jerry Drew was nothing more than a backup, but the Cal back made his mark on the record books when he came off the bench against Oregon State in 1954. After rushing for just 15 yards on four attempts in the first half of a 25-0 blowout lead over the Beavers, Cal put in the reserves to get some late-season run.

    Jerry Drew made the most of his opportunity.

    Drew ended the day with 283 yards on 11 carries … an unreal 25.7 yards per carry. And if you are marginally good at math, you’d see that he gained 268 of that on seven carries in the second half — a 38.3-yards per-carry average. Drew ran for a 67-yard touchdown. Then a 59-yard TD. Then, a 55-yard score. His school record for rushing yards would stand until 2008 when Jahvid Best topped it, but his 25.7 yards per carry on that day is the oldest record still on the conference books. ”

    Beavers make the list a few times…2000 win over USC, 2009 almost-Rose Bowl against Ducks…

    Most of it is throwaway stuff, but i was curious to see if/where Beavers were included:

    https://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/amp/the_best_moments_in_pac_12s_football_history_010624/s1__39224252

  57. If I correctly read Ralph Russo’s story about today’s CFP board meeting, Kirk Schultz voted in favor of the rule stipulating that the six conference champions qualifying for the 12 team field have to come from an 8 team conference, yet he asked for and got a delay on going to the 5 conference champions (4 of which would be the so-called power conferences) 7 at large team format. Is the logic of that move a good faith for the good of the game maneuver while still holding some leverage, including the possibility the PAC becomes a power conference again? Thoughts?

    • I’m sure that’s the goal of the P2. It’s not realistic to expect to remain a 2-team conference indefinitely AND get an auto bid to the playoffs. In order to be taken seriously, we have to take actions toward becoming a serious conference (again).

      • 1
        1

        When is the official date that the Pac12 belongs to the Pac2?
        My guess is OSU/WSU are waiting until they own it all outright then they will go shop it out to the P4 conferences. There has been a lot of rumors about BIG12 – ACC – Pac merger. I would think this will be much easier to do when OSU/WSU own it out right. And if I were a betting man I’d bet on that happening.

  58. Tuiaki has really paid dividends so far. He’s picked up some nice DL pieces. Seems like they might be wanting to use more size on the line. I think this is the most size on the line I can remember.

    • There a guy on X looking at the DL and I think he’s counting 6+ dudes over 300lbs. Think that’s really the last remnants of the Tibs defense…not having the true size on DL.

    • Ya the season was already going to be heard enough with the coaching changes and everything. It’s a stupid decision and I hope they don’t continue it.

    • Yep. Made that point the other day. Defense will have 1 starter returning in Robinson and 10 guys that, for the most part, didn’t get any meaningful time outside the bowl game. A couple of them returning from pretty serious injuries. Offense might have 2 returning starters? Dame and 1 OL. So yeah, it’ll be a bloodbath and really a look into the future of the CW if the Beavs can’t land back into a P4 conference.

    • Classes for Winter term begin today (8th), but they have until the 14th to get enrolled so they can register for classes without dept approval, or up until the 21st to register with departmental approval (likely to get it for incoming athletes).

      OSU has an advantage in being on a Quarter system vs Semester and I imagine Bray might try to delay Spring Practice until after the the start of Spring term (April 1st) so that they can add additional transfers before practice starts.

        • Next portal window opens in April. But if the player is in the portal, they’ve got until fall camp to show up I’d guess.

        • Technically, because OSU is on the Quarter system and does not begin Fall term until 9/25, they could accept transfers even after the season has already started, such as if they lose out on a position battle in Fall camp.

          Realistically, they’ll want as many newcomers (Freshman and Portal) that don’t make it in time for Spring Practice to be on-campus by the start of summer term 6/24, but some Freshman and x-fers won’t arrive until the start of Fall camp at the beginning of August.

  59. 1
    1

    @MHver3:

    “Oh the things I wish I could share today… lots of maneuvering happening to try to position Pac2 to get AQ status back in the event of a merger/backfill.”

  60. Traitor Smith strikes again. Mat Kanan, Assistant AD and Director of Athletic Annual Giving leaves OSU for the same position at Mich State. Lol.

  61. Who you boys got for tonites game? It will be interesting to see if the Dogs high powered offense can score enough on Mich stout defense. I know defense usually wins Championships but I’d rather have the high powered offense with a good defense versus a super stout “d” and a good offense. It will be a fun game to watch.

    • There may have been seven, one kid and family seemed to show up later in the day. Of the originial six though- Patterson, Vadrawale, Pome’e, and Moala. Singleton was at WVU on a visit, I’m pretty sure about that. Btw, I didn’t have any names, just knew the number on visits. But when I saw Pome’e name listed earlier, and put it with the pic, I knew without a doubt he was one of the guys I saw. Aidan Sullivan definitely was here as well. We’ll see if he commits.

  62. Anybody have a recent scholarahip number estimate after all of the transfers in and out?
    We also have at least Durant and Freauff for the late signing period to add.
    I think I’m counting 29 additions so far since the season ended (HS recruits and transfers)

  63. What do you guys think of the quality of new recruits overall? Are we doing pretty well considering our circumstances? Are we coming even close to being as competitive as before?

    • Skill level wise, I feel like we’re still pulling in pretty comparable athletes. The big experiment is how well do all of these new guys gel as team. It’s a ton of new faces to put together in a short period of time, and not a ton of experienced guy with any continuity are left on the team.

      • I’d say the talent potential is there but the overall game experience is missing on a lot of these pieces. Having Singleton sign is huge. He and Robinson on the outside can be a huge boost from a scheme perspective. Otherwise, we’re getting guys that are looking to play but haven’t done much on the field yet.

    • I’m feeling better than I thought I might be a month ago. Looks like Trent and company is doing some good work in filling our needs. Now, if he could just get Michigan’s O and D lines…..

  64. 4
    1

    New CB Kobe Singleton from Liberty:
    -62 PFF grade last season, 64 the year before. (for reference our guys last season were all mid/high-60’s)
    -Really good tackler, not great in coverage
    -Good coverage grades early in the season against bowl teams BGSU and NMSU, then fell off pretty hard the rest of the year
    -58 grade against Nike was basically about as good as our CB’s did, so maybe he’ll fit right in!

    Probably roughly in line with the guys we currently have.

      • I asked above and someone answered.

        Tevita was the one who picked up the Cal fumble and scored in 1999 that sealed the end of the 28 year losing streak.

        I didn’t know he was no longer with us.

        • I was sitting in the stands at Parker Stadium at that late afternoon-into-evening game on that historic day. There was a news broadcaster going around wanting to interview people on how they felt about ‘the streak’ ending. He came up to me and I told him to talk to the older couple sitting behind me as they clearly had suffered the agony of 28 losing seasons longer than me and probably had a better story.

        • “Fans swarmed onto the Reser Stadium turf afte the win, but there was no frenzied celebration. Strangely, the orange and black-clad throng was almost orderly as it cheered and slowly filed out of the stadium.”

          I mean, once you watch the goalpost walk out of the stadium and up toward the quad… in an orderly fashion… why deviate?

  65. 11

    UW was gifted 4 conference games by bad calls/no calls and didn’t really deserve to be in this game. Such a charade.
    Penix is great but classic result of a finesse passing offense getting destroyed by a big fast physical
    Defense. Glad to see the Huskies get beaten down.

    • He’s off tonight though. Making the wrong reads and is dinged up. He wasn’t touched in the Texas game. Give credit to Michigans defense.

    • 4
      1

      Speaking of charades……

      You could potentially have two teams from the same conference play each other during the regular season in conference play, again in the conference championship game and a third time in the CFP even potentially in the title game.

      Moving to super conferences and expanding the CFP to 12 teams won’t water down the product at all.

      Would anyone have wanted to see UW/UO a third time? I guess beating a team twice isn’t good enough anymore.

      Ridiculous

      But none of us saw this coming. Smfh.

      • The old bowl system with subjective national champions and real conference champions of regional conference along with a bunch of Independents that were also powers.

        The sport was unique, it had evolved organically and it was great.

        Once the PAC/B1G and Rose caved and the BCS was born all of this was inevitable, that was the Rubicon.

  66. 13
    2

    The team that looks to be on its way to winning the national championship has had its head coach suspended twice THIS SEASON for cheating. Lovely.

      • 12
        1

        This is UWs best shot with a roster of 6th year seniors and a top 10 NFL draft pick qb. They will not get better in the Big10. Enjoy the beatdowns from here on out. Same for USC, UCLA and Oregon.

        Michigan has done this to everyone. And now Penix might have some cracked ribs or be imjured.

        • 14
          1

          No natty, travel, half shares, beat downs, shitty playing weather, fucking over their own Olympic sports…this is all so delicious

          • They will have to pay Deboar too this offseason. His contract right now would rank 12th in the BIG10 at $4.2M. Have to think it goes up to near $9 million. I would guess that some alumni will step up to fund it though.

      • That would be awesome if the Michigan fanbase got one day to revel in this and then their coach leaves. Talk about poetic justice!

    • Yupper, and he was lightly sentenced. Preferable to UW,’s lying, 2-faced president. The thought of she and GK together in the spotlight was unbearable.

      • 15
        4

        It would be a perfect scenario for Harbaugh to leave for San Diego in the morning, DeBoer to get the Michigan job on Wednesday, Saban to retire Thursday and Lanning to jump to Alabama on Friday.

        Then by next Monday PAC2 signs an agreement with ACC/Big12 for a super conference with a mega media streaming deal through Amazon and Apple using the PAC12 network assets to thwart the ESPN takeover of college football as the DeathStar.

        The 36 team super conference would be a return to normal regional ties with inter regional matchups built in. Stanford and Cal return west, a handful of MWC schools get brought in and the traitors get to suffer at half the revenue and twice the travel.

        ESPN is currently negotiating for exclusive rights to the CFP for the next 8 years at a $1.5 billion price tag. I can’t imagine the ACC, Big12, PAC signing off on it if they are actually considering a mega conference merger.
        I’d say ESPN is running a giant bluff before they collapse from antitrust lawsuits.

        • 1
          1

          Thinking that it was no accident that Lanning was in ‘the booth’ during halftime last night. Why not have Saban or Smart or even Kiffin, for that matter – those teams finished ahead of Oregon and their beat down of #23 Liberty. There might be something to the scenario presented. What else does Harbaugh have to prove at Michigan?

          • Yeah, terrible idea having an up and coming coach on there. I wish they had the same people on year after year. Don’t we complain ESPN is always touting the SEC teams and coaches?

  67. Just when you’re think shit cant get any more retarded…..

    I’m not gonna link it but there’s an article on Oregon live “is it ok for Oregon to root for Washington?”

    No wonder journalism is dead.

    • It’s funny how the contrived “rivalry” between the puppies and the Phils has really only blossomed in the last 20 years–during which time the Phils took the puppies for a walk for how many years in a row?

      Who knew that UW siding with Cal when the webfoots were caught paying for players would retroactively mean some kind of rivalry… that forced the Phighting Phils to join the school they ostensibly hate and to leave behind the only two schools who stayed by their side?

    • An underwhelming end to a kick-in-the-balls last “PAC” season.

      OSU peaks @ #10 v. UW, Smith with a foot out the door, a distracted CW game with Chiles held out for MSU, Smith bolts, depleted roster steamrolled in El Paso, a coach suspended twice for cheating wins the NC over a school that undercut its own conference.

      I did have fun at the @ WSU and v. UW games….Reser was fun, and it was good to walk through campus on the way to the game.

      I hope Bray can bridge to a future conference. Seems like acquiring an OLine and returning to tackling will be key needs to be competitive. There are some offensive players there with an inexperienced, 4*(?) dual threat QB, Martinez, Griffin, Newell, incoming receivers…beefing up the DLine…

  68. 16

    So I guess “west coast football is soft and can’t play big boy football.”
    If the evidence supports the narrative…

    Funny how Huskies were so disrespected by this narrative, but couldn’t prove it wrong. They were clearly one of if not the biggest catalyst to the collapse of the Pac12 because their egos were so out of control. Their egos have to be pretty bruised after getting their asses handed to them by their new conference mates.
    They get what they fucking deserve.

