Home Athletics Backup DTs, Recruiting, and Next Season

Backup DTs, Recruiting, and Next Season

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Edit: I heard from a reliable source that offensive tackle Darryl Jackson is now an Oregon State lean.

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According to Cliff, the starting DT this Saturday will be Kevin Frahm, and the backup will be one of these guys:

Evan Hull, Ben Motter and Nathan Hannah.

*Gulp*

Do I even need to tell you all three are walk-ons?

On the recruiting front, Blitz is reporting that Todd Peat has the Beavs in his final five. The problem with Blitz is that they sell subscriptions, and in an effort to get new blood signed up, they're always overly optimistic about 4-star recruits who have the slightest interest. They tend to do this even more after a bad loss when fans are jumping off buildings. But hey, I'm not going to try to prevent you from being excited about Peat if you want to be. Go for it.

One more thing: D. J. Welch reportedly will be ready to go come camp.

I have to say, I cannot wait for some of the current guys to graduate. I wish Remmers, Johnson, and Ellis were either seniors this season or scheduled to be backups next year. What I absolutely cannot deal with is all of them starting again next year. I might ask Bob D for my donation back if that happens. Anyway, the talent and potential look much better as you go down the depth chart.  Sure, it's raw talent, but by next fall it should be refined. It's clear 2010 is shaping up to be a "rebuilding" rather than "reloading" year. We have become accustomed to the latter.

What else. Oh, I could deal with Riley a lot better if he had an aggressive and imaginative staff. The problem is that all of these coaches have the same laid back, west coast temperament. They feed into one another and create an apathetic, workaday environment. If you don't believe me, think about how the Beavers looked before the TCU, Boise State, or Penn State kickoffs. "Anemic deer in headlights" would be putting it nicely. A few years ago when all the young mensches became head coaches in the league, the writing was on the wall. Evolve or die. This staff is not dead yet, but the young head coaches, and now two new teams, are out for blood and mean business. When watching Riley & Friends., I'm reminded of the Pink Floyd song Time. The lyrics read: "No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun."

If you're interested what happens after that, Google it, but it's not good.

51 COMMENTS

  1. I think Frahm is starting. Also I don’t have a problem with our lack of depth at DT as much as I do with our O-line. Until OSU changes its system DT’s wont stand out in it and are mostly just to take on blockers, so I would rather us be thin at DT than thin on the O-line, DE, LB, DB’s…etc.

    • You’re right, I reread it and he has Frahm as the starter. I misread it the first time. It’s still a bad situation since we know what Frahm is at DT.

      I agree, the O-line situation is worse. At least we still have scholarship talent starting on D.

      • Frahm has had his moments. He plays decent beside Paea. The O-line is just dire. The best guy is probably Remmers and that is not saying a ton. I though Phillip had a bunch of stars by his name?

        • I see more from Philipp than I do from anyone else on the line. The problem is that he is usually going against the other team’s stud DE, and he has no help to the inside.

          Imagine two years from now what the O-line will look like. Philipp, Beaton, Andrews, Enger, Garner, Nomani and Sapolu all vying for time with Kelly and Lyons. The walk-on in the 2010 class (Nielsen) is the kind of kid you want as a walk-on. Anyone ever hear of Rory Ross?

          Neither have I.

          These juniors and seniors just don’t do it for me… or for Quizz.

          • Do you think the coaches are being spiteful? It’s hard to understand why you’d continue to play these guys. This is not “unreasonable fans”; it’s the star RB calling them out and essentially saying they stink.

          • It’s also Paea calling them out after the loss. Four 3-and-outs in the second half? You can’t spring one of the most elusive backs in the country? Paea has every right to be pissed. Hmmm, two of the programs hardest working and most talented players (Paea and Quizz) think the o-line isn’t getting it done. What would they know about hard work, execution, and production anyway?

            As for Quizz, watching the highlights against Cal, the guy seems to be doing most of it on his own.

