This is going to be mediocre football, but it’s technically FBS, and the Beavs could be a big fish in a small pond if they play their cards right. This is nothing to get excited about, but then again, nothing to do with NCAA football these days is very exciting. I’m curious to hear peoples’ thoughts on the financial side of this, and whether they think the Beavs can in fact become the big fish in the small pond.
The final teams:
Oregon State
Washington State
Boise State
Utah State
Colorado State
San Diego State
Fresno State
Texas State
Newsflash: All college football is mediocre. There’s not a team out there that doesn’t have weaknesses that can be exploited. Pretending otherwise is just silly.
Which raises another question.
5 OOC games? Can’t play 5 FCS teams. Who is gonna wanna come.to Corvallis. Do we go back to scheduling body bag games?
The only thing that could make it interesting is good OOC games, but yeah, I doubt we get any. We’ll probably get Sacramento State, and their QB will run all over us. Lol.
Nah, Bray is back running the D
You do know that the PAC isn’t staying at 8 football teams, right? They still have until July next year to have the final conference made. Very likely adding at least one more football school(or football only). They aren’t playing only 7 conference games.
The only schools that can join that late are Independents. I’m pretty sure it will be an 8 team football conference for at least 2026.
Unless you’re projecting UConn joining. And hard no to Sac State.
They’ve already got Texas Tech and Montana coming to Corvallis with a road game at Houston. I doubt they’ll have trouble finding 2 more games.
Stopping at 8 seems like the smart move to me. Especially given the options.
Still think the 4 MWC schools jumping the gun cost them better options.
You do realize those were scheduled before the pac 12 fell apart, right?
Yeah, I’m just saying it shouldn’t be difficult to find 2 more games
Can anyone find NCAA TV Ratings when adjusted for population growth? It seems like the only thing keeping ratings up at all is global population growth. I’d like to see figures that are adjusted for that but can’t find anything. I know last year’s championship game was like -12% viewership. I think this sport is doomed due to ESPN/Disney and pay for play. I wrote about this 12 years ago that it would be the nail in the coffin. Even people who do watch seem to enjoy it less (I’m basing this on long-term friends and their thoughts on this…some of whom are in the SEC/Georgia and even care less).
I know that I was a devout college football fan and I care less these days because of the conference realignment and transfer portal chaos. I still follow OSU, but I could absolutely care less about any other team at this point. Watching the same 20-30 teams dominate because they got lucrutive TV deals is boring as hell. Half the fun was Cinderella stories in college sports. Giant Killer stuff. At this point I would like to see Pac 12 combine with Mountain West and other conferences like Big Sky to make a west coast super conference and try to return the soul to college football. I don’t have market awareness into how that could drive media deals and parity to other conferences.
As far as new members, I think a few are great adds but the overall strategy seems disjointed and I am not sure it will help long term. My guess is that OSU, WSU and BSU will look to jump to another conference during future realignment talks, and I am not a fan of that.
I know that I was a devout college football fan and I care less these days because of the conference realignment and transfer portal chaos. I still follow OSU, but I could absolutely care less about any other team at this point. Watching the same 20-30 teams dominate because they got lucrutive TV deals is boring as hell. Half the fun was Cinderella stories in college sports. Giant Killer stuff.
This. I forgot about the transfer portal chaos. Definitely.
Transfer, NIL have pretty much ruined college athletics for me. Gone are the days of watching “student athletes” develop, of feeling like you sort of know them as people. WBB especially did a good job in this area (made easier by the size of the team and the focus of Rueck). Even baseball, and to some extent, football had their “human interest” type stories to go along with the games.
No matter how Parker and the AD try to spin it the feeling just isn’t there when the dollar sign is hanging over everything.
I agree. If I won the lottery tomorrow I would still give some money to OSU Athletics but would be specific. Not one dime directly to athletes, would be a waste of my money and they could transfer anyway. Would be in coaches, facilities, athlete support (training table, academics, medical etc.), administration (GM for Football, marketing, game day experience management, GM for NIL etc.)
I don’t expect OSU to be a big fish in a small pond. The AD and HC have never been big fish and don’t know how to play that role. Alumni won’t step up and provide the NIL resources to do so, unless some mega donor comes through. Then, could Barnes make right hire to manage any NIL bounty?
Will Barnes get decent non-con games? Even programs like UCLA, CAL, Stanford seem to be trending down to a low mediocrity, so those games wouldn’t be super compelling. Can they buy enough talent to make non cons interesting? The financial disparity is tremendous – UO with an estimated $20-23M football roster last year – and some coaches like Lanning seem adept at managing a tremendous amount of free agent turnover in key positions. Beavers spent most of last year hoping a lil’ FBS QB could lead them, and Gunderson couldn’t forge an identity.
In terms of conference opponents, i think SDSU would be a fun road game. CSU looks like a nice stadium, beautiful area…the rest aren’t particularly interesting.
BUT – this season will be interesting with Murphy throwing the ball. That guy at least knows who and what he is and is going to throw to big TEs and WRs who look good on paper but don’t have a history of productivity, They have a big, fast RB in Allah, and a tough one in Hankerson. The OLine sounds like it has about 6-7 good knees between them, and that will be the Achilles heel (ha ha). They won’t play together enough to become cohesive.
Coach Cav has a huge job in front of him, wonder if his heart is really in it.
He said his first priority is keeping them healthy. That’s going to be a challenge. I really expect them to lack continuity and cohesiveness, and for Murphy to be getting the ball out very quickly. 3 seconds or less.
Maybe those big 4* TEs can block, and the backs can help out enough to give Murphy some time.
Bottom line is teams need either a mega-donor or a lucrative media deal to compete for players. If a player does happen to slip through the cracks and land at OSU, or we develop a freshman into a starting calibur player, they’re as good as gone the following season. Money is the only thing that will keep a team stocked with talent and the Pac12 media deal won’t be enough to provide enough money to retain talent.
Same can be said for coaches.
On the other hand, of the Beavs can develop a brand that’s fun to watch and gimmicky, I think they could help themselves just by being a team that’s entertaining.
I’m only good for about 1 or 2 home games per year, but the Reser atmosohere has been pretty fun the past few years and I’ll still continue to attend games when I can. Especially the evening games before it gets cold
“fun to watch and gimmicky”………..uh, maybe orange turf??
Seriously, as with baseball, the answer is JUST WIN; that’ll bring national attention, better OOC schedule, and media dollars even when swimming in a small pool.
I wonder if a smart GM, with NIL money, could land and keep 4*+ offensive and defensive linemen and CBs. Fill around them with affordable, “legitimate” 3* skill players and LBs, and they could have a winning team.
I think they should “sign” kids to 3-4 year deals for continuity, hold them to academic standards, and have a good buyout clause so they could recoup some money and refill roster spots. You want to jump schools? Fine. Your next school will need to buy you out. At least that would feel like “student-athletes” and maybe something that an alumni might be motivated enough to follow and root.
Agree if Beavs could be fun to watch that would help. Not so much gimmicky, but bold and well coached would probably do it. Gunderson has said they may have a two QB package this year, and packages specific to the 2nd string, mobile QB. Gimmicky enough?
CBs are a dime a dozen.
Trench hogs, not so much.
Just winning isn’t enough. Entertaining is the key. Look at Colorado, they didn’t win shit yet were on tv every damn week because of the entertainment factor of coach Sanders’ new program. Loving or hating a team is golden for ratings. Winning is secondary.
I know you already knew that, but even I forget that fact sometimes.
The ultimate example is shown during bowl selection.
Re-posting from last thread (with some edits) as its more topical now:
Riley used to have to fight to keep the Beavers in about the top half of the PAC, sometimes achieving top 25 rankings. Sucked in non-conference games. Smith, once he got rid of Tisebar and developed the OLine and running game, won non-cons, go to the top third of the PAC 12, achieving top 15 national rankings either temporarily or at end of season.
Any guesses on how PAC football programs will shake out in 2026? Just grouping them roughly, I’d estimate
These teams should be near the top as they should benefit from continuity and resources:
BSU
OSU
SDSU
Second grouping:
Fresno State – capable of playing tough, access to CA talent.
WSU – coach from lower division (brought many players with him) will be in his second year. Can he recruit to the Palouse?
Texas State – Decent performing coach at Sunbelt level, no doubt motivated staff, team, and fan base. Maybe benefits from Texas talent base?
Bottom tier?
CSU
Utah State
Who has the best homefield advantage? Boise State has a rabid fan base, though I’m not sure the stadium setting creates a noise volume that’s difficult to deal with? Beaver crowds had been great right up to the 2-point loss to UW in Smith’s last competitive effort. Will they be as enthusiastic in 26 with this schedule? CSU has elevation, a nice stadium, probably good home crowds? None of these venues are likely to be deafening and problematic for visitors.
The PAC could change again in about 4-5 years in the next round of realignment, and the Beavers would almost certainly bail if they could get into something like a new B12. Where will the Beavers be in 4 years? Hopefully not in the bottom grouping!
lol… Riley fighting… lol
If the dude had a clue about forming a college team, he would have a clue.
The annual excuse was that we were finding our identity. Sure, he was a good coach that made a couple runs.
but… no
Agreed, guy window shopped the Beavs best time to be relevant.
Yeah, too generous a verb…especially after he came back and realized that in the eyes of most alumni he was pretty untouchable as long as he didn’t have a 28 year losing streak….
As Angry pointed out, without Gilstrap to identify and recruit talent, Riley really was exposed…
Yeah, Gilstrap was OSU during that period of success. Smith actually was able to find talent, coach it, but also form cohesive game plans. He was probably our best coach. His one problem, of course, was his love for the adrenaline rush. We would have ascended higher under Smith were it not for that gambling addiction.
Don’t forget, the ol’ lucky Jockstrap Riley kept from Gilstrap’s locker got the team rolling in 2012!
At least the speculation is over and they can move forward as a conference, with conference awards, post-season etc for the student athletes. I’d say the lack of conference recognition and conference awards was part of some athletes transferring recently.
Do we think they are going to keep the PAC-12 moniker? I really hope they don’t. They should just drop the number and simply call themselves the PAC.
Pacific Athletic Conference is clean and doesn’t lead to the dumb Big 10 with 18 schools thing.
It’s a national and recognizable brand and I think they will keep it the same
How’s PAC-12 which is 15 years old anymore of a brand than PAC.
The PAC 10 and PAC 8 had longer runs than the PAC 12.
PAC is the brand, the number isn’t.
I’m not sure new fans today even know or remember about the older versions of the PAC..The memory span of many is very short.
I think they’d be able to make the connection.
I just hate a 9 team PAC 12. It’s silly. Drop the 12.
Probably a money issue more then anything. Graphic design isn’t cheap, I’m sure just painting over the 12 will work but that seems cheesy especially on our home field. About as good as that banner with the wrong dates that stayed up on VFC a few years back. Plus anything associated with the Pac12 network would need to be changed.
Some people think we should add UNLV, because their last two years have doubled the number of winning seasons in their 120 years of football.
College football fans can be totally devoid of intelligence.
OT:
Who’d a thunk it! Ochocinco giving financial advice!
Speaks of actually living in the team facility for a couple of his early years in The League, “staying in the stadium facility. “They have everything I need there: showers, cafeteria, players’ lounge.”
Johnson’s legacy includes telling upstarts, “There’s no need to show off. Whoever you’re trying to impress, they’ve already googled how much you make,” he said. “The value is in your name.”
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/nfl-great-chad-johnson-on-the-unusual-way-he-saved-money-131409031.html
Beavs have a good shot at picking up a new football verbal commitment tomorrow. 2026 OT, Braylin Ellison
https://x.com/braylonellison/status/1939679081987281186?t=E3T2134d38HxnA-0wSfO5Q&s=19
Although a recent Missouri offer could be what he ends up accepting. His dad was an alum there
Where’s the kid from?
Boonville, MO… which is about ten miles from Columbia.
Looks like he’s been trying to get their attention for several years and was only offered three weeks ago, after his visit to Corvallis. His brother was on Mizzou’s team for a couple years, before getting cut after this last season.
Thanks Jack! Yeah probably grew up a Tiger fan. Will be difficult to close this kid.
His dad is director of player development for Mizzou.
And as super smart as he looks in his resume, I’m not sure he makes this decision lightly.
College Football used to be about regionality, history and tradition. The powers that be said f*** all that, let’s milk this for money. And that was the beginning of the end. Interest will wane because people don’t give a s*** about Oregon – Northwestern or USC – Rutgers. We have manufactured a bunch of games that no one really wanted to see. And cut of the rich history of west coast rivalries. We all have feelings about certain teams in the PAC-12. And that makes games more intriguing.
Part of the history and tradition was blue blood programs with rich alumni paying recruits and/or their families under the table.
“Winning” Programs regularly cheated, with Pete Carrol, Chip Kelly, and Jim Harbaugh all leaving for the pros when consequences were going to come down.
I think people misunderstand the motivation for teams to flee to the Big 10 and the SEC, it wasn’t so much a financial windfall pushing them, but the need to be able to cover the checks they’d already written and a fear of being “left behind.” I doubt 90 percent of the SEC/Big 10 schools are improving their margins much. The money comes in and it goes out even faster.
Yes, this.
UW, UO, Cal, UCLA, and the Zony schools were all underwater because of planned liabilities. Wazzu is too. OSU may have been “holding itself back” by being super conservative in CapEx, but we don’t have those liabilities.
I think some type of “super league” is coming in five years or so. There was speculation by Rick Neuheisel and College Sports Radio that it would be 76 teams. If that has any grain of truth, OSU needs to position itself to get an invite by dominating the new Pac-12 going forward. You know Boise State will get one.