    • Top 5 included Cal, Wazzu, Beavs, SDSU and Wyoming. Good to have some LB depth. Wouldn’t mind seeing another OL though. Maybe a experienced WR…although I haven’t seen much on X about any WR we’re in the hunt for.

    • Sullivan’s film. Looks like he was pretty productive. Feels like Bray adding Heyward as DC has pretty quickly paid off with Defensive recruiting.
      It’s been a little quieter on the offensive side of the ball besides at RB. Seems like OL/WR/TE all could use some reinforcements. TE doesn’t have much of anybody after they moved Jermaine Terry to defense and lost Velling/Overman/Sharpe from last year’s squad. Wonder if we’ll even use a TE much in Gundy’s offense?

      https://www.hudl.com/profile/11253670/Aiden-Sullivan

        • 1
          1

          I’m liking forward to having normal size receivers that can compete for catches and block downfield with some strength.
          Find a good receiver who is about 6’3” and run him out of the TE spot rather than forcing an undersized wr or blocking te to become a pass catcher.

          I think some of those big defensive ends could or have likely played TE in high school. I’d guess the goal is to assess and not panic after Veiling left.

      • Bray called out TE as a need on signing day. I wonder if they’re keeping Terry there given the way numbers have shaken out the last few weeks.

  69. It’s hard keeping up with all the xfer activity. We’ve landed 2 corners and 1 safety correct? Liberty and TCU corners and the JUCO safety. DL is at 2 with the guy from Houston and the recent xfer from Yucks. We’ve gotten 2 LBs…Moala and Sullivan. 2 QBs. 2 OL. 1 RB. Who else am I forgetting?

    • Also: Tygee Hill DL LSU, Sai Vadrawale DB CAL, Nick Norris DL/EDGE Northern Colorado, Amarion York S JUCO, Gyriece Goodman LB JUCO, and Jam transferring back as well.

    • 10

      Current Portal/Juco haul (1/9/24):

      OL Van Wells (Colo)
      OL Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan (Colo)

      DL Nick Norris (N. Colo)
      DL Amipeleasi Langi (Houston)
      DL Tygee Hill (LSU)
      DL Tevita Pome’e (Oregon)

      CB Mason White (TCU)
      CB Sai Vadrawale III (CAL)
      CB Kobe Singleton (Liberty)

      S Amarion York (Foothill JC)
      S Jaheim Patterson (Kilgore JC)

      ILB Aiden Sullivan (Butte JC)
      ILB Gyriece Goodman (Garden City JC)

      RB Anthony Hankerson (Colo)
      RB Jam Griffin (Ole Miss)

      QB Gevani McCoy (Idaho)
      QB Gabarri Johnson (Mizzou)

      • 8
        1

        yes. this is a great service. I’m wondering if some sub-set of Angry and our recruiting gurus–Zen, Creek, Eye, Nice, the Ohio guys–could do an old fashioned analysis of the portal “class” just like Angry did for high school recruits in days of yore. What would be particularly helpful is to apply the typology that Zen has provided (position and position) offer grades (e.g., A-D) for these new players. An added level of benefit would be to offer a comparison grade for those who left (and where they ended up). I know I’m suggesting a lot of work, but between now and the start of baseball I can’t think of a better service to the readership of this blog.

  70. 6
    4

    It’s very apparent that the powers that be want Nikegon to be in the “Natty” conversation. Early preseason rankings have them ranked 3rd or 4th!!! Money is the ultimate deciding factor here and it’s beyond obvious, they don’t even hide it anymore. Sad.

        • also, tell your brother to open a creamery closer to the valley.

          the coos is too far to justify driving all that way for curds and outlet cuts.

          I have to convince the fam to go to Sunset Bay and then hang out, just for some cheese.

          • We got the history with that cheese factory. My grandfather supplied milk to Bandon Cheese for a lifetime. My dad was OSU alumni and his two siblings followed. Dad brother eventually took over the farm and continued supplying milk to Bandon. Dad went into dairy business after OSU running dairy plants all over the place but ended his career running Bandon Cheese until Tillamook bought them out and he retired. My brother went to OSU and became the head cheese maker for Beecher’s Cheese in Seattle. He has been on Martha Stewart’s show and won numerous cheese awards for his recipes. Tillamook torn down Bandon Cheese even though they weren’t supposed to. My brother got together with a money guy and opened Face Rock Creamery on the same ground Bandon Cheese was on. He used his recipes and built the business eventually opening the place in Coos Bay too. My brother just retired, unfortunately fighting for his life against cancer. So there is a little family history for you.

          • That’s rad!! We used to hit bandon cheese factory all the time living up the hill in Ophir! Now we go back to port orford quite a bit with a stop at face rock.

      • 4
        4

        Um… the Phighting Phils aren’t the ones paying rent, in this scenario.

        They’re just followers hanging on to some weird narrattive of relevance, despite losing money on their current disposition for the next seven years.

        They are literally the B1G bitch for now, no matter how much they win.

        • 1
          1

          Uncle Phil is really going to have step up his bankrolling of the club if they want to try to keep up with big ten heavyweights. It cost them what $7.5 mill application fee plus $6.5 mil pac exit fee this year, plus threw away any future pac residuals so they’ve dug a hole. Moving ahead they’ll be running a $30 mil deficit to the rest of the big ten annually. I suppose that is all chump change to Phil and he’ll just keep writing checks, but he is also 86 years old. What happens when he isn’t around anymore? And in a good year like they had this year they are 3rd best in that conference so that might be their ceiling. What happens if they are an also-ran there? What kind of position will they be in in 2030?

          • 1
            1

            I wonder how the sum of his investments in Duck football (facilities, NIL, switching conferences) would compare to him buying controlling interest in an NFL franchise. You want to buy a championship?!? Why not at the highest level of the sport? Could have gone pro years ago and even tell his GM to draft ducks when available/appropriate….

          • I doubt “investment” here is the right word. I would use expense. If he had bought a controlling interest in an NFL team 25 years ago he would have multiplied his investment by about a factor of 10. (500 million to 5 billion). He’s probably in this solely for the fun of it.

  71. 2
    2

    Great list by ZenBeav above for portal/juco guys incoming. in trying to digest the roster changes and decipher the overall strategy, it seems like there is either a lot of confidence in who stayed or no traction to replace a few key areas, specifically TE, WR, OL…
    At TE Caufield is still on the roster, but seems kind of thin otherwise. Perhaps a hint towards a 4 wide receiver set approach on offense?
    As far as WR, we lost one of the freshmen to transfer, along with Gould/Bolden, which opens up space for new guys to play. We have a 4* signee, and several highly rated redshirt freshmen yet to see the field, again a possible addition by subtraction. No one is proven so all get their chance to shine, in a 4 wide set?
    OL of course brought a couple of guys in from Colorado, but perhaps they weren’t in a very good scheme. If they couldn’t block in a passing offense, why bring them in if that becomes the style here? Perhaps it is a 4 wide set that opens up the field for a run heavy offense with quick RPO routes to slants and crossing routes with quick receivers…
    The biggest question for the offense will be scheming to allow time against pressure if the OLine isn’t as good. I think Gundy has already addressed this with the 2 qb transfers who are very mobile and allow for moving the pocket/designed qb keepers, zone read options, in addition to a normal drop back play action.
    So based on the qbs alone, we likely can discern where they are going with the offense, and I like it a bit better simply as a way to recruit better at the skill positions if you aren’t able to recruit as good on the oline. Load up on wrs, rbs and mobile qbs then do your best to build the oline and essentially play keep away on offense with plays designed to force a defense to cover all areas of the field and force safeties/lbs to run further to help on tackles in space…I imagine this is what Bray meant when he said he wants an offense that he had difficulty stopping. The key will be a qb who can make the throws, make quick decisions, is accurate, is a running threat, and doesn’t get hurt. (Who can find such a young man?)

    I’m excited about the defensive additions and the redshirt guys we haven’t yet seen. Bray will have the defense in great shape by game 3-4. The key with all of these new guys will be whether they know how to tackle by themselves and wrap up. If we have a bunch of guys who like to lead with a flying shoulder block instead of using their arms to wrap up a guy, we are in trouble anyway. Bray ought to begin a process of running steps for every time a guy tries to tackle with only his shoulder, even if he knocks the guy down, it is poor form and won’t be good long term against good teams.
    Spring emphasis should be tackling dummies for half of every practice for the defense, with the ratings for missed tackles posted on the scoreboard as a reminder of how much room there is for improvement. McCoy and Thomas had the bulk of those missed tackles simply because they were young and inexperienced, but the message still needs to be sent for this team to succeed.

    • I think the thing that impressed me the most about the UW/Mich game was how well Michigan tackled in the open field. There were a few plays where a corner or safety was on an island and if they missed it would have resulted in a very long gain or TD. It really does need to be a point of emphasis.

        • 3
          1

          The kids call that a “hit stick” and it’s fucking annoying along the lines of RB/WR reaching out with the football to make 1st down or TD. All horrible fundamentals that would have you riding the pine in the 80s.

          Get off my lawn.

    • The CB’s were the worst offenders, and McCoy was actually one of the better ones (which isn’t saying much). We had 3 of the 6 worst tackling CB’s in the conference (Cooper, Robinson, Thomas). Interestingly, Tyrice Ivy was the highest rated tackler on the team, which was probably why he started the season over the other younger guys. Too bad he was so weak in coverage. Maybe next year?

      Kane was also the worst tackling S in the conference. Lolohea was bottom three for edge defenders.

      Looking at PFF’s tackling rating, only Ivy, Hart, Golden, Stover, and Oladapo received above average ratings in that area out of our top 20 defensive players by snaps.

      • I’ve heard comments by coaches about NCAA rules limiting live tackling in practices. Is that true? Can a program decide to heavily feature live tackling as a normal practice protocol or is it limited under the guise of “player safety”?

  72. Robinson posted on IG that he is back for another year. Think he had to apply for a medical hardship right? It wasn’t a foregone conclusion he could return?

      • Would be nice but I’ll take his leadership and coverage ability for sure. Gonna be a lot of new and young bodiesback there so having him back is huge.

  73. Man, LB commit Aiden Sullivan looks like a beast. Great size and speed on film. He’s a man amongst boys at the JC level. “First-team All-American” according to the CA JC association (I’m not sure why they call them AA’s because it looks like it’s just for the state of CA). Led his team in tackles, TFL’s, and second in pass breakups. Moves well in coverage and wraps up well on tackles.

    Two-way player in HS. Fractured his leg his freshman year of HS and had to battle back from injury. Seems like maybe he still plays through soreness from the metal rod in his leg?
    https://www.desertsun.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2021/11/18/aiden-sullivan-the-heartbeat-twentynine-palms-football-thriving-after-gruesome-2019-injury/8630696002/

  74. Between the JC LB’s, I would rate Sullivan higher than Goodman. I wrote up Sullivan above.

    Goodman looks like a smart player. Seems to read the play well and he’s always around the ball and good in coverage. Navigates traffic pretty well and makes plays between the tackles. I don’t know how to compare non-CA JC to CA JC, but it does look like he played against a bunch of the best JC’s in the country and his stats were pretty good against them.

    He’s not as explosive as Sullivan and doesn’t look like as strong of a tackler. His tackle stats look good, but he has a pretty high percentage of assisted tackles vs. solo tackles (which you see on his highlights).

    Fun fact: he was JC teammates with former OSU “one who got away” recruit Shakaun Bowser. IIRC Bowser was one of the signing day drama guys. Goodman was way more productive at the JC level.