            I’m digressing a bit now, but I continue to think Cav is overrated, not because he can’t turn walk-ons into all conference players, but because it takes him forever to settle on a starting five, and he continues to play people who don’t produce. If the current line play next year simply because they’re upper classmen, that’s going to be discouraging for more players than Quizz……

          • Agree on the last sentence.

            I’d like to somehow get a clear answer on why they’re sticking with this line. Do they really think it’s the best combination, or is it to save face?

            Same with a guy like Ruben Robinson–he has no business being on the field.

            Most coaches pull a guy who isn’t producing. These coaches don’t do that, and seem to believe that patience and experience will make the player what they envision him to be. It would make a lot more sense to accept what the player is. Either way, it’s frustrating to watch for those of us who see the situation clearly.

            (how long before someone shows up and says, “so you guys know more than coach!?”).

            Yes, yes we do.

  2. And we’re at the point where burning red shirts is a waste. Tuivailala and Crichton might as well just enjoy the ride for the year. They’re going to be needed next year.

    I wish the coaches would recruit speed for line positions as it was done in the days of yore. Imagine Connor Hamlett putting 50 pounds on his frame and running off the line as a guard or tackle. He has good feet and great hands. That’s why he was recruited. Now give him super strength and size to go along with those, and we have an O-line factory developing.

    If we’re going to build O-linemen from the ground up, we might as well start with kids who have great technical skills and room to grow instead of pre-built and insufficient with the technical skills.

  3. I have a naive question. I see all the talent on the other teams and we are chock full of walk ons. There is a certain number of scholarships a D1 team can have. Do some teams not make it to that number because of financial considerations? Is OSU in that situation? Does Oregon and USC do better because of better external support? I don’t understand all the walk ons in key positions, such as kickers. Is most of the problem with walk ons who have moved into scholarships or recruited scholarships not performing? I don’t see the team that lost to UCLA winning any more games this year, sad.

    • The kid denied entry to SMU after moving to Dallas? I thought he was going to UCLA.

      I don’t think we have any room for a really athletic 6’7″, 300# tackle with really long arms.

      Do we?

    • Is it possible that we’ve reached that time of the year where rumors about 4 or 5 * player “X” is thinking about becoming a Beav and thus negating the grumbling amongst the fans?

      Could be.

  4. Moala won’t stop talking about Oregon State, even in his USC piece. He basically said all four Grant kids *could* wind up at OSU. I’d be happy with one.

    • Barring attrition, I think we have eight spots remaining (assuming five for grey shirts).

      Do we know of any kids who are tagged with grey shirt slots yet? It seems to me that Ashton might be one if he wants to QB. If he’s coming in as a punter, that’s different.

      Lampkins? Addie?

      Then there’s the fact that we almost always end up with late qualifiers or those who don’t qualify at all.

      • I forgot Hekker was a junior. So Ashton may be a true grey shirt candidate… knowing this staff. I would rather have him on scholarship and outkicking Hekker every day while practicing as a QB. It might open some eyes.

    • Are the Grant kids considering OSU more because they finally realize that all 4 could start from day 1 because our defense is ball-licking bad?

      So OSU has a chance to beat out CAL, Washington and Oregon for these guys?

      Whats the status on Keyshawn Johnson’s WR nephew and the 20 other WRs OSU has offered?

      • He actually mentions Locey a ton–says something like “He’s done a lot on his own, and we think we can help him.” Paraphrasing a tiny bit as I don’t want to steal content, but that’s the gist of it. This was a USC interview mind you. Sounds promising.

    • Can you imagine a DT rotation of Moala, Thompson, Tuivailala and Masani’ai (and possibly Seumalo in next year’s class) playing alongside DE’s Henry, Lopa, Wynn, Crichton, Rosa and Bennett?

      Then you get Sample at S and Paolo at MLB? We have under-recruited both those positions in the last two classes.

      Now that I’m slightly excited, I can feel them committing elsewhere as I type.

      But if we land those four I will stop whining about recruiting every position except O-linemen.

      Darryl Jackson wouldn’t hurt in that department, and I hear Kendrick Williams down in the Houston area is looking hard at us.