I think we already know which side of that fence OSU will find themselves on
If it’s 76 schools I’d bet OSU would make that cut.
That said, I have no interest in such a scenario and would prefer OSU drop to FCS or just drop football vs joining such a ridiculous idea.
TV money has ruined college football, but I would prefer the Beavs to be included if it comes to that.
There are probably like 30 programs pushing the super league idea: the 20 or so that see themselves as national championship contenders and several others that think it’s in their best interest to be attached to that.
Unfortunately for them, they need a national geographic spread to be successful, while also staying small enough to minimize revenue distribution, while also including punching bag teams they can squeeze a few wins out of every year because no one wants to be the doormat.
Football picked up a different verbal commit today.
3* CB Truly Bell out of Ken Simonton’s old stompimg grounds.
https://x.com/trulybell1/status/1939736529724899341?t=_sT-b0oTBLVrFVIE62XVCw&s=19
Apparently he had a Georgia offer? Also beat Arizona and a bunch of PAC schools.
Raking in the defensive “commitments” recently.
The D is going to be fun to watch. If OSU could get a donor to contribute meaningfully, I’d like to see a new HC with an offensive background in 26 or 27, and Bray moved back to DC and compensated at a level to keep him.
Bray didn’t really want HC and if OSU wants to establish an early, leading role in the new PAC they need an experienced HC to do it in my opinion. Someone to hold Gunderson accountable and replace him if he doesn’t demonstrate a vision and start getting results.
Soon we could have most of Mike Riley’s Nebraska staff reassembled in Corvallis. It’s already happenung little by little and nobody is noticing.
https://media.tenor.com/fOhpzq09HLoAAAAC/nebraska-football-mike-riley.gif
Yeah, I’d like to see a HC hire from outside the program to bring in different experiences and viewpoints…
Mark Banker loading….
Texas State board of trustees approved $5M buyout and move to PAC.
If they blow a lead and lose a game they were winning, will we say they “Bobcatted it”?
Will this conference be around long enough to establish rivalries?
“Will this conference be around long enough to establish rivalries?”
I hope so. Maybe, maybe not. But I think the PAC network gives long term life to the conference, and can act as an antagonist to ESPN virus spreading like a cancer through college sports. PAC leadership needs to begin taking on the ESPN behemoth and using the production value/ability to separate from the pack as much as possible.
Maybe this conference becomes the eventual landing spot for a lot of castoffs’ once the “powers that be” begin thinning the herd so to speak. It seems like a lot of schools who are generally mocked and derided for not being the conference flagships may need a place to land as well. I’d say any team west of the Mississippi should be in play and get an open invite to create a west coast/mountain/midwest super-conference that isn’t ruled by ESPN.
A lot of these teams will be on the outside looking in once it all goes down, and the big programs decide they are better than all the rest. Imagine the announcement by ESPN of a cherry picked conference of their favorite 16-24 brands, and everyone else is left scrambling. Imagine it happening so quickly that within 5 years the Big10, SEC, ACC conferences are no more and all of those schools are trying to salvage something after their biggest brands all leave them behind. I’m no longer interested in the blue blood conference shake-up, I’m curious off the fallout and where everyone will land, or how they can restore conference order again.
Consider teams like:
UCLA
Nebraska
Missouri
Iowa
Iowa St
Kansas
Cal
Stanford
UW
Colorado
UofA
ASU
BYU
Utah
Texas Tech
Baylor
Ok St
Schools that might even be on the bubble could be USC, Wisconsin, Texas A&M to even be included. It all would become a geographic play for supposed tv eyeballs again. But they are so foolish that they don’t realize they have already cooked the golden goose appeal of the sport anyway.
Once SEC and Big10 brass pick their 16 or 24 team super-conference and dismiss everyone else not worthy, no fans will really care about their product. The insanity of it is that there are currently schools in the SEC and Big10 that will certainly be jettisoned for the very same reasons OSU/WSU were. Yet, those schools are happy to be in proximity, cash fat checks and lose 8-10 games per year to be there. I’m looking at Rutgers, Maryland, Vandy, Ole MIss, Miss St, Texas A&M, Northwestern, Indiana, Illinois, Mich St….
What have you done for me lately will destroy some of these schools if applied as it was to OSU.
What a mess with all of the conference realighnments.
Caraway in the portal. Didn’t see that coming.
Is the money just not there?
You think it would be after a CWS season…
I’m fine with him leaving. Maybe he was one of those guys who just didn’t take coaching well. He certainly didn’t change his approach with 2 strikes ever. Swing hard or watch it go by.
Upgrade at 3rd on defense is a must. He was in such a slump that his bat won’t really be missed either. He got hot for a 2 week stretch, but otherwise was given the longest leash on the team. So his gratitude is to punch out for a bigger NIL deal instead of just entering the draft. So long and enjoy the humidity at LSU or anywhere in the deep south where “real baseball is played” lol.
I saw his first at bat home-run in Surprise in person and thought he might be another Beaver great but I’d say his career has been underwhelming for sure.
Leverage for draft dollaz?
The gap between NIL and Draft signing bonuses for 3/4 round pick isn’t that much. You lose some leverage being a senior verses a junior, but he probably can make more from 1 year of NIL + signing bonus than just his signing bonus would be this year.
Seems like a business decision. He can entertain NIL offers vs a draft signing bonus. He’ll get drafted and then have a number schools will need to beat. Betting on himself, he could double dip. Get NIL dollars for one year and then a signing bonus if he performs and if drafted high. Programs will find a way around the NIL cap to get him paid.
His approach didn’t change because that’s what was coached. Swing hard and for the fence no matter what. Driveline garbage because they can’t coach.
Caraway will get paid and will improve wherever he goes.
Hey worked in the post season though lol
Wish him success
““We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12,” Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould said in the announcement. “It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a new league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind.
“Under great leadership from Dr. Kelly Damphousse, (Texas State AD) Don Coryell and excellent head coaches, Texas State has shown a commitment to competing and winning at the highest level as well as to providing student-athletes with a well-rounded college experience academically, athletically and socially. We look forward to seeing the Bobcats’ future trajectory continue to shine big and bright.”
Yawn.
That’s what any of the other ten would say if we were invited to their conference now. We were the bottom feeders of the old Pac 12 in nearly every measurable category.
National titles, conference championships, stadium size, endowment, athletic revenue, athletic expenditure .. you name it.
If the Beavs don’t change their little engine that could mind set. They’ll be the bottom feeder of the new Pac12 within a few years.
For some more perspective CBS sports did a football power rankings of the new conference members. They have the Beavs 7th out of 8. Wildly inaccurate in my opinion but that’s the perception outside of Oregon.
ESPN’s power ranking of the Big 12 had Utah and oSu at 1 and 2. CU and ASU were 14 and 16.
Preseason power rankings and polls are worse than bullshit.
This new league sounds nasty.
It’s Janet… Pac 12, if you’re nasty.
The new PAC has now entered a proof of concept phase. Over the next 2-3 years, it will be critical to show there is a strong viewership demand but the demand will be based on the on field and on court performance and quality of talent. If successful, the PAC could be in a strong position for the next realignment in 2031. If not, long term survival as a conference is at risk.
“In the bottom of the fifth inning, Abreu took Joe La Sorsa’s pitch to center field in the deep corner of Fenway Park. The ball bounced off the wall and took a long bounce along the warning track. Abreu turned on the jets after the wild ricochet, with no Reds player in the vicinity of the ball. The ball was eventually grabbed, but by the time it got to Elly De La Cruz in the shallow part of the outfield, Abreu was sliding home for the inside-the-park homer.
It was the first inside-the-park homer for a Red Sox player at Fenway Park since Jacoby Ellsbury had one on Sept. 19, 2011.”
Just watched the video, noticed how Abreu stood and watched after he connected, thinking it was gonna go over the fence. Still, less than spectacular OF play allowed him the inside park HR.
Thinkin’ I’d like Jacoby’s better!
Estimates I’m seeing for the CBS media deal put it at $8-10M. That means with the other agreements discussed, the total per team value is likely in the $12-15M/team range. Not too bad.
We need to add a few more quality members in football (Memphis/Tulane) or basketball (SMC, Wichita, North Texas) to make the conference more competitive. As someone mentioned above, it’s all about competitiveness now.
It would be nice to add some baseball-only members from the Big West, but this is an afterthought for conference survival.
Would be curious to see how much the Pac12 network will be able to earn for the conference.
And do we know if these media deals are contingent in the conference using their own equipment/facilities to produce the broadcasts? Or does CBS/Paramount use their own equiment? Could be either a hidden cost or hidden revenue stream not being discussed.
How much did that idiot Larry Scott and the Presidents turn down from ESPN? Was it 30 million?
$23M or $25M
And it was Kliavkoff.
That’s right, but I’ve read that 30 million was the ESPN number, but the presidents wanted 50 million. Scott turned down a distribution partnership with ESPN with the P-12 Network back in the 2010s.
And in its last year the PAC had UW, UO, OSU, and Utah(?) all in the top 20?
Braylin Ellison ends up choosing Mizzou
Not surprised growing up down the road from Columbia and his dad on the staff.
Ouch!(Again). Lillard waived by Bucks, 35, will miss all of next season recuperating….
Another P commit. Connor Mendez, a RHP from Linn-Benton. 4-1, 0.69ERA, 77SO in 78 innings. The Beavs appear to be going with the strategy of win every game 1-0 next season.
https://x.com/connormendez3/status/1940130372693762407
https://athletics.linnbenton.edu/sports/bsb/2024-25/bios/mendez_connor_b9hn
I can live with that kind of mentality.
1-0 baseball is the most exciting baseball there is.
New details emerged on the new PAC agreement, including:
-OSU and WSU each have veto power on new members and media rights
-Gonzaga gets a full share, despite not having a football team. HUGE win for them financially.
-CFP/Tourney revenue is split 50/50 between the team and the rest of the conference (big difference from other conferences and a nice incentive for success; again HUGE win for Gonzaga)
-Men’s soccer and rowing aren’t conference-sponsored sports
-Baseball is, which means the stupid Big 12 rumor can die
https://nevadasportsnet.com/newsletter-daily/details-from-the-pac-12s-heavily-redacted-grant-of-media-rights-and-membership-agreement
Looks like the veto powers only runs through mid-2026. Speculation is it’s an anti-poaching provision aimed at the MWC.
Here are some Malik Muprhy’s 2024 highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMKUG8kDLuA
And, 20 minutes of INTs, incompletions, and sacks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJWvPTYNwaA
Here are his 2024 stats: https://goduke.com/sports/football/roster/murphy-maalik/20642
What do you guys see, think?
I got about nine minutes in, and I was thinking, “Why does he keep throwing it to number 8? Why is number 8 even in this game?”
Other than the usual incompletion monage, that’s what I get out of it. Actually, about a dozen weren’t even incompletions, with laundry on the field.
He reminds me of Derek Anderson. Good and bad.
Unfortunately the season will hinge on Cavanaugh and the oline performance.
I’m not too optimistic.
“Former Oregon State baseball head coach Pat Casey was announced as one of six inductees into the American Baseball Coaches Association’s 2026 Hall of Fame class Wednesday.”
Read more at: https://portlandtribune.com/2025/07/02/pat-casey-announced-as-2026-abca-hall-of-famer/
I might have to get this game and pound the rock with Hankerson! Lead the Beavs to a 3-peat
https://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/2025/07/oregon-state-football-star-among-top-100-players-in-ea-sports-college-football-26.html
I’m a little surprised in the lack of a big star portalling into the beavers baseball program.
The more things change the more they stay the same. Beavs currently 7th out of 8 in PAC recruiting rankings.
Granted, it’s just a question of whose 3-stars are better and HS recruiting is less important than it used to be, but still.
I don’t see that as a bad thing. We’re doing okay recruiting-wise, so it means the others are upping their status. That’s what the new league should be about.
Worst thing for the Pac would be, for instance, the Beavs and Boise beating up on the little ones year after year.
And I have a fair amount of confidence our staff can coach up whoever they recruit. As you point out, rankings are less important now.
I, for one, would love for the Beavs to beat up on the PAC every year.
Ha, okay, I’ll revise: The Beavs sweep the conference, but it’s not by any means a walk in the park. And the rest of the conference, with their new recruiting status, start beating up on nonconference foes. We really do want this to be a tough conference. And it could be, with those new recruiting stats, motivated coaches, its rare regional footprint like in the old days, and backstory drama we’ve already been creating.
We really do want this to be a tough conference. And it could be with those new recruiting stats, motivated coaches, its rare regional footprint like in the old days, and backstory drama we’ve already been creating.
“Dude, pass the joint around man! Quit hogging it!”
Backwater – I agree. I think the Regional Footprint is under appreciated. A chance for a recruit to play in a P5 “ish” football conference close to home will impact high 3 Stars who have parents not looking to travel 1/2 way across the country to see them play each week 4 and 5 star kids will still go to the best program and NIL offer but thats never been our bread and butter anyway. I am cautiously optimistic.
Thanks for this, ’92. Fans all over are complaining about the fractured football landscape. But the Pac can represent, at least in some ways, the good things from the past, like regional rivalries.
I’d also like to emphasize my last point above–regarding the new conference, and the Beavs in particular:
Don’t bet against a good story.
Your last point was “I have a fair amount of confidence our staff can coach up whoever they recruit.”, right?
I agree with that.
The question, for me, is even with that ability how high can a player be coached up before deep pocketed NIL’s come calling?