    One thing I’m noticing is both guys look much better in coverage than our LB crop of recent years. They aren’t necessarily big guys that play through contact well, but they move well in the open field.

    • A little more on Gyriece Goodman because I also found his HS tape.

      Like Sullivan, he was also a two-way player in HS, playing WR/RB and LB. He looks like he was one of those guys who was clearly the best athlete on the team so they just moved him where they needed to. He’s a turnover machine and seems to be one of those guys that goes for the strip, but sometimes misses the tackle in doing so. Lack of consistent tackling form shows up on HS film more than JC, so I get the impression he’s still refining his game. He definitely put on weight from HS to JC. He also has a pick six highlight with a little note on the screen that says “tore my PCL the play before.” Skills in coverage show up in HS tape, too.

      I like that he barely played freshman year in JC, didn’t quit, then became a starter and leading tackler the next season. After not being recruited out of HS, a lot of guys would have packed it in at that point. You can kind of tell on Hudl which guys on the team are getting the most recruiting interest based on views, etc. and he wasn’t even in the top 5 on his team his senior year of HS.

    • Garden city cc has been fairly solid since the days of the first Last Chance U right? Record want great this year but I think they’re usually a successful program.

  75. Oladapo is out of eligibility, correct? Why would he need to declare for the NFL draft? I didn’t know that was a thing. Did he have a medical hardship possibility?

    • No eligibility left. Declaring is a thing. Two or three other guys already did it too. I don’t get it, but I’m not a 20-something year old.

          • 1
            1

            No, players that are out of eligibility are automatically placed into the draft pool.

            Players don’t have a relationship with the NFL till they sign a contract which they’re under zero obligation to do if they don’t like the team that’s drafts them.

  76. The JC safety crop is less exciting than the JC LB crop to me. Safety still seems like a position of concern for next year. We really need the injured guys to come back strong.

    • Was just hearing this! Should we still expect transfers around this time of year? The edge pod made it sound like there might not be any movement til after spring camp.

          • Nice, hope to see it come to fruition. Feels like we’re a little high scholarship wise at this point and may need some defections before we can bring in too many more bodies. Will be interesting to see where those numbers really are right now

          • By my count:
            12 signed
            4 Commits
            15 transfers in
            21 In

            10 portal out
            19 NFL/Eligibility Out
            29 Out

            Could have a few more not return.

            Would seem we have room to add more, not sure how scholarships fall with all the departures tho.

  77. 5
    2

    Coaching Carousel Fun:

    How about Harbaugh to SEA to replace “What’s-your-deal-coach” Carrol, to and try one-up him, and live in the middle of the UW fanbase? I know Seahawk and Dawg fans aren’t the same, but it strikes me as an amusing context…

    Lanning to Bama would be hilarious…Duck QB follows him with another transfer…UO fans say they didn’t want Lanning anyway, and embrace as HC a former Michigan offensive quality control coach who just started shaving and “really has a unique ability to connect with recruits.” Contract incentives include an alcohol buyer and prima nocta arrangement with Duck cheerleaders.

    Bray finally gets his DC in “I’ve-still-got-energy” Pete Carrol, and together by end of season 2, their awesome D is feared, young players are transferring in and committing, Carrol lands nice NIL deal with AARP, but then Carrol has recruiting violations and leaves team, citing hip replacement surgery needs….

    • “Carroll didn’t sound like someone ready to stop coaching.

      “I’m freakin’ jacked. I’m fired up,” Carroll said. “I’m not tired. I’m not worn down. You guys tried your best. You didn’t wear me out. It’s the end of the season and I’m supposed to go lay on a cot somewhere. I ain’t feeling like that.”

  78. 0
    12

    i don’t love the idea of Oregon or Washington needing to hire a new coach any time soon, because there’s a good chance they’d both look at Bray as a potential option.

  79. 3
    3

    Does Ohiobeav have a crystal ball or something?? His comment from 1/8 looks like it has legs. Lanning wasn’t on the halftime set by accident, it was probably to be closer to Tuscaloosa and the ‘interview’!

  80. 6
    2

    How shocked do you think JS is at Saban retiring? All he needed to do was stay focused and he could’ve been the guy in the running for Alabama now.
    He could’ve had the year and the career arc to get the opportunity. If the Beavs had won this year all the talking heads would be saying if you can win like that at OSU imagine what you could do at Alabama. But he sold himself and the team short by panicking behind the scenes and throwing away the season in his own quest for an escape rather than trying to win.
    Next best thing is that both DeBeor and Lanning are apparently in the running to land the Alabama job.

    • There’s no way the hobbit would have been considered to coach at Alabama. The main reason MSU went for him is because he’s the least similar person they could find to Mel Tucker.
      Saban left the program in great shape and they’l want someone with familiarity with Saban’s method who can keep the program humming.

  81. Canzano.had a San Diego guy on the tbt. Mostly abt Justin Herbert & the crap chargers org. A Saban clip w some good quotes. NIL – parents calling coaches. JC played Lanning clip abt not leaving Oregon. (I think of Alabama as the worst location in which to live to do anything at all) Long time coaches leaving. Ripped the schools that left “in the middle of the night” to break up the pac12. Thinks Pac 2 is in a good place.

  82. In my opinion Tommy Prothro was the greatest football coach Oregon State ever had. Why he left OSU may be why we will always lose the very best football coaches to other schools or the NFL.
    First Prothro coaching success at OSU for the younger fans. He was the backfield coach at UCLA in 1954 when they were undefeated and national champions. Oregon State hired him as their head coach for the 1955 season. He did not inherit a good team since Oregon State’s record for the 1951 through 1954 seasons was 4-6, 2-7, 3-6, and 1-8. He improved their season record in 1955 to 6-3. They won the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) in 1956 with a regular 7-2-1 season record and played in the 1957 Rose Bowl, which they lost. They tied for 1st in the PCC with UO in 1957 with a 6-2 conference record and held 2 tie breakers over the Yucks by beating the Yucks and having a better season record of 8-2 vs. UO’s 7-3 record. OSU could not play in the Rose Bowl because the Rose Bowl’s contract with the PCC and Big 10 did not permit the same team to play in the Rose Bowl in consecutive years and the teams in the PCC/Big10 could not play in any other only bowl games. So, Oregon got to play in the 1958 Rose Bowl. OSU was 6-4 in 1958. The PCC was dissolved in 1959 and the Beavs, Ducks, Cougars, and Idaho were not invited to join the new Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) conference that had U of W and the 4 California schools in it. So, the Beaves played as independents from 1959 through 1963 when their records were 3-7, 6-3-1, 5-5, 9-2 (Terry Baker’s Heisman year and Liberty Bowl win), and 5-5. The Beavs, Ducks, and Cougars were allowed to join the AAWU in 1964 which the Beavs won with a regular season 8-2 record and played in the Rose Bowl which they lost.
    Shortly after the Rose Bowl Prothro was hired as the new UCLA head coach. 1964-65 was my freshman year and Slats Gill was the AD. After Prothro left, the Barometer had an article stating Gill was meeting with the students and faculty in the MU. I went to that meeting since I lived in Weatherford and I wanted to see Slats Gill in person. I remember Gill saying that Prothro told him Prothro knew he could take the Beavs to the Rose Bowl but did not think he could win it at OSU. He won both the AAWU in 1965 and the 1966 Rose Bowl his first year at UCLA. UCLA’s records for the previous 4 years were 7-4, 4-6, 2-8, and 4-6 so he quickly turned them around too. His UCLA teams finished in 2nd place in the AAWU/Pac 8 in 1966, 1967, 1969, and 1970. They tied for 5th in 1968.

    • Prothro told the team he was taking the UCLA job on the bus ride back to the hotel after the Rose Bowl. My dad was on that team and was from the LA area so he left the stadium with my grandparents to go to a big family reunion dinner. He only learned prothro was gone when he got back to the hotel the next morning before the flight home. My dad said the other assistant coaches had zero idea he was leaving until the announcement.

  83. 2
    1

    Just saw the new xfer CB from Liberty post the “eyeball” emoji to the portal announcement about Darrius Clemons. Might truly be something there about the Beavs being in the mix.

  84. 2
    1

    Silly season is in full effect and about to get even more silly. Full on qanon – college football version in here.

    With Saban retiring, transfer rules say any coaching change opens up the portal for 30 days for that school. Bama guys about to get all the offers. And then the school where Saban’s replacement comes from gets 30 days and it’ll cascade from there. If Harbaugh leaves, effect is doubled.

    Players have to hope the rule about sitting out if you transfer twice never goes into effect.

  85. 1
    4

    I LOVE Ducks fans stressing over losing another coach feeding into their perennial insecurities about not being good enough. But Lanning would be stupid to take it. You don’t want to be the guy who follows the guy Look at the list who followed Bear Bryant – Bill Curry, Ray Perkins, Gene Stallings – they won, but apparently not enough. Hell, Stalling won a title. And after them a succession of goons because decent coaches were scared off. Hell, they had Mike Shula for a time. Lanning is young – the money will be better in five years, the total control of the program will be better in five years (its what finally got Saban to bite – the Bama boosters were THAT desperate).

  86. 1
    1

    But if it IS Lanning – Ducks would be wise to just grab Justin Wilcox from Cal. Might be a lesser wattage hire than they would have liked, but it might settle things down a bit.

  87. 4
    3

    The denial from duck fans is pretty funny. “What does a KVAL reporter know anyway? There’s no way he has actual sources”

    Next 72 hours will be fun. And Prime/Oregon will be a match made in heaven.

    • Looks like Matt Prehm, Oregon’s version of Angie Machado, is saying he’s not in Tuscaloosa. Regardless of what’s true or not, it’s been good to finally not be the school on this breaking story.

    • 1
      2

      Pretty sure all of that was faked by UW fans. But the KVAL reporter wasn’t basing his report off of fake flight tracker pics. He used to work at an Alabama station and says he has sources in that area still.

      • 1
        1

        Didn’t Lanning come out and shoot out down the Texas AM rumors within a couple hours? It’s been like 7.5 hours since the Lanning to Bama rumors started. Seems odd he hasn’t made a post to rebuke his being / not being in beautiful Tuscaloosa. Hmm.

      • 9
        2

        I remain unconvinced……I know,
        Money talks………

        Lanning got a raise in November to 8 million per year. His buyout is 20 million. Alabama obviously has “fuck you” money. Saban was making 10 million per year.

        Is Alabama really going to throw “fuck you” money at a 37 year old head coach? With 2 years of HC experience at Oregon that landed on third base and thinks he hit a triple?

        I think they are just kicking the tires and will go with someone else.

        DeBoer could be had cheaper and is 3-0 vs Timberlanning.

  88. Wonder if Lanning and Bama met up while he was in Houston for the Championship game? Seems highly unlikely that Bama didn’t expect Saban to retire suddenly and that they weren’t already working on a replacement. Meeting DL at a place he was already going to be at would be a pretty smart way to cover some tracks. Seems like a hard thing to hide though considering how quickly things get leaked now but it would be a situation that makes sense.

    • Speculation about him retiring was out last week. I can’t see him springing a retirement announcement without letting them know what was up. A meeting in Houston makes complete sense.

  89. Agreeing to a $20M buyout is a loyalty amount, which only a handful of school could pay. Smith’s buyout was I’m willing to leave for a better job, which 40+ schools could afford. Which is why Smith leaving wasn’t surprising.

  90. 6
    5

    The coach that plays for wins and doesn’t play for clicks put out a video for everybody to click on that says he’s staying in Eugene and any players who are worried about their coach leaving, should come play for him in Eugene because he’s staying as long as he can. Click!/Retweet!/Quote!

      • 3
        4

        Well he is saying all of the right things even if it is in a corny way. But how long until he decides to do things differently? Lanning may be a goofy good guy, but if Alabama really wants him they will throw a brinks truck in his driveway by tonight.

        • Doesn’t matter what any of them say about the current position they may hold. All are for sale and some are just plain straight up dishonest assholes. JS comes to mind.