      There! I think I’ve officially jinxed us.

  5. If Riley makes the next 10 Kraft Hunger Bowls with 6-6 records and gets rewarded for an “amazing well-done job” with an extension for every 6-6 year we could be looking at Hunger and Las Vegas Bowls through 2029. Talk about best job in America. You have awesome coaches like Chris PEterson out there and we have never been to a bowl above the Sun Bowl under Riley and we are going to lock him up through 2029 and tell him he is doing unbeleievably well as long as he is 6-6 and making Hunger Bowls?

    Bobby D should be fired for such a ridiculous contract. Only 8-4 seasons and up are worthy of anything.

    • At the risk of sounding like one of the shining morons under the hill, have a little faith.

      I don’t mean to be blind to the reality that our upperclassmen are pretty bad except for a few really good players. I’m saying that you can take comfort that this team will not make a bowl game without some very good coaching from this point out.

      Anyone who can get this group of kids into a bowl with the remaining schedule probably deserves an extension. I think everything under the sun has been attempted to kick this crowd in the butt, but they are beyond not being self-starters. they’re just not starters.

      Whether we make a bowl or not, we should see open competitions for EVERY POSITION on the field not occupied by a Rodgers, Wheaton or Halahuni. Even those positions should be open to competition. I just know who will win them.

      Competition is healthy. Practice competition, and we might see some on gamedays. The only way to do that is to give the youth a fair shot. Enough of the ‘formula for development’ crap.

      Strap some gear on and go hit someone!

      • Rewarding mediocrity is why we will be doomed to be mediocre unless we just get very lucky. Riley knows that 6-6 should be his worst year or maybe 5-7 in a very awful year. And to extend him for every 6-6 or 7-5 record is a joke. No fan is impressed at all. We want Alamo bowls and a couple Rose Bowls. Our bad years should be Holiday bowls or at worst a Sun Bowl. Instead Riley makes a Sun Bowl, just scores 3 points in another and we put him in a position to stay until 2029 without buying him out with as many 6-6 and 7-5 records as he wants. It is pathetic. Chip Kelly gets almost all his bonuses for making BCS bowls. Riley found a way where a Hunger bowl is just as good as an Alamo bowl at the expense of Beaver Nation. It is not classy and something close to a fleecing.

        • I agree with Jack, it would take some serious coaching to get us to a bowl game. Odds are, if we go to a bowl game it will be the Holiday. Interesting about that, our best bowl game in a decade and one of our worst records.

          OS Beaver, Chris Peterson is not just sitting out there. I don’t think he is even available. I think he legitimately enjoy BSU and it somewhere like USC might have a hard time getting him. He definitely would never take a job at OSU or he would have already.

  6. The only thing that would make this year good is landing some great recruits who see the immediate playing time.

    I don’t know how much hope to have. I think Darryl Jackson will become a Beav, but the Grant kids I don’t know–it will depend on their official visit, which last I heard was scheduled for the Civil War.

    • 1 of 2 things will happen with the Grant kids watching the Civil War:

      1.) They will see the Ducks gain over 400 rushing yards on the Beavers’ defense, on their way to 700 total yards of offense in a 35+ point victory, then sour on the prospect of joining the OSU program.

      -OR-

      2.) They will see the Ducks gain over 400 rushing yards on the Beavers’ defense, on their way to 700 total yards of offense in a 35+ point victory, then realize all of them can be starters right away and get as much playing time as they can handle, increasing the odds that they commit.

      • I agree.

        Since Oregon’s scoring is all the rage, a good recruiting strategy for OSU would be to sell the fact that they’re their natural rival and want to be the defense to stop it.

        Should be a valid selling point to any kid who considers himself a top defender.

      • The problem is the program’s reticence to play young players. As talented as they may be, and as needed they may be, I don’t see them playing early.

        I think the CW blowout dissuades them, not encourages them.