Good question, OOB, and we’ll see, though of course for sure we’ll take some hits in that process. It will be a really interesting season, to say the least, as the Beavs continue establishing an identity. And maybe some reasons for good players to stick around.
The last point I was referring to was, the “backstory drama we’ve already been creating.”
It’s one of the reasons the Beavs had a pretty impressive viewership last season, The new Pac is only just starting to make news.
I think it’s true: Don’t bet against a good story.
Gotcha, thanks.
You’re right, a good story sells and selling is what college athletics is now all about.
Dorman never a fan favorite on AngryBeavs yet neither was Yeskie (always late Nate). With that said Nate was a very good pitching coach and has proven that with multiple stops with elite programs. He though, just like with the Beavers (twice) has never been offered a HC position.
Dorman on the other hand is not a good college pitching coach. His pitchers do not get better. Dax has a big arm and elite stuff. Although he was dominate at the end of the year he was not efficient. Never made it into the seventh even with over 100 pitches his last 5-6 starts. Keljo was great at the end of last 2024, hit high 90s this year but digressed as the season went on. Segura had solid freshman year but did not improve. Kleinschmidt is the only pitcher on the staff that understood the art of pitching.
I say all this as we are losing P’s with eligibility to the draft (who could use another year in college) or the portal. I learned yesterday from a very credible source that one of our good portal kids is leaving strictly because he felt Dorman did not help him get better and does not respect him.
It’s time for Mitch to make a tough decision like Smith did with Tibs and not lose respect like Riley did for not axing Banker.
You must be kidding right? I read from Esux for several months that Dorman and Mitch were fine but it was the ignorance of the fans holding them to too high of expectations or something nonsensical.
By now, I figure ESPNsux is either Mitch’s dad, or Dorman’s son. At any rate, we could all speculate that something wasn’t right with this pitching staff or it was the pitching coach/philosophy over the last several years predictably playing out again.
I was expecting Dax to transfer by now just because of the trends we could see happening in real time during the season.
We have a crappy pitching coach (and apparently a crappy coach as well according to this forum) and yet we still make it to Omaha this year. I had no idea that a bad pitching coach could achieve such results. Sheesh. Imagine what we could do with a good pitching coach! 3-peat? 4-peat? Who knows the ceiling?
Happy 4th of July, fellow ABers, don’t lose any fingers today
‘Murica!
Nvidia Could Be About To Do Something No Company Has Ever Done
By ANDREW KESSEL Published July 03, 2025 02:51 PM
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Nvidia could be poised to claim the title of most valuable company in history, as its market capitalization nears $4 trillion.
The chipmaker’s shares closed at an all-time high Thursday, bringing its market value closer to Apple’s record of $3.91 trillion set in December.
Wedbush analysts said they believe Nvidia and Microsoft could breach the $4 trillion threshold this summer, something no company has done yet.”
I wonder if Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has any plans for additional, significant contributions to the OSU endowment?
Beavers pick up a versatile infielder from Michigan, Tyler Inge. He can play SS, Third and outfield. Offensively, he didn’t hit very well but did have 10 SB last season.
Trib has a write up about the recruiting class.
https://portlandtribune.com/2025/07/02/kits-checking-in-with-oregon-state-footballs-2026-recruiting-class/
Who knew Kenny Wheaton was Kenny Wheaton’s cousin?
Thanks for the link, interesting read.
FDT
I hope this kid is being recruited by Mitchie and Dorman. Jaxon Wetzler, 6’4″ LHP from Clackamas HS class of 2027. The kid looks solid and certainly has the frame to be a potential great addition to the beavers.
My best guess is Jaxon is Ben’s son and I would hope the beavers have a good shot at bringing him to Corvallis bc of his talent and connection to OSU.
Ben is 33. Anything is possibly.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJk8CfeJce6/?igsh=aXdhZTZlYTV0M29i
I couldn’t find any information on relationships but Bem might be an uncle or maybe his parents decided to have another kid much later than Ben. Ben is 6’1″ and Jaxon 6’4″ so there is definitely the size and LHP similarities.
Instagram video above and Jaxon has a smooth delivery but not overpowering fastball at this point. He is also on the Trosky traveling team so that sounds promising despite Jabin transferring.
SDSU now up to 7 Beaver Baseball transfers. Does anyone have any insight as to what’s going on here? The media does not seem interested in finding out, but there has to be something to it.
Wondering the same. Maybe… they all wanted to go somewhere where they can show Mitch and Co. that they should have kept them around. When 5 announce at the same time you know they were shopping themselves as a package.
I just read they had several guys transfer out so they have several open spots and that means more playing time.
SDSU women? Beaches, women? Weather?
Probably other reasons I suppose…will they visit Goss in 2026?
Don’t doubt it about the sun and coeds. But they have not had a winning season since 2021 and an NCAA appearance since 2009 and no obvious connection to OSU previously. If I am the media I am asking them and Mitch what’s going on. Maybe its as simple as they weren’t good enough, but Peterson and Trosky I think would have been key pieces for Beavs in 2026.
It’s a pretty easy answer. Have you seen the coeds that go to SDSU?
In great baseball news,
Boyd and Kwan make the all star team
So did Kleinschmit and Whitney making the USA team.
Yes.
https://www.usabaseball.com/team/collegiate/roster
And now I want to poach Santa Clara’s pitching coach, because I really want to see everyone have to name him when complaining about him.
Matt Boyd and Steven Kwan named MLB all stars
Beavs land USD transfer P/C. His pitching stats were horrendous as a freshman. Hopefully he’s a better catcher.
He must have elite exit velocity and superior launch angles though.
Wilson Weber couldn’t hit a lick even last year so players develop as they get more PT and at bats.
“…one of the most humble, dynamic and driven running backs in college football.
A guy who stood on the sideline of his spring game in full pads even though he wasn’t playing, shadowing his coach, talking through plays and taking mental reps.
…
A guy who relishes being a third-down type of back, who loves pass protection and craves contact.
“Production, leadership, effort, toughness – he’s everything you want in a football player, “ said Oregon State Offensive Coordinator Ryan Gunderson. “We’ve had really good running backs that are like that here in the past with Jacquizz Rodgers and Yvenson Bernard, guys who were short but they weren’t small. And Hank is a lot like that. He’s super valuable to us and a really good voice for our offense.”
…
Pickering has even integrated Hankerson’s psychology major into the process, teaching him to read opposing defenses’ mannerisms, looking for their textbook tells.
“Intentions or demeanor or body language – you can connect it all back to psychology because you know how people are going to react and you know how they are going to respond,” clarified Pickering.
…
For Pickering, it was Hankerson’s physicality that made the first impression.
“When you look at him you might think he’s a shorter back, but if you look at his film, he is stepping on a lot of defenders – I’m talking about cleats on their facemask, walking over them,” exclaimed Pickering. “That was the first clip that I saw when I got here. I said “good gracious!”
…
“I’m looking forward to facing Oregon again,” admitted Hankerson. “I’ve been in the Pac-12 for a couple of years now and I’ve never beat them. I feel like it’s about that time. ”
Glad to see another player besides Murphy looking forward to playing Oregon. I don’t expect the Beavers to win in Eugene, but last time they didn’t even look like they wanted to play the game.
https://www.si.com/college/oregon-state/football/oregon-state-s-anthony-hankerson-prepared-to-help-carry-beaver-offense-in-2025
It was a one score game at halftime? 2nd half they were shot gunning beers or something
Defense looked totally uninterested in defending…
Canzano’s 03 July radio podcast had some good angst re: espn etc. horrible sports coverage –
Canzano’s 03 July radio podcast had some good angst re: espn etc. horrible sports coverage –
Baseball picks up a transfer from Grand Canyon: RF Josh Wakefield.
Started almost every game for the Lopes. Not much power, but lots of SB and a high BA/OBP. More small ball, coming your way!
He’s also a lefty
From Prep Baseball Report, mid-season:
…very good athlete with tools and a strong performance this spring. Wakefield was originally recruited as a two-way player from Iowa Western, but has only made one appearance on the mound this season. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound lefthanded hitter is cruising along with a .372/.459/.431 slash. There’s not much pop in his stick, but he’s a bat-to-ball machine with an 85th percentile in-zone contact rate of 93.7% against the fastball. He’s also stolen a dozen bases in 13 attempts.
He was teammates with Singer in high school and community college. So it sounds like Singer might have done some recruiting to get him to Corvallis.
I’m hopeful that there was some soul-searching for the staff after Omaha. They were all part of Casey’s run and should know fiirst-hand that small ball works in that environment better because of the amount of pressure that builds.
With all of the big bats gone, they have to pivot and lean into some more small ball approaches instead of placating guys like Carraway hoping for home-runs. It is either a great sign for the program, or it signals that the recruiting lanes are drying up faster than we expected after the new PAC announcements.
With all the transfers out and no big names coming in, I get the sense there is less NIL money available this year
MLB draft in a few weeks so a lot of the players will wait and see what their draft slot is. MLB has reduced their rounds down to 20:so it’s very likely you will see higher profile names make their move after the draft.
I think Neyens and Pike have a large NIL package ready to pounce. Once that’s settled, we’re either set or we gotta add a couple of bats
I know preseason rankings aren’t worth anything, but I do think they misinform and create perceptions and fuel entertaining speculation for some. Phil Steele’s 2025 preseason rankings (I probably made some errors, trying to do this quickly):
PAC 12
OSU #76
WSU #108
FUTURE PAC MEMBERS
BSU #47
Texas State #80
Colorado State #94
Fresno State #97
SDSU #98
Utah State #122
PAST PAC MEMBERS
UO#13
ASU#15
Utah #19
USC#21
UW#39
UCLA#52
CO#53
AZ#56
CAL#66
Stanford#88
2025 OSU Opponents
Cal#66 – HOME, 8/30
Fresno State#97 – HOME, 9/6
Texas Tech#25, 9/13
UO#13, 9/20
UHouston#46 HOME, 9/26
Appalachain State#99, 10/4
Wake Forest#91 HOME, 10/11
Lafeyette NR HOME, 10/18
WSU#108 HOME, 11/1
Sam Houston#123 HOME, 11/8
Tulsa#132, 11/15
WSU#108, 11/29
CAL has been decimated by transfers I think. Texas Tech and UO back-to-back road games don’t bode well. UHouston may be the best home game other than WSU (Rival!), and students should be on campus.
It’s harder than ever to make preseason predictions with all the offseason movement. 76 feels about right for us given the questions on the OL.
Agree. Football teams are build around the OL and DL. Both are areas with big question marks going into the year. OL especially. They were pretty bad down the stretch last year and it seems like there’s more questions this year.
Yeah, and then QB play, but needs time to throw.
Apparently,
“The Pac-12 is forgoing its traditional football media day in 2025. Instead, the conference will focus on media coverage of its 13 home football games featuring Oregon State and Washington State across CBS, The CW, and ESPN, with nine games on The CW. The CW will also feature a double header of future Pac-12 matchups on September 6th.”
I like the idea of breaking away from.what everyone else does.
Media days have gotten pretty silly.
What will Oregon do at B10 media days? A flock of drones making the Oregon “O” flying nearby?
Will they throw garbage in the river… again?
What does focusing on TV coverage instead even mean?
Um… pretty much focusing on TV coverage.
Are we looking for euphemisms where none exist?
Probably – does it matter?
Oregon State baseball is headed back to Surprise, Arizona in 2026, and its opponents are now official.
The Beavers will face Arizona, Stanford and Michigan in a three-day tournament Feb. 13-15. OSU will play one additional game against the Wolverines on Feb. 16 that not part of the tournament.
The annual tradition of traveling to Surprise dates back to 2014. The Beavers are 61-11 at Surprise Stadium over that time span. An estimated 182,000 fans have attended 136 college baseball games in Surprise since OSU took over as host of the annual season-opening tournament.
Baseball roster check,
Currently it appears about 18 guys are set to return plus 6 transfers in to get to 24. That leaves 14 spots to get to the 38 spots for fall ball. 13 recruits signed but not all will make it to campus. So a few more transfers will be coming to fill out the roster.
Returnees could be less if some are drafted and guys want to start pro ball. I didn’t count Keljo as returning as I think he’ll turn pro. I think Reeder, Talt and Singer could be guys who go post 10th round in the draft and get offered the max 150k bonus.
Aug 1 is the deadline for draft picks to sign. Should see much more transfer activity after this date.
I believe the roster limit has been reduced to 34 by the House settlement.
Fall ball 38, final roster 34.
If you’re a Mariners fan: Tonight was fucking baseball.
It was relief pitchers blowing Bryan Woo’s last two gems. The Seattle announcers kept referring to Munoz throwing 101 mph – never mind they were getting swatted all over the place. When baseball talk is about star hitters and pitchers for the Beavs, I just wish for artful, shut-down relievers and closers.
For the moment, a costly game. Hurts even more when I have Woo and Munoz in my roto league.
Is Munoz today’s Ron Davis?
Drew Rasmussen makes the AL all star team as a replacement
The new conference football championship should definitely be sponsored by AllState. :)
Ahhhhhhh!!! I see what you did there!
Not close: 21 out of 27 save opportunities, 3 – 1 with 1.54 ERA and .91 WHIP
Been a shut down closer most of the year…
Aiva goes #7 to Miami. Not a great org to be in. Oh well.
7.1 million slot
Neyens pretty obviously gone.
Pike has been slipping. If the NIL money is there, he’s starting to get to the point where he could be available Beav unless he’s just dead set on playing in the minors now.
I just actually read Pike’s scouting report for the first time. He sounds like a guy with a ton of tools that needs some development.