          • Disagree, Coaches control the buyout amounts. School will set them as high as coach is willing to accept. Agreeing to a $20M buyout is a loyalty amount, Smith’s buyout was I’m willing to leave for a better job.

        • 3
          1

          I don’t think so. He has almost as much money in Eugene. Like it or not, Lanning has the looks & charisma for this era of football and, for now, he can write his own ticket in Eugene. He has a young family, they’ve moved around. Oregon to.Alabama. Yuk!

    • LMAO! That cigar smoking piece was a clip after signing day last year. That entire video was pieced together from past events. Nothing recent or relevant.

      Nice way to leave yourself an out.

      That said I still don’t think it’s going to be Lanning

  91. Cal’s Andy Alfieri is suddenly following several OSU coaches and the Beaverfootball account. He has 2 years and very limited playing time under his belt at Cal (plus a covid year and a redshirt year, so 2 years left to play 2)
    He’s not in the poral yet, but I suspect he will be soon.
    He was a 4* LB out of Jesuit HS in Oregon and was one of the top local recruits that year.
    OSU/Anderson really recruited him pretty hard, but he didnt’ come here obviously.
    Cal had him at fullback and he’s only played a handful of snaps for them so far.

    • Edit: He was a Smith/Bray recruit rather than Anderson. Class of 2020.
      And I could swear he was a 4* on the recruiting sites at the time, but now they show him as 3*

      • His HS film isn’t overwhelming. He seems like a guy that made the most of his size and athleticism in HS, but struggled to break through in college.

  92. 5
    7

    Kind of funny seeing some Duck fans on Twitter using Lanning staying as evidence that Oregon is a destination coaching spot, while ignoring that their previous two coaches used UofO as a stepping stone to the jobs they really wanted. It reeks of desperation to prove that Oregon is one of the “big boy” elites of college football, and not just a program that’s largely in the position it is due to an obscenely wealthy benefactor.

  93. Maybe an even better outcome for the Alabama job would be a circus with Coach Prime at the center. He could take all of his transfers to Tuscaloosa and leave Colorado a shell of itself. The current state of college football would relish the “Primetime” circus for ratings but the reality show of NCAA football being destroyed would be in full view.
    So far Lanning has said no, Kiffin has said no, Sarkisian has said no, Dabo is on the clock and likely says no.

    Prime will have his own promo video of saying yes soon enough. Bama honks are now hoping for Demeco Ryans, not sure why on that one. A statement was made that the next hire will break the internet. Perhaps that means Dabo, but a hiring black head coach at Alabama may be a milestone worthy of note.
    Main list of names all came from the big name schools and all of them are leveraging for big raises. Lanning, Kiffin, Sark, Freeman, DeBoer, Norvell
    Some other names more likely in the “lesser tier” schools than the ones being floated:
    Shane Beamer -South Carolina
    Matt Campbell- Iowa St
    Luke Fickell- Wiscy
    Kyle Whittingham- Utah
    Chris Klineman- K State
    Lance Leipold- Kansas

  94. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2024/01/11/mel-tucker-appeal-sexual-harassment-denied-msu/72176135007/

    “The long-running campus sexual harassment investigation of former Michigan State University head football coach Mel Tucker is officially over.

    An outside attorney hired by the school to review Tucker’s challenge to the findings of fault against him denied his appeal in a 24-page report issued Thursday, ending the process nearly 13 months after the complaint was filed by a rape survivor and anti-sexual violence activist.”

    So odd that Smith takes a vacancy created by Tucker & Tracy when her alleged sexual assault/abuse occurred at OSU….

  95. 1
    9

    If I’m Duck fan – I’d be more worried about what happens after Phil Knight, than any particular coach. Very strong play by Lanning though. I’m guessing the KVAL anchor is updating his resume as we speak.

    • 3
      5

      He could have been right. He simply said Lanning was in Alabama yesterday and Alabama told the players they’d have a new coach in 72 hours.
      The story everybody was told today was Lanning was at a movie last night and then today he played old video footage to say he’s staying put. You’d think somebody could have come up with photo of Lanning in either Alabama or Oregon over the past 24 hours, but nobody has produced either.
      Maybe the guy did visit Alabama and come back home? I doubt he was sitting in a movie theater while the college football world was talking about him.

    • Ended up leading at the half by 5. Stanford doesn’t look like a good team. Seems like a squad we should actually beat up on, which is saying something foe sure.

    • So I’m watching hoops last night, and I saw our game was on. So I switch over, and we’re winning 69-60, and the game’s almost over.

      I turned it off before OT started.

      Wtf, man?

      • The difference in coaching was pretty striking. Stanford ran all kinds of motions and cuts and got 4 or 5 layups to get back in it. Beavs had someone dribbling out front confused with Pope being double-teamsed. I don’t think Pope had more than a couple of shot attempts in the second half, Tinkle outcoached again.

    • Has that been kind of a typical OSU game this year? The team clearly has some talent, but dang – the run of turnovers, lack of subbing. Weird. Almost the kind of thing you’d show in a coaching clinic in what not to do.

  96. 3
    1

    Somebody pointed out to me that JR Moala(who used to be a recruiting assistant here but more recently has been on Lanning staff at Oregon) is now starting to follow several OSU players and coaches. So maybe there’s some connection to Eric Moala and his son coming to OSU recently, as well as the DE transfer they’re all friends with who just committed to OSU.
    Maybe we’ll find out soon that JR is back at OSU?

    Also, the OSU OLB interim coach Huppert, is rumored to be taking a job at Texas, which would explain why he was never announced as our permanent OLB coach on Bray’s staff.

    Beavs still have a vacant on field staff position to fill. Not sure what’s taking so long, seems they’d want to get that settled.

      • I’m not saying its going to happen but Jay has been plagued by nepotism jokes. He may want to get out from under Dad but also go somewhere he knows with people he knows. Quite few of our coaches follow him on twitter, maybe there’s some relationships there from his past at OSU. Also his Dad might be leaving for the league as well and he might not be ready to be a position coach in the NFL. Pure speculation but maybe that needs to play out as well before Jay makes a decision.

        Give him Assistant Head Coach title and let him coach Safeties and ST. If there’s interest on his side that might be enough. Would fit with the current coaches we have.

    • So Lanning is staying AND he’s stealing some of our players and coaches???

      Feel free to tweet that and say you have a source.

      Btw, what are “tweets” called now? Just “Xs”? So dumb.

  97. I know someone posted the PFF tackling info earlier in the thread but I guess I didn’t quite realize how bad it was. Knew it wasn’t good, but wow, 133 out of 133 is bad bad. Listening to BeaversEdge podcast and they talked about this for a bit. While you hate losing so many starters, they definitely weren’t performing in all areas. Arnold bros, Hart, lolohea, Cooper, KO were tops in missed tackles on the team. Sione missed on 34% of his tackles, Easton had 80 tackles but missed 20ish. Now, grass isn’t always greener and you’re bringing in some guys that haven’t played much or are returning from significant injuries, but I guess you can’t get much worse than last place in tackling. The eye test for me seemed like Easton was much better in pass coverage but our prior LB group (speights, fisher, roberts) were great tacklers but not as great in pass coverage. So pick your poison I suppose. Just another piece of this whole puzzle of what could’ve been for the Beavs this season.

    To me, this is why having Robinson back and getting Singleton to anchor the other side is so huge. Might free up the safeties to be more aggressive in blitz or run support when you hopefully can rely on your 2 veteran corners to perhaps be more on an island. I don’t know PFF numbers for Julian and Skyler Thomas but to me AJ was one of the better tackling players on that defense that did have Roberts and Speights and S Thomas was always near the ball and IMO, would’ve been fighting for a starting role last season had it not been for the injury. IF, those 2 can get back from injury and play healthy, I honestly think the secondary can be the strength of the defense where you have some of the young guys or cfers fighting for that 5th spot but it sure seems like a little deeper group for sure. It must’ve been real bad if Kane is your starter or 1st replacement option for the last few games of the year.

    • I wonder if the poor tackling is a strength and conditioning issue. You see the older players being able to rugby tackle but the young ones usually go for the collision.

    • You do need to put some of those numbers in context and look at how they rank compared to other players at the same position. There are different tackling situations and different numbers of opportunities to tackle by position.

      Our DB’s (sans Oladapo) and Lolohea were the main offenders. Easton was below average for a LB, but not terrible. Hart was average.

      Our missed tackle % at CB in 2022 was just under 18%. In 2023, it was over 30%! Some of that is we had really young guys who are less developed technically and physically. Robinson was just as bad as the rest of them, though. Ivy was the standout; he didn’t miss any when he played.

      Our best tacklers from 2022 were Oladapo, Grant, Fisher-Morris, and Speights. Only one was on the 2023 team. The other three were clearly not adequately replaced.

      • I do agree that from an eye test perspective that the missed tackles from the younger secondary guys seemed to stand out more than from Easton but trying to look at the silver lining of having to replace 10 starters. Lol.

        • I feel the casual viewer will notice missed tackles more, bc of what the scheme may ask them to do; in the box, there’s more coordination and errors from one player can play into/exacerbate the situation for others.

    • FTR, Julian was the best tackler on the team %-wise in 2021 before he got hurt. Who knows if he’ll be the same player after injury.

      Thomas was solid (statistically, anyway. I don’t really remember watching him play).

  98. UNLV QB 6′ 4″ 220 lb Maiva committed to Georgia, then to USC the next day to fill a vacancy left by USC’s 5* QB Nelson earlier transfer to Boise State…

    • It’s wherever Jimmy Sexton wants them to go. He’s the agent for everyone who is being considered,

      Saban, DeBoer, Lanning, Smith, Norvell, Sarkisian, Kiffin, and the list goes on for a while.

  99. OSU’s Fuaga makes S-I and College Football News All American 2nd teams.

    CFN’s First team coach? Deboer. 2nd Team Coach? U Az Jedd Fisch. 3rd team coach? USF’s Golesh. Maybe Harbaugh cheating scandal a factor there…

  100. 3
    2

    Saw a report that Caleb Williams wants assurances that the Bears are trading their #1 pick before he declares for the draft. What if they refuse and he ends up coming back? Would be a funny ass sequence of events. Lol. Bears have #9 pick as well so I suppose there could be interest on their end to drop down and accumulate more draft stock. I can’t blame players for trying to put themselves in the best spot possible but I’m also thinking that I might not want the headache of CW with his demands of part ownership, refusing to play for certain franchises, etc. He also struggled quite a bit against some of the better schools and defenses so not sure he’s a slam dunk success at the next level.

      • Didn’t Elway do the same thing? Have the Bears said they want him and have given up on Fields? There are other QB’S out there who are rated pretty high also.

        • 4
          4

          I’m not convinced Caleb Williams could
          Win over an NFL locker room. He certainly didn’t make a difference at USC this year.
          I’ll root against Caleb Williams as a pro also. Won’t really matter where he ends up, he is more of a whiner than a winner

        • Williams may be a history buff. If history repeats itself, both of those QBs would win multiple Super Bowls for the team they were traded to.

    • I can see refusing to sign with a team that’s chronically poorly managed and can’t get out of its own way (Redskins/Commanders, Jets…) once drafted, but i’d finish my college degree and expect to sit out a year.

      expecting assurances from a team that it will trade a pick? That’s absurd.

    • Man college has created monsters. The NFL should take a hard line to this before it to gets out of control. “You want to play in the NFL? Then shut up and get on a team as drafted.”

      • Not how contracts work.

        And honestly, what is “monsterous” about using your leverage in the job market to ensure you get a preferred job?

        The kid has leverage, the NFL is a business, I see no reason he shouldn’t use his leverage.

  101. Does anyone know if any FCS players are being targeted for a possible transfer? There are some solid talent at that level to at least add some depth.

  102. 20

    Is it a little bit of Karma that the UW job could come open and Mr.Socially Awkward (JS) is stuck in East Lansing? Panic doesn’t always pay off!