    • A few months ago I heard Johnson silently committed to the Beavs. Doesn’t seem like that is true right now. Zimmerman is trying to pull him to OSU, Johnson is trying to pull Zimmerman to Arizona. Who wins?

      This one scares me…Zimmerman says he’s solid, but a lot of his comments about OSU have been lukewarm. Cannot lose Zimmerman–he is a stud.

  7. Darryl Jackson’s facebook page has a lot of anti-Oregon talk on it (from him) and he added a whole bunch of OSU players after his trip.

  8. A Riley contract through 2015 or ’16 would have been wiser and he should not be getting extension for anything less than 9-3.

    That said I am looking forward to Zimmerman and Storm Woods. We need to lad a few more talented recruits and we should be able to maintain 8-4 most years with some 9-3 years thrown in. OSU just has to stay within of Oregon most years so we are the North champ if we win the Civil War. We have had famous players like Ochocinco and Steven Jackson through are ranks and still produce some good NFL personalities so I think Zimmerman will make a great Beav and hopefully he can pull a friend over to Oregon State.

    Our program can be great as soon as we build the new west side, beat Oregon for a North title, and are willing to replace a coordinator when results are lackluster.

    • You are going to wait a very long time to get what you think will make our program great. Btw, 8 or 9 win seasons are not part of that formula. 10/11 win seasons are what great programs do regardless of stadium size and their rival.

  9. Some star movement–Storm Woods was rightfully awarded a 3rd star. Robins received 2-stars (also accurate). Brandon Bennett received 3 stars–somewhat surprising since nobody can find film of him.

  10. Scout saying DT Brennan Olander is out for the year, which means his career at OSU is over.

    I wonder if the NCAA will allow OSU to take a kid from the School of Forestry and plug him in at DT….?

  11. I’m actually experiencing an odd sense of relief right now…we are most likely not going to a bowl game, and most certainly not the Rose Bowl. We never gave suspense a chance.

    Now that I’m over the embarrassment of losses to Washington and UCLA, my Saturdays won’t include the exhausting cocktail of nerves and whiskey and disappointment. I can start dreaming about “next year” without going through the monumental letdown rendered by two consecutive losses to our hated rival to the South. We know with certainty what that date will bring us this year.

    We can start looking for moral victories and be on the lookout for improvement; examples of good kids being “coached up.” And .

    I want results. I want to see blue-chippers instead of walk-on’s coached up. I want….so much more that what we’ve been given.

    I hate this team that I love so much.

  12. I’m actually experiencing an odd sense of relief right now…we are most likely not going to a bowl game, and most certainly not the Rose Bowl. We never gave suspense a chance.

    Now that I’m over the embarrassment of losses to Washington and UCLA, my Saturdays won’t include the exhausting cocktail of nerves and whiskey and disappointment. I can start dreaming about “next year” without going through the monumental letdown rendered by two consecutive losses to our hated rival to the South. We know with certainty what that date will bring us this year.

    We can start looking for moral victories and be on the lookout for improvement; examples of good kids being “coached up.” And (insert any of the other pathetic catch phrases that have echoed from the bowels of the Valley Center for years).

    I want results. I want to see blue-chippers instead of walk-on’s coached up. I want….so much more that what we’ve been given.

    I hate this team that I love so much.

  13. Maybe I am crazy but I still think it would work to bring McAndrews in at TE. Sure he doesn’t pose a threat in the passing game but Katz doesn’t really need a ton of targets and complex reads. It would make for a stout left side to run behind. It may draw another defender into the box but that just makes more 1-on-1’s on the outside. It is just funny because the talk before the season was that he was so good they couldn’t keep him off the field and now he is not on the field. He is long and lean for an O-lineman so I think he can get out of his stance quick enough to block from that position. It is apparent that just “getting nasty” isn’t going to help these guys. So either bring in more or different blockers, or replace the run game with a short high completion passing game.

  14. According to ESPN, this is Peat’s final 5:

    Arizona State
    Miami
    Nebraska
    Stanford
    Oregon State

    Take it for what you will, but looks like we have a pretty decent shot with him.

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