Switch hitter, big power, but needs to work on pitch selection, strong arm, can touch 97 mph from the mound, but more of a thrower than a pitcher and doesn’t have a ton of gas in the tank.
Seems like a profile where college ball would be his best bet because he can be developed over a few years instead of immediately entering the pro meat grinder.
My prediction – he makes it to campus now.
He can be a two way player at OSU and figure out which one is the best path for the pros. If he goes to the minors now, he’ll have to choose right away. Maybe sell him on Matt Boyd. He was a guy who hit DH when he wasn’t pitching his freshman year before focusing on pitching in the following years.
Sliding to day two is promising for us, but everyone is saying he’s one of the best guys left on the board. Someone may reach with above-slot money. We’ll see.
Turley sliding to day two is a surprise. He was rated as a second or third round guy.
Are the Sacramento/LV A’s managed consistently poor? Seems like a shitty destination, unless they manage a good minor league team and experience?
Doesn’t getting drafted by the A’s just mean he will get scooped up on a big free agent contract or traded to a much better team by his 3rd year in the majors?
Seems like they develop a lot of good young guys and then they make money somewhere else.
How much does Caraway slip? Keljo to Guardians.
Off the cliff. Has to be more to the story, I know he struggled but there is some talent there. Would have been worth a flyer in the last rounds unless he has an over inflated view of his value.
Oakes to the Stros in the 9th round.
Pike not drafted yet! Safe to say he’ll be on campus unless there’s some NIL shenanigans or something?
Reeder in the 18th round to the Pirates.
Pike goes Round 19, 561st overall.
Should be a lock for Corvallis? What is the signing bonus at that draft position?
Max is 150K unless the team has extra money left over from their bonus pool
Beavs pick up a transfer OF from Arkansas-Pine Bluff. I’m guessing this means Reeder AND/OR Wakefield are signing an MLB contract?
https://x.com/eli_gries/status/1944914098631667902
Another big base stealer without a ton of paper. 920 OPS so he has a good bat.
*ton of power
Played weak competition, but did get some hits against Arkansas and Missouri. Struggling in the NECL this summer.
I saw tweets from a couple more guys who look like they joined the Beavs yesterday:
https://x.com/EthanPorter27/status/1944982816044793952
https://x.com/TreyMorris02/status/1944916206588453064
Olive doing a quarter century countdown on football, beginning with kickers. Who you got? Cesca? Serna? Other?
https://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/2025/07/oregon-state-beavers-all-quarter-century-team-nominees-kicker.html
Jose Cortez
Guy was fearless
Draft recap, some surprises in where guys got drafted and now a few have decisions to make,
The surprises,
Oakes going in the 9th round, a guy who wasn’t in the weekend rotation and didn’t put up eye popping numbers out the bullpen. Must have some metrics that are off the chart to get drafted here. Only a handful in the first 10 rounds didn’t sign last year so he’s likely gone.
Caraway betting on himself and rolling snake eyes. Now he has no leverage for NIL money. Have to wonder if he’ll come back or if he burned his bridges
Macias getting drafted was not in my bingo card. Figure he’ll go pro if the Braves have leftover bonus money to add to the 150k max for late picks.
Guys with decisions to make,
Wakefield a committed transfer gets drafted in the 14th round. If he doesn’t think he can improve his stock, he’ll turn pro.
Reeder in the 18th round, same decision as Wakefield
Pike should make it to campus even with a 150k plus extra offer. If he pans out in college, he’ll be a top 5 round pick.
Keljo – expect to turn pro
I don’t think I saw any other recruit or transfer get drafted so they should all be set to arrive for fall ball.
I’m pretty certain Caraway already had NIL money locked up that MLB teams wouldn’t match. He gave them a number to draft him.
Watch him head to LSU or Tennessee.
I believe he was a draft eligible sophomore, so he still have multiple years and didn’t lose his draft leverage that junior would loose.
Looks like someone got paid. Caraway to LSU.
You know I thought Carraway was over rated. Didn’t play great defense and I didn’t think he hit much. Maybe because I didn’t see him play much. I miss the speedsters who played great defense and put the ball in play on offense.
Flashes of great ability along with inconsistent play. Not sure the reason but sure was frustrating to watch at times. That being said, this one hurts a little more than some of the others but wishing him the best.
He slumps at LSU, for weeks, he won’t be given the benefit of the doubt.
A’s rookie SS makes all star game…not about launch angles and exit velocities, wants to make contact and get on base:
“So here comes Wilson, the young kid, with an old soul, reminding everyone what baseball used to look like when there were pure hitters in the game.
“I cannot talk hitting with Jacob,” A’s All-Star DH Brent Rooker said, “because I don’t understand what he’s doing up there. And what he does well, it’s not what I do well. So I can’t relate to what he’s doing at all.
…I absolutely cannot do that.”
So, just how do you get him out, anyway?
“Believe me, we’ve tried everything,” Seattle Mariners All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh said. “He just has really good zone control. He’s not trying to do too much damage, but he can do damage. He’s just a scrappy guy that is just trying to do whatever he can to get on base.
“It’s impressive what he’s able to do, especially at that young age.”
“You don’t know what to expect with a guy that has low-miss, and can put up quality contact out there,” Rodon said. “It’s not fair. What do I do with a guy like this? You’re not going to strike him out. So, you’re trying to get a pitch that limits launch or limits exit velocity, and hopefully he gets out. That’s what makes it tough, especially when you have a guy on base, because he’s more than likely to drive that run in because of the ability to put the bat on the ball.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2025/07/15/jacob-wilson-athletics-all-star-game/85202200007/?tbref=hp
Wow! Sounds like small ball actually works!
LOL 100+ years of baseball history and these guys just figured out that the analytics of home-run or strikeout isn’t a winning combination. It used to be called a passing fancy but the timelines and attention spans are so short that thius generation thought it was how the game has always been played.
No! Its the present generation thinks their smarter. They have more tools at their disposal. We never learn from history. I think Mark Twain said it rhymes.
When do individual FB game tickets go on sale?
DeCremer to Arkansas.
https://www.on3.com/sites/hawg-beat/news/razorbacks-add-oregon-state-transfer-reliever/
Karoline Leavitt. Skank.
Nope. She’s from Babe-Alonia.
Is that where whiny children go, so adults can have some alone time?
Apparently there’s an executive order coming in the next few days that’s going to fix college athletics once and for all…..
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-plans-executive-order-college-sports-nil/
Whew!
ATLANTA — The latest twist in the quest for federal input on name, image and likeness standards in college sports reached another level Wednesday, July 16.
With the same foundational reality.
Nothing will be easy to get through a divided Congress, and President Donald Trump holds the key to immediate action. CBS reported that Trump intends to sign an executive order on NIL, but offered no details about what might be in the order.
When reached by USA TODAY Sports, Cody Campbell — who has spoken at length with Trump and the administration about the future of college sports — said, “I haven’t heard anything” but that it “wouldn’t be surprising.”
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, who along with many in college sports has been advocating for federal intervention, told USA TODAY Sports, “The President is going to do what he wants to do.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2025/07/16/donald-trump-nil-executive-order-college-sports/85242671007/
Yes.
Let’s get Dumbshit involved.
He fixes things good.
Well at least we can all rest easy knowing that Sankey has in mind only what is best for the sport. He sure does look after everyone’s interest each time he talks…
He should change his name to Greg Sank-timonious-ey.
Man, the University of Miami had some great QB’s. Bernie Kosar started the run. Vinnie Testaverde, Gino Toretta. Dorsey was the best stat wise.
Any early win loss predictions for football? I’m guessing 5-7 or 6-6. Need really good qb play and the o-line to surprise us with good play. Will be interesting to see what Bray can do on defense with these guys. Seems like we are always lacking good d lineman.
12-0
Book it!
Haha!! I like your optimism. I hope you are correct!
The schedule is much more difficult than last year, but the beavers should also be improved. The question is how much improved over last year and that’s anybody’s guess.
Ok I’ll bite.
The best outcome Beavs will go undefeated at Reser and lose at Texas Tech, Oregon and Wazzu. Leaving them at 9-3 overall and just outside the playoff picture.
The worst outcome is a compete offensive meltdown and losing all road games as well as a couple at Reser, leaving them around 4-8.
The likely outcome is about 6-6 with a sputtering offense and some elite defense.
I want to hope for a Heisman caliber season from Murphy but I know better by now. The season really hinges on the Oline play and a revamped DLine to control the game. Not too optimistic that Cav is up
To the task on one side and not sure if the horses are there on defense to do it either.
I’m tempted to predict a lightning in a bottle type year for our Beavs. Murphy makes a dark horse run at the Heisman, the wide receivers are all world across the board and the defense is the best in 15 years at OSU. In such a scenario, the Beavs may give Texas Tech a tough test but still lose, and could beat Oregon at Autzen as the statement game for the year. If the Beavs win 1 of those games early it might be a special year, and I could envision a playoff run and 11-1 season of highlights.
If they get boat raced in both it may be another challenging year.
Cal- win
Fresno State- win
@ Texas Tech- loss (lots of new pieces need to mesh for Tech)
@ Oregon – loss (new qb again)
Houston- win
@ App St – win
Wake Forest- win
Lafayette- win
Wazzu- win
Sam Houston- win
@ Tulsa- win
@Wazzu- loss
I agree with much of this. Murphy has been overlooked and will likely make an impression nationally. Hankerson will be tough and dependable, Allah will be bigger and faster.
Collins, Pome’e(sp?), and Johnson will surprise on the DL. Media tend to forget how young/inexperienced the DL was, and the injuries they had to deal with. I expect the secondary to be mostly fine and the D to be vastly improved under Bray. The Oregon game could be entertaining as QB Dante Moore was a bit of an INT machine as a freshman at UCLA, and I expect Bray may be able to take advantage of that again. I think in the UCLA @ OSU game, Moore threw three INTS(?) including a pick six. In that game, I think Gunderson was OC or QB coach for UCLA? Current UO systems tend to be QB friendly, so maybe he improves.
Wild cards are the health of the offensive line and whether or not Gunderson can put together an offensive identity and cohesive game plans. If he’s all over the place, then 8 win cap, 6 wins likely.
Offensive game plan seems pretty obvious based on our personnel strengths and Langsdorf’s involvement: run to set up the deep ball. I expect more play action and screens. This will probably be the most Riley-esque offense we’ve had since Riley.
“and Langsdorf’s involvement: run to set up the deep ball”
Say what?
May be an unpopular opinion, but I believe Riley was a good offensive coach. One thing I particularly loved was his ability to set up the screen. He always seemed to know the right time to call a screen and had a great arsenal of screen plays. He also pioneered the jet sweep. So say what you want, but the guy knew offense.
All of a sudden a nostalgic but collective groan rises from Beavernation: “RUN THE BALL!”
I thought the jet sweep was stolen from BSU(?), who used it effectively against Beavers? Then Beavers implemented with James Rodgers….definitely wasn’t started by Riley.
Locey or Langs brought it from Linfield. I think Rutschman developed the play. It could have been Ed Langsdorf too.
Update on mediation and speculation on potential outcomes:
https://youtu.be/NQ0JYheEr0U?si=mvFH9i4foHBoT1N5
It sounds like the MWC could be on the hook of the case is not dismissed by the judge.
And the PAC 12 could be on the hook for $55M if the judge dismisses the case. Speculation is that it will not go to trial and a settlement will be reached. The initial hearing is scheduled for September.
It won’t be dismissed, and we won’t pay a dime.
In fact, there’s more likelihood the MWC could have to pay us back for overcharging for the scheduling agreement last year.
I agree as commented above.
Typical and not so ironic, yet predictable that the Beavs finally schedule a perennial Big12 doormat but when the game finally arrives on the schedule that doormat is now getting billionaire funding and buying an entire roster of transfers. Texas Tech is putting themselves in the conversation just because they are outspending all others for their transfers. None of them would transfer there on the merits is Texas Tech or the town itself. Texas Tech hasn’t won anything yet but an influx of 20 or so 4 stars can’t hurt a team’s chances right?
So the Beavs have 2 of the top 10 most expensive rosters on the schedule.
Luck of the Beavs again.
That’s the new paradigm in college athletics. Adjust and move forward or get left behind and fight for leftovers.
Someone has to prove why they won’t be like A&M first
And their big $$$ booster is hailed by some as a potential savior for college sports in the NIL era…he “wants to do it for the good of all, doesn’t have to, we (TT) can spend, but we want fairness for all.” go figure.
Another OF transfer, this time from Grambling State.
https://x.com/hayes_nyan/status/1945932073404961152
https://x.com/HedbergJake/status/1945937995166605536
He’ll be 23 so he must be a one and done grad transfer.
Didn’t do much at Arkansas State in 2024, but feasted on the SWAC. 10 HR, 25 SB, 920+ OPS.
Another base stealer, but it looks like he has some power, too. I see a trend…
Anyone know where Assoc. Wrestling Coach Nate Engel is heading?
Josh Wakefield gone before he even arrived. Explains the the transfer from Grambling yesterday.
https://x.com/HedbergJake/status/1946276720879038847
I think next year’s team will much more resemble a Pat Casey team that relied on great pitching, solid defense, small ball, team speed and contact hitters as opposed to power hitting. I think Jacob Kreig will have a big year but beyond his power, I don’t see this team hitting more than 40 or so home runs unless I’m not aware of some young power guys n the lineup. I really prefer this approach anyway as opposed to the power game with so much emphasis on launch angles, exit velocity and how far the ball travels.
I hope you’re right, but too early for me to speculate.