  103. 14
    2

    So I’m less than 5 months, the coach, DeBoer, who most influenced scuttling the Apple streaming deal via his AD (Jennifer Cohen, who is now at USC) will both be out of their jobs and on to new more
    Lucrative opportunities but in their wake they destroyed a conference, through both shortsighted stupidity on DeBoers part and extreme duplicity and connivance on Cohen’s part.
    UW should be banned from any future return to PAC conference in whatever form it may eventually take.

  104. 6
    2

    Credit to DeBoer for at least accomplishing some big things before jumping ship to another opportunity that is obviously a great chance to further his career credentials.
    JS simply folded and pretended to care for a season before he bolted to another opportunity that was in many ways lateral and unlikely to benefit his career arc at all if he even last 5 years there.

    • He certainly has worked his way up through the ranks, to possibly the most pressure packed HC job available in college football right now.

      “… A former wide receiver at the University of Sioux Falls, a member of the NAIA, DeBoer became the offensive coordinator at his alma mater in 2000 and was promoted to head coach in 2005, kicking off a historic five-year run.

      From 2005-09, DeBoer posted a record of 67-3 with three NAIA national championships and one additional appearance in the NAIA title game.

      That success earned him the job as offensive coordinator at Southern Illinois, a position he held from 2010-13. He then held the same position at Eastern Michigan from 2014-16, Fresno State from 2017-18 and at Indiana in 2019.

      DeBoer was rehired by Fresno State as head coach in 2020. He went 12-6 across two seasons, posting three wins during the 2020 COVID season and then finishing 9-3 and 6-2 in conference play in 2021.

      That run earned him the chance at Washington, where he turned in one of the great two-year runs in Pac-12 history and put the Huskies back on the national map. A win against the Wolverines would’ve given Washington the first unshared national title in program history.

      DeBoer was making $4.2 million in compensation with Washington in the 2023 season. Alabama will owe a $12 million buyout to the Huskies.”

      https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2024/01/12/alabama-kalen-deboer-replace-nick-saban/72195423007/

  105. Now we get to worry about UW looking locally to poach some of our coaching staff as they will be in scramble mode to rebuild a staff from the scraps that are available.
    Hate all the coaching carosel BS. College programs really are becoming 1 year rent-a-teams.

  106. The guy from UW who probably won the UW-OSU game for them jabbar Muhammad is now in the transfer portal.

    It will be good to see them lose all their players but on the other hand that school is now irrelevant to OSU so fuck em either way

  107. 17

    “orangejulius
    January 8, 2024 at 8:24 pm

    No natty, travel, half shares, beat downs, shitty playing weather, fucking over their own Olympic sports…this is all so delicious”

    And now DeWhore leaves them high and dry with ensuing roster shake up…every shitty thing they are getting is so well deserved

    Enjoy your shit sandwiches, bitches

  108. Daschel found the amount of Smith’s buyout is only $7M
    And UW is being paid $12M from Alabama to cover DeBoer’s buyout.
    So they could technically pay for Smith’s buyout and hire Smith and still be ahead financially, even if they offer Smith a raise over his MSU salary.

    In a sick way, I’d like to see that happen to MSU. But i also wouldn’t mind watching Smith squirm at Michigan State, knowing he should have waited for the UW job to open.

    • 2
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      That would be crazy. It sucks that this happened to Washington and not the ucks. Now they have a leg up on Washington and I was hoping they would lose annually to them.

          • 3
            2

            Yes I do mean money, they have made themselves into a national brand. Kids know who they are and know that Nike is backing them. and coaches know they have the money to get raises when other jobs open up.

            It is odd to me that UW doesn’t have deep pocket donors willing to step up to fund football especially after this year.

  109. UW fan reactions are basically the same at Beavs when Smith left. Conspiracy theories as to when he decided to leave, he’ll regret leaving because he won’t live up to expectations at his new job, leaving for a bag of money, etc.

  110. Nick Daschel X’d:
    Just in case UW does inquire about Jonathan Smith, his Michigan State buyout is $7 million. After collecting $12 million from Alabama, Washington would still be $5 million ahead.

  111. 15
    1

    So UofO (among other teams) tried to poach Martinez recently.
    So yes, these attempts are happening.
    Pretty cool that Martinez is comfortable at OSU and wanting to stick it out, because those opportunities are out there.

    • I had seen a Beaver fan turned recruiting account(@Beavs_report) tweet that DJ Wesolak was visiting this weekend. Not sure if the weather will impact that.

      • I would add OL especially tackle. I think I saw that Clemons is visiting. That would be a nice pickup but he’s not experienced. The receiver room has a lot of young talent with little to no experience. I think they definitely need to pickup a proven wr and te to help whoever the qb is. It’s going to be a lot to ask a new qb to run the offense with no proven weapons outside of the rb room and we need a good OL to even be able to run.

  112. WBB falling back to previous years’ habits. 15 turnovers already early in the third. Trail Arizona by 5. Arizona is must must-win home game.

  113. A potential UW related transfer TE target may Tre Watson who recently committed to UW from Fresno State. I’m doubting they’ll need him at Alabama, and noticed a couple of our coaches recently followed him. Has several other offers from before he committed to UW as well.

  114. I looked through what’s left over at UW and it’s pretty much nothing. Didn’t realize how senior heavy that team was.

    Just like the Beavs, nearly every player who got any kind of all conference honors either declared for the NFL draft, in the transfer portal or out of eligibility. Two players still there but I’d expect them to get a lot of offers. 95% of their offense is gone, and all their top defensive players are gone. Beavs may have some opportunity to pick off guys with potential but haven’t played much.

  115. 2
    2

    When did the OSU online community develop so many troll accounts?
    There are so many guys who dedicate their time to talking shit at Michigan State and UW fans. The back and forth is a never ending cycle

  116. If Ryan Otton enters the portal for UW, he’d be another nice option. He was semi-interested in OSU out of HS, but ended up at UW because of the family history there

  117. Is Kelze Howard the highly recruited D lineman still on the team or did he enter the portal? No mention of him, or maybe I missed it.???

  118. Interesting note:
    “If the NFL loses the case, big part of the blast radius of that costly verdict could be a streaming free-for-all with each of the league’s 32 teams making their own individual deals with various platforms and outlets for in-market and out of market games.”
    https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/nfl-facing-6b-tackle-as-sunday-ticket-class-action-suit-heading-to-trial-next-month/ar-AA1mTrRC

    Might be a good time to own a network.

  119. 12

    Both 4* visitors from this weekend are now following coach Bray, as well as a few other coaches.
    Darrius Clemmons and DJ Wesolak

  120. If PFF is accurate, are they using it as a moneyball approach to who they recruit or don’t recruit? Can they play the percentages off of PFF for finding predictively productive guys at any position?

    • It’s just a measure of how well the player did what they were asked to do, given the circumstance. Chance Nolan was always rated pretty high, for reference.

      It’s also a pretty inexpensive resource that anyone could use.

      • Which is to say, you can’t play “Moneyball” because every other team with more money can see the same things.

        I think FCS transfers are the next untapped pool, but that won’t last long. The best QB’s are starting to trickle up (eg guys from Montana, Albany, Idaho, Furman…) and that’s usually where it started with the FBS portal. Other positions will follow soon in higher volumes.

        I could see a recruiting world where coaches say “go get playing time in FCS and we’ll talk next year.” That’s probably better for players who want to play right away, too. Why risk sitting for a few years when your coach probably won’t be there when you’re “ready to play”?

        • FCS schools with NIL money could build a pretty dominant program this way. Jackson State already kind of proved that it works for both player and school.

    • Isn’t PFF analysis all in retrospect (what the player did)? That brings too much random variation into the equation.

      I love the moneyball idea and approach, but it should be applied more to find skills (not results) that are underrated.

      • For example, I think the mental aspect of the game is almost completely discounted at the NCAAF level. The Beavs could theoretically field the most mentally tough team in football via developing a test to parse out that trait. Mental toughness alone is likely good for a few wins per year in tight games where everything is going against you.

        There are underrated physical skills, too. Finesse skills stand out in that regard. E.g. Kicker is as an obvious one – people always discount the kicker and even make fun of him as not being a real football player. That means there is hidden value there. But there are others (pass blocking and catching from a RB, blocking from a WR, QB accuracy, etc). Finesse skills mostly go overlooked at this level as teams fall for a lot of superficial measurables (arm strength, kicking distance, power, etc). While it’s important to have a base minimum in those skills, else you’re dealing with a HS player and not a college player, once you have that base other things become more important.

        • Funny you should mention those because PFF has stats for every single one of those skills you mentioned. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good database to use as a first pass filter. Before that, you think coaches had time to watch film on every FCS player?

          I’d argue QB accuracy as something measurable, though. I can think of two OSU QB recruits (Gebbia and Vidlak) who looked supernaturally accurate in HS film, but never approached that level in college.

          Accuracy is a combination of timing with the receiver, confidence in making the right read and so many other things that change drastically when you go from one team/offense to another.

        • I just started coaching competitive youth soccer this past year and I’ve been blown away by how much psychology and mindset are competitive advantages when the players are roughly the same skill level. I’ll pick the kids who play with self-confidence and without fear or self-consciousness over better athletes with less emotional maturity every time. Unfortunately, at this age the kids with those attributes are usually either the dickheads or the ones who have always been more skilled than everyone else, anyway.

          The hard time about translating that to FCS football is that you’re recruiting guys who are still growing as people. That 18 year-old may be a totally different person as a 19 or 20 year-old. I think that’s a massively underrated part of the coaching staff’s job that we don’t see. How do they contribute positively to the players’ growth as people in a way that translates to performance on the field? There’s far more to winning than X’s and O’s and the weight room.

  121. The Chiefs-Dolphins playoff game is not even on network TV. It’s on NBC’s streaming service Peacock. I guess I don’t get the logic of that, even though people think streaming is the future.

    • 4
      5

      If you think streaming is the future, you’re not at all surprised or questioning this.

      It is what it is, and those who don’t understand it are dinosaurs who will be left behind.

      If you bought the narrative that anything was different, that’s on you.

      • 3
        1

        As a dinosaur that is overpaying for cable plus Apple TV, Netflix and Amazon prime please advise as to what the best way is to cut cable but still have access to all relevant sporting events? I need NFL, golf, Oregon State and my local MLB team.

        • But that is the price the power players are willing to pay in the short term to funnel the population in a new direction of eventually accepting major sporting events only streaming as the norm.
          PAC2/Apple would have had the chance to revolutionize the marketplace of live sporting events, but a mere 5 months later and the NFL is unabashedly pushing the ball in that direction.

          • 6
            3

            Personally? Streaming can fuck off. Not paying for multiple subscriptions to watch what I want.

            Cable/satellite/streaming service already is overpriced.

            Eat my ass. I’ll keep pirating until I can’t

        • You are correct, I checked the guide at sling last night and rechecked this morning, it is not properly placed in their grid but it is listed on pac AZ.

          People seem to be butt hurt about the cancellation for fans…I stepped out this morning to check the conditions… live up Elmwood so slight elevation, 425’… the ground is 2 solid inches of ice. There is no give whatsoever.

          No idea what it looks like in the flats or around campus but looking at tripcheck most roads in the state look a mess. Totally understand the closing the game to fans. I will be closing my business until things clear a bit too, I won’t put my staff on the road, it’s just dumb.

  122. 5 games into conference play and the men’s hoops team is tied with UCLA for last place…….0 for.January and 4 games until the calendar flips to February.

    At Utah
    At Colorado
    Arizona
    ASU

    See any wins in there?