Does anyone know how many roster spots/scholarships are still open for next year’s baseball team? I’m still hoping there’s a big name out in the portal that the beavers bring to Corvallis.
The pressure was gone, but the itch was still there.
Former Oregon State defensive back Alton Julian stepped out on the hot turf in La Grande with his cleats on. It was one of his first days coaching defensive backs at Eastern Oregon University earlier this summer.
At first, he thought he’d just show players how to do a drill and step aside. But he couldn’t.
“I’m showing them how to do the drills, and as I’m doing it, I’m like, ‘Hey, I miss it. I kind of want to do these drills with them,’” Julian said. “And so, on the first day, I did all the individual drills with them. Every conditioning session I still do with them. I’ll probably never get over it, you know, my dream of football. It’s all I really know.”
Julian rehabbed on and off for three years before returning to play his final season with the Beavers in 2024. Multiple knee injuries derailed a career that included second team All-Pac-12 honors from Pro Football Focus in 2021 — the year he tore his ACL.
The NFL draft came and went in April without Julian hearing his name called. No camp invites, either. When his playing prospects dried up, Julian said he didn’t wallow in disappointment. Instead, he did what many recent college graduates do: he started browsing online job boards
“After my pro day, I was talking with my parents about it, and they said to see through the process and see what happens,” Julian said. “With the draft, I waited and waited and didn’t get it. And the day after the draft ended, I started looking for coaching jobs and saw Eastern Oregon was looking for a defensive backs coach.”
Julian said he made it a point to absorb everything he could around coaches Trent Bray, Blue Adams, and A.J. Cooper. And after consulting his Beavers connections, he put in for the Eastern Oregon job and was hired soon after.
The resilience Julian developed through multiple knee injuries and lengthy rehabilitation is something he believes will prove valuable in coaching
“I feel like with what I’ve been through, hopefully nobody else will go through that. But I feel like I can help any athlete with what they need in terms of injuries,” Julian said. “Hopefully not, but it’s part of the game. To be able to help that way and keep their spirits high, give them advice on how to handle it from a mental perspective, I just want to help them like my coaches helped me.”
This isn’t what Julian wanted. He’d be the first to admit that. As a kid and even during his lowest moments as a college player, he dreamt of playing professional football.
His cousins, Nahshon and Rejzohn Wright, are living that dream in the NFL. Julian is rooting for them. But coaching is Julian’s chance to remain around the game and scratch that itch. It also allows him to fulfill a different kind of family legacy.
“From the day I could run, my dad put a football in my hand,” Julian said. “My dad was the type of coach who was super straight up with you, so you’d know what you need to do to be the type of player you want to be. I ran with that. And that’s the type of coach I want to be.”
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon State Beavers for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at RClarke@Oregonian.com
He tore his acl after chance Nolan threw a horrible int right before the half against Utah. The defense never should have been back out on the field. Julian was awesome to watch.
I respect his willingness to move out to La Grande Oregon to start his career. Beautiful country, and very different than he’s used to, and a very low level of collegiate competition.
A wrinkle for the Beavers’ offense will be Johnson, who coach Trent Bray said will play regardless of who the starter is — and even alongside Murphy at times. Johnson’s ability to run adds a dimension the Beavers like, especially in the option with quality running backs like Anthony Hankerson by his side.
“We’ve got a lot of ways to utilize them, which is exciting in how our playbook can grow with the two of them,” Bray said of Johnson and Murphy after the spring game.
Many factors will decide whether Murphy is the driving force for a Beavers’ offense looking to make significant strides in 2025:
Can the offensive line (and Murphy) stay healthy and hold up?
Are his weapons at wideout and tight end a good fit for his play style?
Can the Beavers’ defense get consistent stops, and avoid forcing Murphy and company to chase the game through the air?
It might start out rougher than it finishes for Murphy: Oregon State’s schedule is front-loaded with road games at Texas Tech and Oregon in the first four weeks. That does not portend a nice, comfortable adjustment to a new situation for a quarterback. Games later on against lesser competition like Tulsa, Lafayette and Sam Houston State should be much easier.
WRs
Oregon State lost four wide receivers in the transfer portal from a position group that struggled mightily last season, but those around the program expect significant improvement in 2025.
It is no secret that production last year was brutal at times. OSU finished No. 94 in the country in passing yards (201.4 per game) and managed just seven touchdowns through the air all year. There was more than a month between September and October during which the Beavers didn’t register a passing touchdown.
Trent Walker (R-Sr.)
Darrius Clemons (Sr.)
Taz Reddicks (R-So.)
Zachary Card (R-So.)
Jimmy Valsin III (R-Sr.)
David Wells Jr. (R-So.)
Position grade: B
Analysis:
The optimism around this receiving corps centers around the presence of Maalik Murphy. Bluntly, this is just a different level of quarterback play than these receivers are accustomed to. It was evident even in the spring game.
Walker is also emerging as a bona fide star. The Beaverton High School product made a major leap from his sophomore to junior year, and he should be a favorite target for Murphy out wide at 11.1 yards per catch last season. Murphy loves the deep ball, and Walker’s size and length at 6-2 is an asset in that department.
Clemons — another product of the Beaverton area, this time Westview — transferred in from Michigan prior to last season but got off to a slow start after missing much of fall camp and the Beavers’ first three games due to injury. Now healthy, his big play ability should be on display more frequently.
Keeping with the big play trend is Reddicks, who averaged 13.1 yards per reception last season. And Card’s speed was talked about throughout the spring, including a long touchdown catch in front of media that sent Murphy sprinting from the sideline with excitement — even if he wasn’t the one to throw it.
Three factors will help the OSU wideouts actually produce: Murphy being given enough time to sling it deep, his quick decision-making on short and intermediate throws, and the threat of the run with Anthony Hankerson and a stable of talented backs.
This could be the year offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson finally gets to open up the playbook and get creative with how he puts these wideouts in positions to succeed.
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon State Beavers for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at RClarke@Oregonian.com
Does anyone see the similarities in Walker to Mike Hass? Both Beaverton boys too. They move very similar, neither explosive athletes but both seem to read defenses really well and just get open. I feel like Walker can take over a game, be great to see him with a legit QB throwing.
RBs
Projected RB depth chart:
Anthony Hankerson (Sr.)
Salahadin Allah (So.)
Marquis Crosby (R-Sr.)
Jake Reichle (R-Jr.)
Cornell Hatcher Jr. (R-Fr.)
Position grade: A-
Analysis:
Listed at just 5-8, Hankerson’s speed and explosive ability are what make him great. Take last season’s 83-yard touchdown run in the finale against Boise State, for example. And watch it a second time if you love seeing an offensive line bully its opponent.
With Murphy as his new backfield partner, perhaps more opportunities will exist for OSU’s lead back to get out in space and make some plays in the passing game. Hankerson had 27 receptions for 151 yards last season.
He fumbled three times, losing two, but that is strong ball security for a back of his usage rate. Hankerson averaged 0.013 fumbles per carry, comparable to Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty at 0.011 — although Jeanty carried the ball an eye-popping 26.7 times per game to Hankerson’s 19.3. That’s what happens when you’re on a Heisman campaign.
Backing up Hankerson will likely be a combination of Allah and Crosby, with some Reichle grit sprinkled in for good measure. Especially in short yardage situations.
Allah had 55 carries for 258 yards and a touchdown last season, and Crosby transfers in from Louisiana Tech after a redshirt junior season with 53 carries for 214 yards and a touchdown.
Both are elusive backs, but Allah may have the edge for that initial No. 2 spot due to his health and familiarity. Crosby is the more experienced back in potentially his final year of eligibility, but he was not the same player in 2024 after an injury kept him out for nearly all of the 2023 season.
The Beavers are hoping Crosby returns to form, and if he does, he could provide a terrific complement to Hankerson. As a true sophomore in 2022, Crosby started 10 games and appeared in all 12, rushing for 918 yards and nine touchdowns on 183 carries.
As is the case with Murphy’s potential production at quarterback, the OSU backfield can only go as far as the offensive line will take it.
– Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon State Beavers for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at RClarke@Oregonian.com
Nothing gives me a good feeling about a
season like talk about a 2-QB scheme!
From what I read a few days ago, it sounds like they will use JJ in a variety of spots to utilize his speed not just at QB. I think they will use him in the fly sweep, swing passes in the flat and occasionally QB running plays but MM will get 90% or so of QB snaps unless health becomes an issue. I think using JJ situationally is a great option, a little at QB, slot back and receiver so we will see how JJ actually performs in different roles.
Memphis offers $200M in sponsorship commitments and 5 years of no media revenue to join the Big 12. Rumor has it that’s not enough for the Big 12.
They really don’t seem to have any options other than some kind of PAC partnership…
Only SMU gets to buy their way in and that is because they are located in Texas and have about 10000 oil billionaires backing them up. Memphis has Graceland and some bbq joints.lol. The rest of that town is kind of sketchy, right?
Yeah, Memphis is a dump! Right downstrean from the butthole of Illinois – Cairo, which Obama had save so he blew the levies in SE MO to save that wonderful town and flood thousands of acres of very productive farmland. Yeah, not much in Memphis except lots of crime!
More than 99% of the farmland in the floodway–designated by Coolidge, not Obama–was replanted within a year.
The Army Corps almost screwed the pooch to listen to the concerns of a couple hundred people in a floodway who thought wrongly that they would be devastated. Several levees other than the one at Cairo were about to burst on both sides of the river. Some did.
Jack have you ever been to Cairo? There is literally nothing there. The whole town is boarded up. I think there’s a Casey’s convenient store and a grain elevator. Not much else.
Yes. You’re not wrong, in that it’s poor. But that decision was military protocol which was technically ignored until it was almost too late.
Paducah and everything down to Cairo were saved, just barely.
memphis is a dump but to be fair so is st louis and littie rock
LOL, the big xiiiiiiiiii is like no fucking way, you’re so bad we don’t even want you if you pay us hundreds of millions.
How many hundreds?
Jensen Huang is currently the 7th richest person in the world at One Hundred Forty-Nine FUCKING Billion Dollars!
And he’ll be at #5 in no time.
Why the F does Oregon State even need to beg for some financial support for their athletics programs??
Just 2 years ago he was estimated at around $25billion.
He could help make OSU one of the top universities in the nation!
Unfortunately, he is not a sports guy. However, I’d point out that having successful and high profile football, basketball and baseball programs attracts more non-athlete students to universities and that’s a proven fact especially when a school wins a national championship. Murthy should sell him on investing in OSU athletics on that very fact if she hasn’t already.
Esports would be a good starting point.
Quick, name the top esports colleges
Irvine and Boise State
There may be others, but I know those two offer full ships to gamers, and Boise drove the effort to make esports a sponsored sport in the MWC.
right….how much money does one person really need. he alone could fund osu with couch cushion money.
The writer from the big zero gives the O-line a grade of “B” in his position by position series. I haven’t studied his other ratings, but this seems a bit optimistic. Maybe he’s an easy grader?
Optimistic given health issues and lack of depth.
“Strand, Hand (transfer from Arizona), Wells, Voltin and Morano were all injured in the spring for the Beavers. They could very well comprise the starting five up front as they return to health, but they aren’t all on the same timeline. We should know more about their availability once fall camp gets rolling.”
Who says that then assigns a “B” grade? Likely an “Incomplete” is most fair given injuries and the ability to evaluate their play. “C-” for a letter grade given last season, lack of new talent infusion, and inexperience…
If you have access to to the “All Quarter Century” players articles, curious too see who is on the lists for DEs and OLBs? Did my man Michael Doctor make the list of candidates?
https://archive.ph/3pwma
https://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/2025/07/oregon-state-beavers-all-quarter-century-team-nominees-defensive-ends.html
DE’s top vote getter Swancutt, surprised Dorian Smith and Dyan Wynn were near the bottom of the 9 choices.
https://archive.ph/P1atS
Projected DT depth chart:
DT — Thomas Collins (R-So.), Jacob Schuster (R-Sr.), Tahjae Mullix (R-Jr.)
DT — Tevita Pome’e (R-So.), Jojo Johnson (R-So.), Tygee Hill (R-Jr.)
Position grade: C+
Analysis:
When healthy, it’s hard to look at the Beavers’ defensive tackles on paper and not foresee what OSU coaches believe will be major strides on the interior. But that relies on potential for a young position group, and an injury or two could test its depth.
Collins in particular is someone the Beavers hope will have a breakout year, transitioning from his second to third season in the program out of Gothenburg, Sweden. Pome’e, the former Oregon transfer, is also entering his redshirt sophomore year and was thrust into a key role due to last year’s injuries.”
I think Collins, Pome’e, and Johnson will pleasantly surprise this season.
Can’t be much worse than last season unless they brought in Anderpants.
Been painfully rewatching the games from last season and as depleted as the D was, what was even worse was the coaching.
We basically didn’t have a DC, the roster was depleted by injuries and departures and the talent just wasn’t there.
You have to think with Bray running the show and a lot of guys coming back they’ll be better.
Ethan Thompson signed a two contract with the Orlando Magic.
Reeder’s moving on to the MLB.
https://x.com/Ryan_Harlan7/status/1948065753153806417
Or rather the MiLB.
As he should. Worked hard to get to become a starter. Hit 8 home runs this year when he had zero the first two years. No matter what he would have done his senior year, he likely would not be picked in the first 10 rounds next year. So no money to be made by going back for senior year.
He wouldn’t get any NIL?
It’s been apparent from transfer activity that our NIL pool is smaller this year
Maybe the deep pocket baseball boosters saw that roster as the best shot to get to Omaha anytime in the near future and ponied up for a one year run. Call it a success.