    Stinkle time

    • I think they’ll steal one or two at home but considering WT has won like 20 road games during his time at OSU I wouldn’t place any bets on a road win even with the Pac being pretty bad this season. They’ve actually played a bit better than I was thinking they would but they’re definitely deserving of a bottom 2 or 3 in the Pac. Honestly, with all the shit Barnes has on his plate, WT could probably never show up at all thru the remainder of his contract and still keep his job. It’ll be Kliakov and Tinkle, not working but yet fleecing us for money. This team really lived or dies by hitting 40% of the 3 balls. They have 0 offensive scheme and are super dependent on a high shooting percentage to be in the game. I think in all but 1 of the conference games they’ve had less shot attempts by a fair margin and when they shoot 20% behind the arc, that’s when we get blown out. The close games are when we make closer to 40% of the 3’s. 0 transition game, they don’t play with tempo. It’s just really boring ass basketball unless you like overtime games vs Helen Keller school.

      • 3
        1

        Yeah, Tinks is awful! Should have been fired years ago! How many years does he have left on his contract? I know very little about the x’s and o’s of basketball but I don’t think I could do much worse coaching this team. Know how how to watch YouTube and learn from great coaches! You can perform brain surgery after watching YouTube! ;o)

  123. 1
    2

    Looks like Lance Leipold is one of the top names for the UW job. Guy gets rumored for every job opening. Must feel good for Kansas fans to know he’a doing everything he can to get out of there.
    Jedd Fisch and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell also seem to be among the front runners. And they expect a decision could be made by tomorrow, possibly today even.

    I wouldn’t mind seeing Leipold continue the tradition of humbling oregon each year.

  124. 1
    2

    I watched a bit of Stanford/Colorado wbb. Coach Prime might want to sign a couple of Colorado’s wbb players. Colorado will pulverize Rueck’s nice girls.

  125. WBB is off to a good start they lead the Sun Devils 28-14 after one quarter. Weird stat though, the Beavs are dead last in the nation in forced turnovers, 348th currently. They hold opponents to a low shooting percentage so I guess that’s how they get by.

  126. So if fish goes to Washington aren’t they the two schools that were predominantly the instigators for the defections? Karma is a bitch!

    • I’d count USC/UCLA at the top of the list of course, and Colorado. But the school that threatened to leave the entiretime was Arizona. That’s really where the whole “4 corners” to the Big12 story started

  127. The following was posted on the internet yesterday by Sports Illustrated. https://www.si.com/media/2024/01/13/nfl-advanced-discussions-acquire-stake-espn
    “The NFL is in advanced discussions to purchase equity in ESPN, Andrew Marchand of The New York Post reported Friday. Currently, 80% of the channel is owned by The Walt Disney Company, while the other 20% is owned by Hearst Communications. Disney-owned ESPN would take control of NFL Media, which includes NFL Network,” Marchand reported, “and the league would receive equity in ESPN.” … Disney CEO Bob Iger stated in November that ESPN intends to offer a direct-to-consumer version of its product by 2025, a transition that a deal with the NFL seems like it could plausibly facilitate.”
    So that means there may be another + network needed to watch some football games.

  128. Feeling like we’re very close to getting commitment announcements for Clemons and Wesolak.
    Wesolak has deleted his prior offer tweets except the OSU one. And the Beaverfootball account is now following Clemons.

    Also, another intersting follow for Beaverfootball that another user( i wont out who it was, but if you want your name shared feel free to comment) pointed out to me this morning is Coach Jamie Christian(@coachjchristian). He most recently coached special teams at New Mexico(was fired in November though) and Fresno State before that.

    I know nothing about him, but considering we dont have a ST coach, and our football staff has some Fresno State connections, I could see him being a candidate.
    Plus he did actually spend time at OSU in the early 2000’s, so he meets our main criteria.

    https://golobos.com/coach/jamie-christian/

    • I read that yesterday Arizona was working on restructuring his contract and had to wait for a board meeting to approve it but also read they weren’t prioritizing him so mauve it was a raise but not much. Their hands are tied financially.

  129. So looks like Cookus is officially off the coaching roster and Huppart isn’t listed either. Know if we speculated with Huppart but seems they are officially out now.

  130. Should we expect those commitments soon from the kids visiting? How many spots does that leave us with? I heard we’re almost out but don’t know if that’s true.

    • Sortof depends on how many 2024 HS kids already are starting classes. Because the ones who start in June may be taking a spot, but that number won’t count till Summer term. So we have some wiggle room to have other players leave the team over the next 6 months before we need those spots open

    • Could use a HS guy for sure and based on his offer sheet, seems like we should be able to be in the mix. Good size at 6’4″. Pro-style qb but not sure how mobile he is. Be nice to keep with the theme of dual guy like Gabarri or McCoy who seems to provide some escapability.

      • Maybe a sign that the offense isn’t going to be centered around that. Idk anything about him but maybe he’s like the other high school qb and is mobile enough and can move the sticks but not a true runner.

  131. 14

    https://www.kerryeggers.com/stories/beavers-bray-we-have-a-great-opportunity-to-take-this-program-to-a-place-it-hasnt-been

    Bray says the Beavers’ offense in 2024 “will be different” than the one run by Smith and O-coordinator Brian Lindgren at OSU.

    “We need to be more explosive,” Bray says. “We have to be able to throw the ball. In those big games that kept us out of conference championships, we couldn’t throw the ball when the defense loaded the box. We have to get more creative in the passing game.”

    When I ask Bray if he has had to settle for less-talented recruits than when Oregon State was a member of the Pac-12, he answers in surprising fashion.

    “I would say we have been attracting better players,” he says. “I look at the portal guys we have been able to bring in. The level of talent we have been able to grab has been encouraging.

    “They see the picture I’m painting to them about the opportunity we have in this two-year window to build our legacy. It is a really exciting time for Oregon State football to do something big. I believe the talent we put on the field next season will be as good as it has ever been here.”

    Bray is not looking past the 2025 season. He sounds as if he thinks another FBS opportunity will be in store.

    “The big focus is these next two years,” he says. “We all know everything is going to realign again. If we can handle our business the next two years and make ourselves a valuable and successful entity, we are going to land in a good spot.”

  132. I feel more excited than ever going into the unknown next year considering all of the turmoil and chaos that has happened in the last 3 months. This is the ultimate “us against the world” these next 2 years.

  133. Thanks, Zen, for linking the Eggers piece, always good to read his stuff.

    I liked this quote from Bray, “This year, USC is able to buy two of our guys (Mascarenas-Arnold and Arnold) after we develop them into all-conference players.”

    (emphasis mine)

  134. I don’t love the part of the Eggers piece where Bray talks about how we might have the strongest overall RB room we’ve ever had at OSU, and immediately transitions to saying we need to throw the ball more.

    But i understnad it would be difficult to recruit WRs to your school if you said you weren’t going to throw the ball to them.

    Speaking of the WR room.
    We’ve gone from having 5’10 or shorter speedsters like Gould, Bolden, Irish as our main targets, to having:
    Jimmy Valsin 6’2″
    Jeremiah Noga 6’2″
    David Wells 6’1″
    Jordan Anderson 6’0″
    Michali Durant 6’2
    Darrius Clemons 6’3″

    And those last 3 newcomers are all 4* rated by various sites.
    Haven’t had this much WR room upside since the class where signed Cooks/Mullaney/Zimmerman/Trosin (and councidentally, we had Heyward on staff then)

    • I read Bray’s comments as this- when needed, we have to be able to throw the ball. We haven’t been able to do that when teams stack the box.

      • Will be nice to have some bigger WRs who can out battle opposing DBs downfield. I like Bolden and Gould, but the slightest amount of contact could throw them off theid routes which made passing to them difficult

      • I just took it as indicating why he wanted to see a shift in scheme to an offense that intends to be more explosive in how it generates yards and points, something more like what Gundy has been running at UCLA with Chip. Multiple RPO action with inside and outside zone as the bread-and-butter, with lots of shallow cross, y-cross, and mesh air-raid concepts in the passing game. It’s a whole different approach than what Judas/Lindgren were doing.

        The Multiple Pro-Style scheme was intended to leverage advantage based on the run-game being so dominant. But when teams give up leverage to stop the run game you have to be able to beat them consistently when you’ve got the matchup you want, and the Beavs really sucked at that most of the time the last couple years. They won a lot of games simply by being unstoppable in the ground game and connecting “enough” down the field when they had to.

        WSU, Ariz, and UW beat the Beavs this year with the same blueprint. Hold strong on the run game and give the Beavs the look they want to attack in the passing game knowing they likely won’t be able to execute consistently enough to win.

        Moving to an offensive system that is more dynamic and attacking from different angles is a big shift in identity and makes them less susceptible to getting baited into all those 3rd down DJU throwaways we saw this year, which must have driven Bray and the D staff bonkers to watch.

    • That’s an odd group to call out since Zimmerman moved to S, Trosin never did anything, and Mullaney never really lived up to his potential here.

  135. Was messaged by somebody with directory access who is saying JR Moala is now in the staff directory, like we were talking about a few days back.

  136. It’s interesting that all these big time receivers are committing despite not having a big time QB. We went from having mediocre recruiting to elite recruiting. I’m hopeful that we can continue to develop players on par with Smith’s staff, especially on O.

    • We have a proven winner and we have a former 4-star recruit transferring from a top-10 SEC team. That’s not nothing. Plus we can offer playing time because we basically return no one.

      It also helps that Hynson stuck around and he’s been one of our best recruiters.

      • 3
        1

        I’d also say this might reflect highly on what type of offense Gundy has in mind. Perhaps the receivers will have a better role than what Lindgren’s offense allowed for or maybe we’ll be utilizing more 3 or 4 wide sets. It might also be telling that we haven’t landed a TE yet if we’re going to shift away from the power 2TE sets. I think McCoy could be very good and Gabarri will likely be right in the mix to start.

  137. 1
    1

    How is Tulane doing so well in the portal? Someone must have stepped up with NIL money.

    They got Ty Thompson and just pulled a former top-50 WR recruit from Alabama.

  138. 3
    1

    After being abandoned by the PAC, not welcomed to another conference, and jilted by Smith before the CW was even played, a two year transition to an unknown conference, this seems like a great time to follow up on Angry’s suggestion to bring a sports psychologist on staff.

    Bray is really doing well with the “reload.” OSU’s going rogue a few seasons, but he’s committed, Martinez is committed, and the staff is making things interesting…well done.

    • Well, it’s definitely happened pretty quickly but I think we’re also sitting at 3 returning starters. I’d assume Fisch will bring some guys with him much like Traitor Smith did.

      • I don’t know how they figure if someone is a returning starter or not but I believe we have 16 who have started at least one game before
        Noble
        Ivy
        Robinson
        Kane
        Josiah Johnson
        Tongue
        Chisom
        Jordan IV
        Brewer
        Gray
        Starck
        Strand
        Morano
        Gulbranson
        Martinez
        Terry

        • I think some common sense could go a long way here. Several on that list were starters at the bowl game. Kane was a starter since 3 or 4 of the secondary group were injured. Most the guys on that list were the 2nd or even 3rd string guys. I’m sure we could look at UW 2nd/3rd string and find a list of peeps who started 1 game. No doubt UW is in a tough spot and it’ll be even more glaring vs the BIG10.

        • Snap count is a good way to measure experience. If a start gets you 40-50 snaps, and guys usually take 4 games for you to see who they really are, it’s reasonable to say 160 is a good cutoff for guys that have solid game experience. Here’s who we have coming back that meets that criteria (with PFF grade, just for kicks):

          Offense
          Gulbranson- 64 (2022)
          Gray- 67
          Martinez- 83
          Starck- 72
          Brewer- 61 (2022)
          Terry- 40
          Strand- 57

          Defense
          Robinson- 68
          Julian- 79 (2021)
          Stover- 66
          Kane- 73
          N Thomas- 63
          S Thomas- 72 (2022)
          Jordan- 57
          Saluni- 59

          • Yeah, meaningful snaps on some of these guys will be helpful. Too bad Julian and Thomas have been out for an entire season or more. I like some of the talent Bray and Co have brought in but some of it is largely untested as well. Seemingly high upside potential on a lot of these guys but the games will tell the tale

  139. Talked to someone who knows Moala. Wouldnt confirm the hire for me until after the cat was out of the bag, which is often the case when i have a suspicion and ask around.
    I often get confirmation only after it goes public because people dont want to spoil someones news.
    But was told one of the top reasons for coming back to OSU was he missed the bike commute to work in Corvallis. Sometimes the simple things have more value

  140. I get the impression that Wesolak has several more teams trying to swoop in late and grab him before he commits to OSU. Gotta imagine money goes a long way in those conversations.
    Oregon/Okalahoma/UW/Colorado/LSU looks like some of the teams we’re up against. If so, I dont like our chances

      • If he’s trying to het enrolled this term, he’ll have to move quickly. Could be too little too late for the other teams jumping in. Or might just be driving the price up.
        Gut feeling is we’ll still land him, but i’m not 100% confident in it.

  141. I’m excited about the wr transfers and high schoolers coming in but I think we also have to temper those expectations some. These aren’t the first 4 star receivers to come in and in fact I think Lindsay was a 5 by some sites. Point is out of tongue, Lindsay, Harrison, and the penn state guy it hasn’t exactly been home runs. They all struggled a lot with drops and none became consistent playmakers. Doesn’t mean that it will happen with these guys but because they’re 4 stars doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to succeed. Also I think as Beav fans anytime we get a 4 star high school recruit we expect them to play right away and make an impact which isn’t the case. I saw this a lot with Howard this last season. All being said I’m excited about what this staff has been able to do this offseason and am excited for the future.

    • 1
      1

      Yes, but those guys were all still pretty solid, even if they weren’t outstanding. Lindsey and Harrison both had a specific skill that really stood out and we did a good job getting the most out of it, despite their other weaknesses.

    • I agree. The size and physicality of what we’re bringing in is promising, but we have to wait until spring to see if this is an upgrade in talent.

      If they come out and bully the secondary in the spring game, we’ve got something special.

      • Imagine a wr corps that is good enough and big enough to actually “bully” any secondary and not just try to outrun them. Speed is great but 3 guys like Hodgins on a roster would be epic. Big, fluid, great hands and just quick enough to create separation regularly.
        How do they scout and find this type of player when it is high school talent they play against? It seems like a real challenge to find such a combination let alone several on one roster.

        I like what this staff is doing. I’d say Bray is building the correct mindset for the next 2 years. We will be the desperate outlier and take on the world with a chip on the shoulder, join us and be different from all of the other programs.

  142. Not saying it means anything at all at this point, but noticed Kyle Devan started following Inoke Brekterfield recently.
    Made me wonder if Inoke was headed to Alabama or not and so far i cant find anything to indicate he is.
    I do like Tuiaki as our DL coach, just too bad we dont have room for both. (Brekterfield for special teams?)

    • DeBoer is retaining Freddie Roach, Alabama’s DL coach. But I think Ricky Hunley isn’t going to UW with Fisch, correct? Maybe Inoke sticks with UW. In any case, Breckterfield, come on home buddy.

    • 3
      4

      For fuck’s sake. As soon as i said something about Inoke, Angie started following him.
      Which one of you is the snitch? Haha

      But seriously, let her figure her own shit out. You dont need to run to her every time you read something that isnt behind the paywall. Same shit happened with coach Jamie Christian amd JR Moala

        • 2
          2

          Not her style, more likely somebody else gathers the info and then goes to her to see if she has any insider knowledge.
          Her putting in the effort to read another site and then follow up just isn’t her style.

          • 2
            3

            Just suspicious that as soon as I followed Christian, Moala and Devan(all on different days) she was suddenly following all 3 very soon after.
            Maybe the Inoke stuff has been talked about for days, but it was within an hour of me following him and mentioning the Devan connection today that she popped up.

          • 3
            2

            She said she’s been away for a few days and today she was catching up on things. I did tell her to follow your every move. I think she has the hots for you.

          • 4
            2

            This has been over the course of several days, not like she just suddenly caught up on everything at once.

            Keep making up excuses for her, maybe she’ll let you feel a boob or something

      • There are some subscribers on blitz that are hunting for twitter follower connections every five minutes lol. It’s not really her and Jake for the most part. If there’s smoke then they check with sources.

  143. You have to like that Bray and his staff are addressing the need of size in the wr room that everyone saw but the previous staff. Which is weird because Hynson stayed but didn’t he see the need for some size in his wr room? I heard he was high on Valsin but other coaches wanted to play other guys.

    • Oregon State did make consistent offers to WR that were closer in frame to NFL WR when Hynson was first brought in; they tended to be hard fought over however with a lot of offers from excellent football programs.

      Difficult to say if this specifically was due to Hynson or more a matter of other staff (Smith, Lindgren) having more say at the time.

    • Averages out to about a 60 over his career. Never really improved and it doesn’t look like he was a surefire starter this past season (his fourth season playing). Looks like serviceable, experienced depth/competition.

      For reference, the Colorado transfers were low/mid-60’s. The OT was a 62 or 63, so not much higher than Franks.

    • If he can keep most of the returning starters from transferring, he’ll be setup pretty well. Reports were saying that 18 of 22 were set to return and ranked around the top 10 in the way too early polls.

    • Makes sense. That’s a budget-conscious hire with some upside.

      Not that I was overly worried about it, but this probably helps us in the SJSU game.

      • Myles Rowser. New Mexico State portal safety. He visited ASU directly following his OSU visit.

        I was really confident on landing Rowser. And then about the time he would’ve been leaving Corvallis to head to the airport, he posted an insta story about ‘don’t let anyone disrespect you, blah, blah, blah, standing on bidness, blah, blah, blah’ and my immediate thought was- Myles Rowser isn’t coming to Oregon State.

        I don’t know if Wesolak is of the same mindset when it comes to feelings of financial largesse, but I don’t really care about him being on the roster. As a freshman he played in four regular season games, plus the bowl game. Zero stats. Didn’t play last year at all.

        • Am I to understand that a player came to town to chase a bag, wasn’t rolled out a brinks truck offer, and then felt ‘disrespected’? Holy balls. That is a kid you don’t want on the team.

          • In light of the penalties just handed down to Florida St. related to NIL and recruiting, I just totally don’t understand how schools are attracting/buying recruits via promises of NIL cash. What FSU did sounds exactly like what every school is doing. Someone make it make sense?

          • FSU was making too much noise against the current system and they “received a message.” I’d suggest that if they hadn’t raised such a tantrum over the BCS snub, none of the recruiting things would be a problem.

            Of course it is exactly what all of these schools are doing, but FSU was the only one complaining about getting left out of the BCS playoffs. “Sit down and be quiet or we will shut you down.”

    • If Lindgren wanted him, we probably don’t want him. Going back and looking at the QB’s we targeted during the Judas era, the guys we offered but didn’t land have done shockingly little, even the higher-rated ones.

  144. 2
    6

    Arizona settles for the Smilin Mike Coaches Tree. They prefer mediocrity over winning.
    Brennan has a career record of something like 34-48 over 7 seasons and he gets a P4 job!?! So underwhelming.

    UA football had its one shining moment this year and won’t sniff another year like it for decades.

    • 10

      Brennan’s not a bad hire. They’ll like him there.
      Pretty amazing how many former OSU guys got coaching promotions this offseason.
      Most of the MSU staff, most of the OSU staff and most of the Arizona staff will all be former OSU guys

    • 3
      2

      It’s a meh hire………

      The Opie lovers will point out how well he’s done the last few years financially hamstrung at SJSU.

      The fact of the matter is it was the Mountain West. And his record vs P5 opponents was a meager 1-8.

      Much like Fisch it’s a gamble.

      • They could have done a lot worse.

        It was late in the cycle for az to find a quality candidate, Brennan can coach and recruit well enough to San Jose of all places to at least beat equal competition.

        If he can keep some pieces in AZ, and gets enough cash to hire a staff, they can at least tread water.

        The issues will be a broke ass ad and fan expectations

      • If their QB stays along with most of the roster, we’ll see how good Brennan is. AZ has some talent – particularly their QB.

  145. As someone pointed out, there’s optimism in some of these recent pickups, but the reality is many didn’t out up great numbers on their former teams.

    There’s a lot to pull together, a new OC and offense, new QBs and WRs who haven’t practiced together…

    But I’m cautiously optimistic and pleasantly impressed with what Bray has accomplished so far given the current context if NCAA D1 football and the Beavers’ lack if conference stability.

    Is Zachary Card still on roster? Not big, but hopefully can contribute?

    • All of this is true; on the field ultimately is what matters.

      But I too fall in the cautiously optimistic camp, mainly because we have the normal arc from January to Fall to get through still.

      A lot can happen in that time.

      I fully anticipate growing pains, at least through some of the regular season.

      • I like the BB hire. I don’t think many people would’ve done what he did with the resources they had. Even a broke school like Zona will have a wildly better resource pool for him. 3 bowls in 4 years at SJSU. Not too shabby. Considering the guy has probably been a final candidate more than once for the Beavs.

    • I think offensively there’s no doubt this is an incredibly talented group. Defense should be solid. The major question marks for me are: can we avoid the team-wide slump like we had for a month last year? Can our starting pitching last longer than 3 innings? Post-season requires a good staff. Can’t rely on scoring 11 runs a game to win. Definitely excited for the season and we did get another top 10 pre-season ranking today as well.

  146. 12

    Not sure what’s with all the Brent Brennan hate, lol. Thought he was one of the best of the Riley assistants over the years. Thought our WR were well coached, generally overachieved for their talent level, and that we generally put the right guys on the field at that position. He was also one of our best recruiters.

    To me that’s in stark contrast to Hynson who I think is one of our worst recent assistants. Very poor job of putting the right guys on the field, generally poor development and results.

    Obviously Riley had major flaws but just as obviously there were some things he did well. I’d say Brennan and the WRs were a high point.

    • Good for him. I’ll be interested to see how Boldin does. I hope he got a bunch of money. He’s obviously talented. It may be a shock when he’s the 5th or 6th wideout option for Texas. May end up a bit like Jam Griffin, doesn’t get a lot of touches.

    • I figured that would be the destination. He joins the Alabama transfer as the top 2 wr on the roster. Texas had 3-4 guys graduate form that team and all of the wr production was gone. My guess is he becomes the next option in Worthy’s role of go route after go route for Ewers to chuck it deep. All Bolden needs to do is catch them when they hit him in the hands and Texas fans will be elated with him. Worthy was a disaster for 4 years but hyped because of his speed and “Texas”. Dude dropped at least 3-4 sure touchdowns each year on simple post routes wide open. Bolden will either thrive or realize he’s “not in Kansas anymore Toto.” I’ll guess if a top qb is valued at $1.5mil, then a top WR is valued at about half that and Bolden may be viewed as less than a top WR, so he probably slots around $350-$500K for the year…as a rental wr. Not bad if he got it.

      • They can probably play him at the slot position and take advantage of his speed and quicks. Not sure Lindgren’s system really allowed the WR to flourish…at least the smaller guys.

    • Why no stats? Injuries? 5 games in 2 years, no stats.

      Nice comment:

      “Wesolak visited Oregon State over the weekend of January 13th and had this to see about his time in Corvallis, “I loved what OSU brought in their coaching staff. I felt that everyone in the building has played there and enjoyed their time with Coach Bray. It also shows a lot when you have former players from past teams already on the staff and enjoying their time still there. That’s one thing that stood out to me was the loyalty to Coach Bray and the school.”

      https://247sports.com/college/oregon-state/article/oregon-state-beavers-football-commitment-wesolak-225546249/

      • He doesn’t look like he’s added any weight since HS. The 247 scouting report said he would need to fill out, but he hasn’t yet.

        Hopefully our staff can get more out of him.

      • Before this season a Missouri site had him listed as their 40th most important player.