Now Mitch and the staff have an uphill battle to rebuild and maintain the blueblood moniker.
I keep hoping for Jensen Huang to just drop about $500 million for a 5 year run into OSU’s NIL/ athletic budgets.
Keep hoping. If he hasn’t done it by now, he won’t ever do it.
As his wealth grows, there’s a chance he could sneeze and accidentally drop $500M into the NIL fund without even noticing.
Only after he has a liquidity event, not saying he is hurting for cash, but he don’t have that kind of free cash.
He’s in the middle of a 10b5-1 sell-off right now. Six million shares for about $800m selling by the end of the year.
But you are correct in that he has only about $10b more in personal stock, and the rest is in trusts and partnerships that can’t be similarly sold.
Get over it. Perhap he doesn’t like “jocks.” Perhaps he had some bad interactions when he was a student. He doesn’t want to donate money to today’s ‘student athletes.”
“Don’t compare him to PK. – whose business is sports.
Who said anything about” PK? ” “
For wrastlin’ fans, the Hulkster passed away from cardiac arrest according to news reports. Malcolm, Ozzie and now HH. A pretty sad week or so.
SATAN PUTTING THE CAMEL CLUTCH ON JABRONI HULK HOGAN
-IRON SHEIK
Oregonian out with the greatest OSU safeties today..No Poyer????What the heck….
Poyer played corner at OSU.
From Tennessee of all places, Beavs pick up a ’26 high school commit from SS Kyson Barney, whose twin brother, Kael Barney (1B), is already committed to OSU.
https://x.com/BarneyKyson/status/1948798782260609297
Maybe they are just a couple of humble country boys who are turned off by the UT shenanigans and dumb-jock redneck culture of their head coach.
They aren’t country boys, from just south of Nashville. I believe they are original from Utah and their dad play Corner at BYU. After a basketball game their dad was talking to my kids principal, Kevin Dyson who played at Utah before the Titans.
I’ve seen them play basketball more than baseball but when they played my son school I went and watched them play this spring. Other than being 6’5 and 6’4 and good athletes. I wasn’t terribly impressed. The brother who committed today, made a few errors at short and didn’t see great power. They were more fun to watch on the basketball court.
Random Thought: Saw the “new 2025 Coaches Polo” OSU bookstore is selling. I wish Oregon State took some swings with their merch selection. I’d love an Oregon State orange and black “bowling style” shirt. Short sleeve, but worn untucked. Oregon State on the back, a picture of the beav on the left pocket.
Benny
I did like the lids the baseball team wore in the postseason. Couldn’t find them anywhere at the time, but I see Dick’s has them now.
You said Dicks, uh, uh, uh….I am Cornholio. I need TP for my bungholio.
Dicks still anti 2A?
Looks like the Beavs pick up Jace Miller, a transfer from U of Portland, originally from Medford. Struggled in limited time at Portland, but killing it in the WCL this summer with Bend (OPS >1.000).
Just read on On3 Sports, that Mason Pike is set to sign with the Beavers but that was expected.
I was curious and looked up LHP Oscar Hyde’s whereabouts (Tacoma CC) and barring significant improvement, I doubt he ever makes the OSU roster.
9 APP, 12.2 IP, 9K, 12BB, 8.53 ERA
https://nwacstats.org/sports/bsb/2024-25/players/oscarhyden3gp
Olive review of OSU Safeties:
“Projected S depth chart:
FS — Jaheim Patterson, Tyrice Ivy
SS — Skyler Thomas, Amarion York
Position grade: A-
Analysis:
Thomas has a chance to be one of the first few safeties drafted in 2026, should he build on last season’s success. As a redshirt junior, he had 81 tackles, a forced fumble, two recovered fumbles, an interception, and nine passes broken up.
What’s more, Thomas did all that after missing the entire 2023 season due to a torn ACL. And as many athletes who have dealt the injury will tell you, the year after the comeback year is often the true return to form.
Patterson and Ivy are both capable of starting at free safety. Patterson hits hard and brings more length at 6-4, while the 6-3 Ivy showed off his athleticism after moving into the starting lineup midway through the 2024 season. He took Jack Kane’s starting spot, prompting Kane to hit the transfer portal in the offseason.
All three could see the field together, if Trent Bray decides to temporarily move the former corner Ivy into a nickel-type role. Either way, that type of quality and depth at crucial positions in the defensive backfield is a nice problem to have.
Both Howard and York are chomping at the bit to see the field, with York the elder statesman between the two and most likely to find himself in the rotation. York also blocked a punt against San Diego State last year, showcasing his value on special teams.”
Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon State Beavers for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at RClarke@Oregonian.com
Every time I read one of these promising previews regarding an OSU position group, I cant help but wonder what could be if we had a serviceable O-Lime this season
Thomas is good, but Patterson is just potential at this point. He didn’t really show anything last year. The way the coaches talk about him make it sound like they’re falling into the old school baseball scouting trap of “looks the part.”
All of these position previews seem really optimistic to me.
Looks more like:
QB: B+ (Murphy is good, not great. Can he take another step? Can he mesh with RG?)
RB: B (what can this group do with a weak OL? Hankerson and Allah didn’t score great in making their own yardage last year. Can the transfer stay healthy?)
WR: B (not a lot of proven sustained production here, but Walker is solid and this could be an A if Clemons and Card live up to their potential)
TE: C (these guys are all paper potential, no on-field production so far in their careers. Could be great, could be bad)
OL: C (a few decent returning guys, but lots of questions about health and consistency)
DL: C+ (the DT’s, other than Collins, have been bad. This is where the DL coach earns his money; DE has pretty good potential without much consistent production)
LB: C+ (Davis was average his whole career at USC; Foster has potential, but will he take the leap? Taylor and Saez both had their moments last year, but aren’t super scary; can Goodman or Sullivan step up? Both were intriguing JC prospects who were lackluster last year)
CB: B- (good talent here between Ayers and Singleton, but they aren’t proven commodities; Vadrawale was a mess last year, but seemed to improve toward the end of the season; not a lot of depth here)
S: B- (I like Thomas a lot, but the FS spot is a big question mark to me)
Compared to last season:
QB- improved
RB- toss up
WR- improved
TE- toss up
OL- worse
I don’t even know how to compare the defense to last season because of all the injuries. If everyone stays healthy, the talent on the field will be better. If not, our depth isn’t super exciting and I could see it being similar to last year.
The biggest advantage with such a suspect roster of questionable position groups will be the softer schedule overall. Outside of the road trips to Nike, Texas Tech and Wazzu, they may be favored in the rest of their games. I think 9-3 is the ceiling and 6-6 should be the bottom, just based on Bray coaching the defense again.
Although I’m probably way too optimistic….oh well, the life of a Beaver fan. Hope springs eternal until halftime of the opening game.
Good grades. Lines really get”D” or “incomplete” due to injuries.
Murphy, DBs, RBs probably the only proven producers if we’re honest…
Even the DB’s are hit or miss. I did forget about the transfers, who are reasonably experienced. We have depth there, but no clear standouts. Hopefully someone emerges.
To an extent, that’s just college football (unless you can buy a new roster every year). But the young, exciting depth we have all seems to be at the positions where we’re already in good shape (QB, RB, WR, OLB).
Beavers WBB get a 2026 commitment from a 6’0 guard from NY who was selected as POTY in Class B last season. He name is Maggie Warpus and sound like quite a player. Great find by Coach Rueck
Ryne Sandberg passed away tonight. Hall of famer and a Spokane kid who by all accounts was a humble and generous man. For ever a legend in Chicago
Exodus Ayers going viral in a tiktok video and not in a good way
Nothing to see here…
I was like huh? Went and looked it up. So pushing a girl out of your apartment after she destroys your pad is supposed to be a huge black mark? Drama queens
Was wondering what the context was.
Saw the title of the vid and then the vid and knew there had to be something else going on.
There’s still an opportunity for him to learn something, and hopefully it’s just choosing better friends to hang with.
Told us about it the slump buster
Wasn’t that Mark Grace?
“Here are five storylines to keep an eye on as Oregon State football begins fall camp:
1. The arrival of Maalik Murphy
The Duke transfer Murphy provided the headline of the offseason for the Beavers, who are excited about the big play ability of their new quarterback. At 6-5, nearly 240 pounds, Murphy is an imposing presence in the pocket and loves to throw the deep ball. That simply wasn’t a dimension for OSU last season, despite a speedy stable of wide receivers.
Murphy did throw 12 interceptions last season at Duke, which is a tendency to keep an eye on. But throughout the spring, his poise and decision-making were traits OSU coaches raved about. Teammates praised his charismatic leadership, and it’s clear Murphy and his ability to throw the deep ball has a chance to elevate this group well beyond its on-field production.
Between the lines, how will Murphy mesh with his new receiving corps? There is plenty of speed at the position for taking deep shots, but what about throws the defense gives him underneath? If the OSU spring game was any indication, things are progressing well in that department.
2. Health along the offensive line
Murphy won’t be able to elevate the OSU offense if he’s running for his life. Fans who saw the spring game witnessed quarterbacks under constant pressure, but this was largely due to injuries depleting the offensive line.
Five starting caliber offensive linemen missed the spring due to injury: tackles Jacob Strand and Tyler Morano; guards JT Hand and Tyler Voltin, and center Van Wells. OSU not only wants all of them back as soon as possible, but also needs them to get as many snaps as possible with Murphy before game action starts.
The most intriguing spot is at center. If Wells is healthy, it’s his spot to lose. But the Arizona transfer Hand can play the position as well if need be. Whoever starts Week 1 against California, the best thing for Murphy would be a consistent exchange with the same person throughout camp.
3. Who stands out at wide receiver?
Trent Walker strides into 2025 as OSU’s top receiver, putting up 81 catches for 901 yards and two touchdowns last season. Those numbers could see an uptick with Murphy running the show, but Walker will share the stage with a now healthy Darrius Clemons along with speedsters Taz Reddicks, Zachary Card and Jimmy Valsin III.
The Beavers view their talent at wide receiver as a major asset, despite the departure of Jeremiah Noga and three others in the transfer portal. The speed alone is enough to make a deep-ball specialist like Murphy excited, but the question is who emerges beyond Walker as a consistent, reliable option elsewhere on the field.
4. Bringing consistent pressure
Sacks were the most telling statistic for the OSU defense in 2024: they managed just seven all year, last in FBS.
The Beavers aim for significant improvement in pressuring the quarterback in 2025. It was a talking point throughout the spring. Returning edge rusher Nikko Taylor will join new teammates Kai Wallin and Walker Harris in pursuing that endeavor.
One aspect that made both quarterback pressure and stopping the run difficult was health on the interior defensive line. The Beavers had five defensive tackles injured throughout the 2024 season. A healthy interior defensive line will be crucial for creating opportunities for edge rushers like Taylor and Wallin to reach the quarterback.
5. Through the uprights
There are plenty of position battles to keep an eye on in Corvallis this fall, but a few that might go overlooked are the specialists.
At kicker, Caleb Ojeda and Logan McCreery will duke it out for opportunities on field goals and kickoffs, and Japanese transfer Tetsuta Tsuyumine could be in the mix as well. Ojeda likely has the edge as the program’s most experienced returner, having shown off his power with a 53-yard field goal in the spring game.
Max Walker and AJ Winsor will compete for punting duties, and the long-snapper position should go to either Dylan Black or Jackson Robertson. Black’s story is one of the most inspiring on the OSU roster, working his way back to the field after a cancer diagnosis and long road to recovery which included chemotherapy.”
Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon State Beavers for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at RClarke@Oregonian.com
Big miss on storylines in my opinion on are the coaching issues. What has Bray learned as HC, what did he do in offseason to improve? I’m a fan of peer review, and think they should invite in coaches from outside the OSU coaching tree for constructive criticism. What will he do differently? His calling the D should be a big improvement over last year. How will Gunderson create an actual offensive identity and what would it be? Is Cavanaugh really invested in coaching again, and can he make an injury riddled unit cohesive and effective enough to run an offense that isn’t too predictable? I’m sure many in here have other, better coaching questions…
My biggest coaching concern is the increasing presence of many guys linked to the Riley era only they are all 15-20 years older than before. It is already a challenge but leaning on too many guys with stale concepts may be a death knell before we even realize what is happening.
I hope these old Riley coaches can contribute some fresh ideas and concepts, but I have my doubt.
The old paradigm is dead and buried. The underdog mindset of the past in a major conference among those previous schools was always a safe approach and got the surprise wins here and there. But this is an entirely different era. The Beavs must view themselves just like USC looked at itself in the PAC10. USC would carry itself as a proud and dominant program with all of the tools, legacy and expectation to win the conference every year, even when they knew they were going to have a rough year. OSU must adapt and take on this type of mindset, even if it means offending some of the new schools, or even offending WSU. If OSU fails to capture this moment as the bully and the big fish among “lesser-thans”, (all exactly USC’s attitude and what drove them to destroy the conference), then OSU will again be middle of the PAC among another set of teams and be ridiculed even more as a bottom dweller athletic department.
My doubts regarding the staff are out of this concern that OSU Athletics doesn’t embrace the expectation of winning big, nor does the department really present that mindset, ever. It is and always has been small-time in mindset and belief. Dennis Erickson was the only coach who broke through the malaise.
Pat Casey won because he essentially went outside of the athletic department and built many of the things through his own fundraising, will and determination. Casey’s success is distinct from what I view as the OSU athletic department. Casey’s success shows what is possible, but it had little effect to bring the rest of the department along because the rest of the campus just isn’t into sports or sports success (football or basketball).