        40: DJ Wesolak, Redshirt Freshman, Linebacker

        2022 stats: Saw action in five games, did not record any stats.

        Wesolak is here as one of the sole representatives of pure youth upside on a defense loaded with veterans. He was a four-star recruit out of Boonville and was a powerhouse defensive end when he signed. However, he slid over to linebacker during the fall season, as there was not much work available in a deep defensive end room. That room is thin this year, and suddenly linebacker looks stout. Wesolak could provide an instant jolt of pass-rushing ability from the edge, which is a question mark entering the season. If he earns significant playing time, the former blue-chipper could make plays for the defense; there’s also a chance he plays sparingly this fall with eyes to 2024 and beyond.

        • You would think he would be much higher on the list next year and possible starter. Should be able to come in and start or at least rotate.

  147. It seems like our football social media has been much more engaged the last month or so. Maybe not too many more of the “normal” posts you’d expect from the official account but they are retweeting and much more present with current and former players. Didn’t see much of that under the old regime. Not sure if someone else has taken that role, is that something Bray or others want to highlight and be more active on. Maybe it’s nothing but I do think the new staff is much more visible on SM, which I think might resonate more with the recruits.

      • Part of my job is being a business consultant to small business owners in my field and I get a lot of them that say, I don’t like SM and don’t want to be a part of it. My response is typically, doesn’t matter if you don’t like it, a lot of your customers do and you need to be visible to your customers in the various ways they like to interact. You could tell that many of the coaches on the old staff didn’t like/participate in it and I think that is a missed opportunity. The new coaches like DeVan and Ford are much more active on SM and I think that’s great to help build and drive awareness and it’s good to see the main account much more active as well. Lane Kiffin posts a ton on “X” and I think it’s fun to watch his account. He cracks jokes, makes fun of himself, etc and he gets a ton of engagement and views which raise awareness. That damn video that Lanning posted making those terrible steaks was widely seen.

  148. I just read that the Cougs defeated Arizona a couple of nights ago. Canzano has an article about the wsu coach. It’s behind the pay wall but u can read the first part abt how all new pieces are coming together. Meanwhile . . .

    • Love how 2 former Beavs, Cummings and Brennan, might be the saviors of Zona football. Lol. All the jokes from Zona fans about us being a poverty school, MWC, etc and their program might just be saved by guys that played/coached at the poverty school.

  149. It’s funny, I’ve been an Oregon State fan for so long I remember any time a player transferred in from a big name school or a big time conference I figured it was a huge deal – never figuring out it was more likely he was leaving a bad situation for him than running to a better situation in Corvallis. There was some QB from Virginia who had off-field issues, there was Richie Incognito who was here for a hot second, a basketball player or three.
    I’m not dismissing any of the transfers, or the current state of the program – just also being realistic that playing time and NIL are the currency these days. Yes Oregon State has some great academic programs and has a tradition of doing a good job helping athletes graduate – but those only go so far.
    Where are we at in the kicking department? I wonder if Sappington signed before or after he found out the Civil War was back on next year IN CORVALLIS. Haha.

  150. Thoughts on film of the two new transfers:

    Clemons- no idea why he didn’t make it at Michigan (other than maybe run blocking?), but this guy has the best tools for a Beaver WR since Cooks. He’s tall (6’3), fast (4.4 speed), strong, and has a big catch radius. Cutting and route running may be the things that hold him back. Hard to tell from HS film because in the clips where you can see him the whole play, the DB’s are playing really soft. Legit 4-star. Love these quotes about him, too. Sounds like he’s the real deal: https://highschool.si.com/news/2021/12/16/darrius-clemons-of-westview-oregons-top-senior-prospect-picks-michigan-wolverines-over-ducks-3-other-finalists-it-truly-is-a-dream-come-true

    Wesolak- he missed significant time his senior season (possibly all of it?) because he was charged with assault and harassment for forcing a girl to kiss him at a party. He eventually reached a settlement due to his age and lack of prior record, but I don’t see a whole lot of senior season film. I’m going to assume what is out there is junior film, so it’s possible he improved in some of these areas.

    I can see why Missouri tried to move him to LB and why he didn’t see the field at DE (which their coach emphasized was his “natural position”). I can also see how people would have been really excited about the ability he had on display as a junior in HS. He’s a really explosive athlete; has a quick first step and moves well for his size. Upper body strength to shed blocks is good. Great reaction time, which you can see from several batted balls and one really impressive scoop and score.

    He’s pretty rough in other areas, though. Plays high, tackles high, body position isn’t great on tackles–there’s a lot of arm tackles at weird angles. I could see how he would easily be exposed by playing against quality OL. It looks like the tools are there, but it’s going to take good coaching to get the desired results out of him. He seems like one of those athletic tweeners that would definitely succeed at the FCS level, but doesn’t have an obvious position at the FBS level.

    • Interesting quote from Wesolak when he originally signed at UM. Maybe he just needs a change of scenery?

      “It was hard. It was a struggle at the end of the day,” Wesolak said after committing. “Being where I’m from, you want to get out. At the same time, you believe in what everyone’s doing around you. It took me a long time to figure out where I wanted to be.

    • 6
      1

      I mentioned in a prior thread, OSU and WSU are probably going to become “last chance U”…we have enough prestige and name recognition still where guys like Clemons who didn’t fit in somewhere might come play for us. This is the proper approach of course. Better than signing MWC level talent.

  151. LOL this is from Fisch’s introductory press conference at UW. Things are off to a great start!

    “Is this a place where you see yourself setting down your roots and being here long-term?”

    Jedd Fisch: “That’s always a problem right. You can’t be right, you can’t be wrong, whatever you say.”

  152. 4
    1

    Reviewing angry’s recruiting rankings from the JS era and they’re pretty well spot on. Well done!

    Biggest misses:
    -Anthony Gould, a “2-star” with “decent speed.”
    -Gebbia as the best OSU prospect ever was a bit of a stretch, too. Maybe he’ll be a great coach some day? :)
    -John McCartan: 3 star prospect as a TE. 1 star on defense. Hate him on D.
    -Joshua Gray: “2-star”; He has a solid offer sheet, but upon watching his film nothing stands out, and he looks a bit maladroit. I feel I’m missing something since he has so many good offers…?
    -Jake Levengood: “2-star”; “we’ll see how good these coaches are based on what he becomes.”
    -Matthew Tago was a “4-star” who had a good freshman year, then tailed off and ended up at SJSU

    • Not egregious though if spread over a 6 year window. Perhaps 1-2 misses each cycle is to be expected. Evaluating players isn’t a sure thing given the relative mystery of competition they play.

      • Well yeah, and you’re basing analysis on short videos of HS kids. There’s plenty of potential variance in their development based on a whole lot of factors. Some really talented guys just don’t have the drive to play college football and kind of fade away.

        I have a relative who plays at one of the “blue blood” programs and he said there are lots of guys on the team that are amazing athletes, they just don’t work hard enough to maximize their potential. I’m sure this is the same everywhere.

        • I remember those guys in 8th grade that just destroyed everyone in basketball but by the time they were high school junior had given up the sport altogether. Once it wasn’t easy, they quit playing and couldn’t adjust to the guys who would put out max effort against them. Probably the same in all levels, and all categories of life I guess.
          Human nature is a hard thing to shake off and overcome.

          • the same in all levels, and all categories of life I guess.
            SPOT ON

            Bet recognizing and managing that is characteristic of coaches like Michalczik.

          • I was sort of one of those guys. But we’re a dime a dozen and the pyramid narrows very quickly. Like being the valedictorian at your school. How many high schools are there? More than 20,000. My high school track coach, John Gillespie (who went on to coach at UO) said something that stuck with me my entire life: “You’ll probably never be the best at anything but, given any person, you can beat them at something.” Keeps me from being intimidated or awed by anyone.

          • 1
            1

            And the pyramid narrows very quickly is why recruit evaluation is so tough. The amount of guys who can jump from high school to D1 and be successful is a very small percentage but how do you know when they haven’t yet faced the squeezing of numbers into tighter competition? It is also amazing to look at NFL rosters of guys who are starters and they have schools like Ark Pine Bluff, NDSU, App St etc. A fair amount of the 1000 or so guys on NFL rosters are from very small even unknown schools, yet they are found and make a career. It isn’t simply a numbers game, but a lot of heart and determination for some of those guys and it makes the difference.
            Bray has a slight advantage in the recruiting wars, in this sense, he knows and the recruits know that OSU isn’t the ideal spot for the glamour recruit who wants things handed to him. OSU will become the landing spot for those recruits who want and have something to prove, likely with a chip on their shoulder and a lot of internal drive to compete with no let-up. If Bray can identify those guys, not the pity party guys who never got playing time and are pouting for a starting spot, but the guys who were overlooked because of neptism, favoritism, senior’s turn to play nonsense.

    • 1
      2

      I feel like angry earns a pass for Gray & to a lesser extent Levengood. While it was a bit ago, there wasn’t a lot of excitement surrounding Gray when he signed, even w/ his offer sheet. Both he and Levengood turned out quite well.

      McCartan though, haha. ;)

  153. Marco Candido is remaining on the staff to serve as the football strength and conditioning coach. Seems underwhelming, anyone know much about him?

    “Marco has been a key part of the strength and conditioning staff at Oregon State, and it was natural to elevate him into the top position,” Bray said in a release from the school.”…………..”natural to elevate him”, but took quite awhile to make the decision. Pretty important to get this right.

  154. weird, i posted about another potential training staff addition, Dylan Lowenstein. but it’s not showing up.
    XFL experience and a little time at USC as well as Cal Baptist

  155. thinking about the future of college football and where the sport will evolve (devolve?) from here.
    If the athletes continue to win lawsuits regarding pay for play and employee status, when does the conversation turn to eligibility?

    In the past you had 4/5 years to complete 4 years of college. Plus extensions for injury years. and then the Covid year…..
    At what point do the athletes organize and challenge that rule? If they are still in college after 4 playing years, why can’t they continue to play?
    If the college ranks truly do turn into a minor league football type model, when do we start seeing NFL players dropping back down to the college ranks to boost their experience and work their way back to the league, similar to Triple A baseball?

    And how soon can we get Jack Colletto back on the team? We could always use more of the milf hunter

  156. I’m assuming Braylon Dorman is going to withdraw from the portal. Just posted that he’s rocking with Brennan. It’s still early but man, sure seems like he’s gonna hold on to a good chunk of that team. Not sure how many Fisch thought would follow him to UW but early results have to be below his expectations. How cool for Brennan though? Put his dues in and literally could walk right into a B12 champion caliber team if he can keep it together like he seems to be. His base salary of $2.6 mill could mean he’s a successful year or two from being offered better money elsewhere. Not sure Zona has the money to drastically increase his salary. Unless he truly wants to stay long term, they could be doing this again in a few years.

  157. Wow, Cummings goes to UW. Even more impressive if Brennan is able to keep the majority of the roster. Early indications were that Cummings was the glue to keep the roster intact.

    • Money decision. Doubt Arizona could get into a bidding war over a single coach if UW and Arizona both view him as a key glue guy for keeping rosters together. I bet Cummings is getting paid!

  158. Beav Blitz reporting that there’s still 1 open assistant spot. Angie believes it will be Jaime Christian(?) As Special Teams but it could be interesting with Breckterfield not being retained at UW and not going to Alabama. The current DL coach has coached LBs in the past so there could be a scenario where they move him and have ILB and OLB coaches which opens up Breckterfield for the DL spot. Interesting as I had thought the positions were all filled but apparently still that 1 lingering spot.

  159. 2
    1

    Blitz had us at 91 scholarships and need to drop that # by 6 by the time fall camp comes around. So anyone we add we’re already over and will need to continue trimming fat in spring camp and over the summer.

    • Hedberg said he expects about 10 defections after spring.

      Also said they’re looking at one more OL for this class.

      Connington not expected to sign.

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