Sad but demonstrably true, and proven for decades in decisions on coaches, and results on the field or court.
“The Beavs must view themselves just like USC looked at itself in the PAC10. USC would carry itself as a proud and dominant program with all of the tools, legacy and expectation to win the conference every year, even when they knew they were going to have a rough year. OSU must adapt and take on this type of mindset, even if it means offending some of the new schools, or even offending WSU.”
Angry asked if the Beavers could be a big fish in a small pond, my response was they don’t have that mindset…not the AD, not the HC, and none of them have experience as big fish…I’m expecting them to take a business as usual approach…
Mitch picks up a transfer from E Michigan. 890ish OPS against MAC pitching. Looks like a utility guy? Played both IF and OF.
Sounds like he has a little bit of power too with 21 out of 56 hits for extra bases including 6 homers plus he has some speed on the base paths too. Still waiting on a big name transfer to come to Corvallis so hopefully the Beavers can land an AA caliber player.
As I posted awhile back, this team is going to have a much different look and feel to it than last year’s team. I’ll be happy if the team’s overall focus is on contact hitters, small ball, solid pitching and solid defense with some occasional power from Kreig and maybe a surprise or two from other guys.
Agree! I hope you’re right on the style of play focusing on great pitching, solid defense, limiting strike outs and more small ball(ie… bunts, steals, hit and run and the occasional extra base hit and homerun). Put pressure on the defense.
Okay, not Beaver-related, but definitely of interest.
https://www.kgw.com/article/sports/nba/blazers/oregon-governor-portland-mayor-portland-trail-blazer-nba-commissioner-moda-center/283-7e9bd03a-0c2f-4ca1-b4d9-049cd447ae73
Of course the team is for sale, and I know the Rose Garden has been undergoing renovations, but is there anything particularly WRONG with the arena as it is? I realize the lifespan of stadiums and arenas keeps shrinking, and 30 years is 30 years, but I don’t understand the sudden obsolescence of the building. Anyone have insight? Its the 10th largest arena in the NBA and has plenty of luxury boxes. Aren’t most new stadiums/arenas these days not particularly about the facility itself, but giving the owners free real estate around the facility to cash in on? Or is this related to the Rose Quarter freeway widening project?
I’m with you. There’s nothing “wrong” the current building other than it’s one of the oldest arenas in the league. That doesnt make it a bad place to catch a game though. It’s plenty big and has a great location. There’s really no reason to build another facility other than to flex on a city to squeeze as much as money out of taxpayers as possible.
Similar to the Hillsboro Hops stadium. Current facility is great as it is, but MLB said their visitors locker was a little too small, and since they didnt have enough room to expand a few walls, they got the city of Hillsboro to build another brand new stadium across the sidewalk from the current one. Complete waste of money over a Single A Baseball locker room.
Say what you want about Eugene but their refusal to build the Ems a new stadium was the correct decision.
An NBA team brings a hell of a lot more value than a minor league baseball team, but millionaires trying to extort cash from strapped communities is some robber baron shit.
At least in the Em’s scenario, it makes sense that they need a full time facility. They’ve currently leasing time from PK Park, but since they were moved from a Single A short to Single A long season, their schedule conflicts with Oregon’s during the Spring. And their old park burned down. Seems like there ahould have been some insurance money to rebuild that old stadium?
The reason they have to leave PK is because the MLB requires facilities for women umpires, and the UO doesn’t have the wherewithal to make another locker room.
It’s absurd how cities fall into this trap all for the “legitimacy” of being big league. Even a Senator (Wyden) has voiced the “need” for the Blazers to remain in Portland Oregon. AND they want pro baseball stadium too, which would be a huge waste of taxpayer money in my opinion. The current costs of such facilities is exorbitant.
Qwan to the Dodgers. Hope he gets a ring.
It’s not showing that he got traded.
Kwan
Wow! What did Cleveland get in return?
…or maybe not…I saw a headline on ESPN as I was walking out of the restaurant at lunch. I guess just rumors or speculation. Pretty sure they said it was a done deal but apparently not. Can’t trust ESPN to simply report sports news anymore, they have to manufacture news for their own hosts to talk endlessly about.
My apologies for reposting something I read on ESPN…fake news apparently
CORVALLIS — With a gaggle of media members perched on the edge of Oregon State football’s practice fields, Maalik Murphy saw an opportunity.
“Can I go before coach?” he asked reporters with a grin.
Murphy tried to hustle over, but Beavers coach Trent Bray cut his 6-5 signal-caller off and told him to wait. They both laughed.
“He’s just got great leadership skills,” Bray later said of Murphy. “He’s vocal, the guys like him, and he gets along with everyone on the team. He does the work. He’s not afraid to work. He’s got great leadership not only from a vocal standpoint but from a visual standpoint. They can see it.”
By the time Murphy strode up to the cameras, he had completed his first fall practice as OSU’s presumptive starting quarterback, zipping passes around the field and chopping it up with teammates during every drill. Positive energy radiated from behind his face mask.
A transfer from Duke, Murphy was the biggest acquisition of the offseason for the Beavers, garnering a reported $1.5 million NIL payday and creating a palpable buzz around a program desperate to improve its offensive balance.
This doesn’t seem like just another stop on the road for Murphy, a two-time transfer who began his career at Texas before ending up at Duke. The junior previously said he intends to finish his collegiate career at OSU.
During the 2024 season at Duke, Murphy earned his first snaps as a starter. He is now a leader for an OSU team resting much of its collective hope on his broad shoulders.
“I have a strong opinion in the locker room, and I think the guys respect what I’m talking about when I open my mouth,” Murphy said. “That’s huge as a quarterback and a leader, for sure. That keeps me on my toes as well not to give them a false hope or just chatting. Giving them real words of encouragement, whether that’s making sure everyone is on-time, making sure everybody is working as hard as they possibly can. Letting them know they can hold me accountable as well.”
“Maalik is a great dude,” Walker said. “We went at it this summer. We wanted to attack the summer a little bit differently because we wanted a different result this season. We had to do something different.”
It wasn’t a perfect 2024 season at Duke, by Murphy’s admission. He threw for 26 touchdowns and showcased elite ability on the deep ball, but he also threw 12 interceptions.
He chalks that up to inexperience, and has poured over his Duke film since arriving in Corvallis to find out where he can improve and protect the ball better. He is primarily a pocket passer, but showcased his ability to move in and out of the pocket in OSU’s spring game.
Limiting interceptions is front of mind.
“Just got to mature,” Murphy said. “That was my first year starting as a full-time quarterback in college, so it was huge. It was a big stepping stone for me to get those games under my belt so now, going into this season, I can — not know what to expect — but I have a pretty good feel for the game. I could be more efficient and I’m able to watch myself and see on tape what I can improve on.”
The willingness to attack his weaknesses, combined with evident leadership and ever-growing camaraderie with his teammates, is part of why coaches appear so eager to hand Murphy the keys. This team will likely go as far as he takes them.
“He is way more comfortable with the offense having gone through spring. And that’s really what it is for him,” Bray said. “He’s got all the physical ability to get it done, and now it’s just running those plays over and over, doing those reads over and over so he’s sharp by the time we line up against Cal.”
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon State Beavers for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at RClarke@Oregonian.com
Oops, missed a bit, should be between paragraphs 9 and 10 above:
“Murphy didn’t show up with the expectation that his new teammates would look to him for guidance: he spent the winter, spring and summer nurturing relationships with players in every position group and establishing himself as the voice at the heart of the Beavers’ locker room.
“That included throwing with his wide receivers six days a week during the summer, according to top target Trent Walker, and intentional time away from football bonding with other teammates around Corvallis. Activities included bowling, playing the NCAA football video game, and eating at favorite restaurant TacoVino.
Running back Anthony Hankerson calls him “Magic Maalik,” raving about the added dimension Murphy brings to OSU’s offense though the air — particularly the deep ball. That is something Walker said he and Murphy worked on a lot in their throwing sessions.”
I think Murphy will have the big fish in a small pond attitude with this season’s schedule. Hope that carries over to some other players…
Great point. He has 2 years to make himself into an OSU legend and a top 10 NFL pick.
He will certainly be featured with Langsdorf in the clubhouse. I need to prepare for the inevitable jailbreak blitzes that result in sacks or ints. Once OSU offense leans heavily to passing offense, we inevitably get the 6 second route tree for a 45 yard bomb when the qb only has 4 seconds to throw due to pressure. Hopefully Malik has quick processing and can check down to a TE or RB better than DJ could. If we compare to the DA, Matt Moore years, Malik should be a stat stuffer. He could throw for 4000 yards against this schedule.
I’d guess Gundy will decide that throwing is better than trusting the line to blow open holes for the running backs on a regular basis like the recent past. It will be a pass to set up the run approach. and against inferior competition it will work, but they will get destroyed against the tougher teams because the offense will be soft and predictable. Expect lots of 3 and outs, which means a longer game, with more possessions, and more punting. And who is the punter by the way?
I would put money on it that the first play from scrimmage this year is a play action, go route to Walker down the right sideline about 50 yards. I saw so many Riley games started with that play and it was very predictable. Langsdorf makes his presence known to OSU fans in 1 play. I’d also guess that Walker doesn’t catch it.
Not too excited about Langsdorf being on the staff, because Gundy has already referenced how much input the “other guys who have called plays” are contributing to the playbook, and offensive identity. Eerily familiar territory and verbiage. Not good…
If he has a good year does he stay for another year? Seems like anyone that has a god year will get bought.
Murphy seems to have a timer in his head and go about 3 seconds than throwing, at least in Duke highlights.
With this line and Murphy, some Air Raid-type packages would probably be productive. Need to get the TEs involved too though…?
Bold predictions:
The team will be better this year.
The team will not have a repeat performance of the Air Force game. They will take care of the teams it is supposed to take care of.
They will have at least 2 of the top 5 most watched college football games on the CW.
D-line will at least double the number of sacks the previous year had.
this is going to be the boise state conf in football and the zags conf in hoops
with espn pushing the AAC and sun beit for the group of 5 spot if boise does not win the conf
your best hope is a creampuff non conf sch win 10-11 games a year hope boise has down years and every other group of 5 champ has 3 or 4 L’S
Probably right about ESPN pushing AAC and Sun Belt for the 5th spot every year if BSU isn’t winning the conference. No way ESPN ever gets behind OSU or WSU as winners after what they did behind the scenes.
Even if the league is between OSU/BSU each year, Beavs need to build some type of national recognition beyond the lunchpail U, little engine that could, underdog mentality. In a long enough timeline, it is just a loser mentality and will be used against OSU. As stated earlier, OSU AD isn’t really capable of presenting a driven winning mindset, and it will be rolled by some of the new schools in short order if something isn’t adjusted.
I do like Jack’s idea to tap into NVidia for e-sports backing and let the school reputation grow from that platform. It can eventually eclipse what we know as collegiate athletics anyway. Beavs could be front-runners in e-sports and related tech/merch/following.
What did we do behind the scenes… except maybe not sue everyone for market allocation?
Ah… misread… after what they did behind the scenes.
Cody Campbell, the chairman of the committee on CFB, is suggesting that Texas and Oklahoma going back to b12 and USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington returning back to the PAC in order to restore some sanity to CFB and then they can begin talking about revenue sharing and an NFL style model for playoffs. This all sounds good in theory, but I don’t think ESPN will allow their cash cow to stop producing the moolah.
I guess I wonder just what kind of power this new committee has over how revenue sharing and conference realignment plays out. I don’t think they have legal jurisdiction over CFB, therefore, I don’t think any changes they propose would be enforceable but it will be interesting to see what impact, if any, the committee will have on CFB. I guess we will have to wait and see but maybe the SEC and B10:can offer trump millions of dollars to keep CFB in control by ESPN. We all know Trump can always be persuaded (wink, wink) to keep the status quo for CFB.
“This is my first look at Oregon State this summer, though I’ve covered this program for the past seven years. Here are three things I learned Friday from a near two-hour workout.
You’re going to hear this often in August, but quarterback Maalik Murphy throws a beautiful ball. Coming off a bittersweet season at Duke, where Murphy threw for a lot of yards and touchdowns but also 12 interceptions, his work on improving his accuracy appears to be paying off. It’s particularly noticeable on intermediate throws, as just about every pass hit the receiver in stride. Even during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11, Murphy was remarkably on the money, but sometimes tight coverage made it impossible to complete the pass.
That said, the Beavers’ defense isn’t going to make it easy on OSU quarterbacks during camp. They were relentless in pressure, often forcing several hurried throws. Early in practice, Jaheim Patterson rushed off the right side and easily batted down a pass from Gabarri Johnson.
Will senior Kobe Singleton get into the cornerback mix this season? Singleton brought a promising resume to Corvallis when he transferred from Liberty to OSU prior to last season. Coming off a first-team all-conference season with the Flames in 2023, Singleton took part in only four games and 112 snaps last season at Oregon State. A combination of injuries and fit kept Singleton on the sidelines for most of 2024.
Defensive backs coach Rod Chance said OSU’s defensive scheme is different than Liberty, and it took time to adjust to the Beavers’ press coverage. Chance believes 2024 was a year of positive growth and education for Singleton.
“That year off for him allowed him to mature, to take a step back,” Chance said. “We’re excited about him. He has natural instincts about him, but I’m going to push him to see what his ceiling is.”
It’s been more than a year since Sai Vadrawale transferred from California to Oregon State, but he hasn’t forgotten the Bears. The Beavers’ likely starting nickel will face his former team in the season opener August 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Reser Stadium.
Vadrawale, who keeps in touch with some of his former teammates, has conflicting thoughts about Oregon State’s opener.
I would be lying if didn’t say it was circled,” Vadrawale said. “But I’ve still got to consider that is just game one, and I’ve got to understand that if you want to win all your games, you have to win your first one. So, I’m looking at it like a regular game.”
Coming: Defensive end Takari Hickle, blessed with an immense wing span and large hands, returns to action this season after missing the 2024 season because of a leg injury.
Sounds like throwing and catching 6 days a week this summer is paying off. Murphy and the receivers should be able to light up much of the schedule. Wins at TT and both WSU games would be nice for some “quality” wins on the schedule…
The question is whether or not the offensive line can create holes for the running game and pass protect. If the line can do both, the offense could be very, very good.
Hate to say it, but they may have to spread the field and try a quick hitting passing game to set up runs…TEs may have to help out with blocking quite a bit…
Spreading the field is certainly one way to take advantage of the mismatches on the LOS and opens up some running lanes. I’d like to see them utilize JJ and Card’s speed on the fly sweep.
CORVALLIS – Takari Hickle has been out of action for a year at Oregon State after recovering from a leg injury.
The fourth-year junior defensive end sports a new look this fall for the Beavers. Hickle ditched his previous uniform number of No. 43 for a familiar number to OSU fans, No. 44.
That’s the number worn by Oregon State coach Trent Bray during his playing days as Beavers linebacker. Asked if he changed to 44 just to make sure Bray didn’t miss him during practice, Hickle laughed.
It’s actually, 44, has been in my family for a very long time,” Hickle said.
It’s the number Hickle wore at Tenino High in Washington, as well as one wore by his mother (basketball) and brother (football). No. 44 became available this offseason when former OSU linebacker Melvin Jordan IV transferred to Georgia Tech.
Hickle’s play – big things were expected of him heading into the 2024 season before he was injured – is enough to make him stand out. But it’s understandable that he’d look for any edge to get noticed. Hickle is third in a family of seven children – four boys, three girls.
“A lot of brotherly, friendly competition between all of us,” Hickle said. “It’s been cool to see.”
There was an adjustment for the 6-foot-3, 289-pound Hickle when he enrolled at Oregon State in 2022. Tenino, a Southwest Washington town with about 2,000 residents, participates in one of the smallest high school classifications in the state. Suddenly, Hickle went from football fields with modest seating and tiny press boxes to the Resers and Autzens of college football.
Hickle said he recalled looking around Reser Stadium during first OSU practice inside the facility with a ‘wow’ sort of feeling. Same for his first game at Reser, even though Hickle was a redshirt that season and didn’t play.
“There were so many people. It was loud, but it was good,” Hickle said.
Hickle gave Oregon State fans and coaches a taste of what they could expect in 2023, when as a redshirt freshman he played in eight games. Hickle had 2½ tackles for loss and a couple sacks among his six tackles. Heading into spring, it was reasonable to expect Hickle becoming a regular contributor, and perhaps starting.
Hickle didn’t make it through the spring, as a knee injury was about to wipe out his 2024 campaign. Hickle said it’s been a long process, one he’s still working through. Asked what he feels he can provide this season, Hickle says “the plan is to contribute the same way I’ve always wanted to contribute. Stop the run, affect the quarterback, make plays.”
Oregon State lists Hickle as an outside linebacker, but at 289 pounds – 36 pounds heavier than his listed weight as a freshman – Hickle might be a few cheeseburgers heavier than most for that position.
“I’m a defensive end, honestly,” Hickle said.
One asset Hickle brings to the field is physical assets. When he was recruited by Oregon State, it was said Hickle had enormous hands, measuring 11 1/8 inches, and a wing-span of nearly seven feet. Hickle said he’s never thought about the physical advantages he has.
“I don’t know what it’s like to not have big,” he said.
Big hands allow Hickle to have an easier time handling offensive linemen. Those long arms make it difficult for opposing linemen to get a good grip on Hickle’s body.
“I definitely give them a bit of a challenge,” he said.
Hickle is focused on becoming the best defensive lineman he can become. But there’s another intriguing aspect that could be lurking in his game. As a high school senior, Hickle played running back, rushing for 2,061 yards.
Oregon State has some history of tinkering with defensive players taking on a role in the offensive backfield. Two recent examples are linebacker Jack Colletto and defensive end Isaac Hodgins.
Hickle beamed when asked if he’d take a crack at fullback or running back if asked.
“If they came to me and said, ‘look, we need you there.’ I would be there. I wouldn’t be shy about it,” Hickle said.”
https://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/2025/08/oregon-states-takari-hickle-returns-from-injury-with-new-number-same-goals.html
So there is a new “rumor” circulating a bit, hasn’t really hit “mainstream” beaver social-media group chats or anything yet, but I first heard it from two random fans, and have since run it by a (non-football) athletic dept employee and got a very diplomatic non-denial, so I wanted to pass it on.
The rumor:
At the behest of media partners, primarily ESPN who will be launching their direct-to-consumer streaming app service this year.
There is a plan being floated to move some of the best performing brands remaining in the ACC and B12 to the B1G and SEC (as has been known for awhile).
The ACC, B12, and Pac-12 would then backfill with the best remaining AAC and MW schools and create a formal 3-piece “super-conference”, effectively creating a new “Power 3” system, with the “super-conference” serving as a “mid-tier” level, but still competing in the same CFP (with reduced auto-bids).
Utah, Kansas, Arizona, Arizona State, and Colorado are the schools rumored most likely to get plucked by the B1G, along with Stanford and CAL from ACC.
The reason for this is because the B1G/SEC threatened to breakaway from the NCAA earlier this year, and this was the solution that the rest of the FBS conferences made to prevent that from happening, allowing ESPN/FOX to cobble all of the best performing brands together in the B1G/SEC without facing an antitrust litigation fight from the rest of the NCAA Div I Conferences.
They are also expecting an antitrust fight from the Pac-12 to regain their A5 status heading into 2027, and this would avoid that as well.
They also want to avoid Trump getting involved with any more of his “executive orders”.
This would allow them to make sweeping reform to NCAA Div I governance beginning next week at their meetings, without the other conferences standing in their way in protest.
So, the “super-conference” would look something like:
Pac-12: OSU, WSU, BSU, CSU, FSU, SDSU, TXST, UNLV, AF (maybe Nevada/New Mexico/Wyoming/Rice).
Big 12: BYU, BAY, CIN, HOU, ISU, KSU, OkSt, TCU, TTU, UCF, WVU, MEM.
ACC: BC, LOU, NCST, PITT, SMU, VT, WF, UCONN, TUL, USF, ECU, ARMY, NAVY.
Of course, give or take a few in one “conference” or another, everyone else to the B1G/SEC.
From what I understand, this would allow the super-conference” to maintain their individual “conference” identity, but sell their “tiered” media-rights together collectively.
There may be a “relegation” model in the “super-conference”, allowing teams to earn some kind of status in the “upper” vs. “lower” tier based on performance. With the “upper” tier being considered “Power” and the “lower” tier being considered “G5”. No idea and no clarity from any “source” on what that could actually look like, all speculation.
I am very skeptical, but like I said, I got a very diplomatic non-denial which surprised the hell out of me.
Governance, house settlement/rev-share, the lawsuits between the Pac and MW, and CFP format would all need to get worked out and finalized before any of the rest of the dominos could start to fall.
But, that’s the “rumor” that is starting to show up, and wanted to put it out there for y’all as we observe the governance stuff unfold over the next couple of weeks.
I’ll believe it when I see it, but thanks for the insight!
That seems like an awful lot of coordinated effort to have going on with no media picking up on it. Or maybe it is being covered somewhere and I just havent seen it? Have to admit, I’ve been pretty tuned out all Summer.
That’s absolutely bonkers.
And without an antitrust exemption, it can all be blown up by any random school who simply doesn’t like this absolutely bonkers idea.
Bonkers seems like an appropriate description. In 3 years we have a shift undisclosed meetings and nudges behind the scenes by the networks to rumored campaigning and brash machinations to reshuffle everybody just for the benefit of those same networks. So sickening that the networks could create so much upheaval, watch the college sport begin to implode and then act like it wasn’t ESPN’s plan all along.
ESPN saw fit to destroy it all and act like they now have the only solution, which benefits them as a new consolidated and streamlined made for tv product. Nonsense, ESPN has been putting the finger on the scales since the bought into the SEC tv contract 20 years ago.
I don’t know how or why many of these schools would go along with this and just magically agree to be reshuffled at ESPN’s behest, without major compensatory payouts. No way OSU/WSU just capitulate in such a mirage of solutions. They would be permanently banished from the table even if it were part of such a conference. The die is cast if ESPN can simply wave a wand and decide who is now in which conference. Stop the charade and just name the ESPN management as collegiate president and conference commissioners to streamline authority across the nation.
I’ve often thought they could just rename the SEC the “ESPN” conference and the Big10 the “Fox” conference….
All the rumors and speculation about conference realignments (manipulation) and NIL rules are really getting boring and distracting from the already declining appeal of the game.
I’m trying to just enjoy Beavers football this season, hope they stay healthy, and are competitive and entertaining and represent the school well.
Just to clarify, I am not a believer, I am very skeptical of this “rumor” for a multitude of reasons.
I’m sure there is “something like this” being talked about behind the scenes, but I see so many issues with this kind of plan it’s hard to believe it would ever come to fruition.
But the “rumor” is out there and wanted to pass it along with governance coming up this week.
I think Malik Murphy is going to make the games fun, maybe the best combination of DI QB passing ability and just joy for the game since Matt Moore(?). Lyle Moveau was fun to watch and clearly enjoyed the game, but was probably more limited as a passer but lots of grit obviously. Watching some videos and interviews, I think Murphy’s smarter than Derek Anderson and definitely throws a more catchable pass…
Day 4 of Oregon State preseason football camp has come and gone. I’m here for the second of two days, as The Oregonian/OregonLive’s OSU beat reporter Ryan Clarke will be back next week with full coverage.
Here are three among the many nuggets I picked up at Prothro Field on Saturday:
While special teams coach Jamie Christian says his unit is “a lot further ahead” than this time a year ago, he’s without the luxury of serious experience at kicker and punter. Seniors Everett Hayes and Josh Green are gone; the latter set a single-season program record by averaging 47.2 yards per punt. Christian is looking to replace Hayes and Green with a roster that collectively has four punts and hasn’t tried an extra point or field goal at the FBS level.
Christian says they’ll put plenty of heat on kickers Caleb Ojeda, Logan McCreery and Tetsuta Tsuyumine and punters Max Walker and AJ Winsor during camp. But there’s no pressure on a kicker like a game. A kicker and punter must be selected and ready to perform by the August 30 opener against California.
What is Christian’s approach to making sure his newbie kicker is ready to face the heat against the Bears?
“The way I deal with it, I pray,” Christian said.
He’s not really kidding, either.
“I don’t know what to tell you on that. Hopefully, he has some confidence to get in there and do it, and hopefully you’ve got the right guy doing it,” Christian said.
Long snapper Dylan Black is back after spending a year on the sidelines recovering from testicular cancer. Black says he’s 100% and ready for his final season at OSU, where prior to 2024 he was the Beavers’ long snapper in 46 games. While it’s assumed the job is Black’s given his experience, that’s not his approach.
“I’d like to go in there and having the confidence to think the job is mine, but just like anyone else, you’ve got to out there and prove yourself,” Black said.
Black said he doesn’t look back at what happened, choosing to focus on the positives. His recent scans for cancer resulted in good news.
“Obviously there’s still a chance that things could change, but I’m praying that they don’t,” Black said.
The final half-hour of Saturday’s practice showcased impressive improvement in the passing game. Quarterbacks Maalik Murphy and Gabarri Johnson were on fire, lighting up the OSU secondary with deep ball completions and great sideline throws. During 11-on-11, Murphy got things going when tight end Bryce Caufield slipped off the sideline unnoticed, and became wide open 25 yards downfield, where Murphy hit him in stride. Not long after that, Murphy threw a beautiful ball on a post route to Zachary Card. There was a nice pinpoint throw to Riley Williams on the sideline. Late in practice, Johnson and Eddie Freauff hooked up on a 40-yard play.
The only blemish of Murphy’s day – and it was hardly a knock on the quarterback – was an interception by Tyrice Ivy Jr. The senior safety made a tremendous play on a deep sideline throw.
“Oregon State’s offense has a simple message for defenses in 2025: ‘Pick your poison’
Updated: Aug. 04, 2025, 9:38 a.m.|Published: Aug. 04, 2025, 9:00 a.m.
CORVALLIS — Anthony Hankerson feasted on the ground last season for Oregon State: 1,082 yards for a total of 15 touchdowns, the latter of which ranks sixth in program history for a single season.
But the Beavers’ lead running back said he was left hungry for more. The same could be said for a lackluster OSU offense in general.
“I definitely left a lot of meat on the bone,” Hankerson said. “Like, you know how a little kid got the drumstick, and they probably take two bites? That’s kind of the logic.”
Hankerson should benefit from personal motivation, and is poised for a big year, but he was hardly a shortcoming for the Beavers in 2024. At times, he was all they had.
OSU did not have a reliable passing game. Enter new quarterback Maalik Murphy and a more healthy and experienced receiving corps, which aims to add a new dimension that rarely showed up last season: big plays through the air.
“We need to create explosives,” offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson said. “It’s better to score in two plays than 13 plays. We had a lot of 13-play drives. The longer you have the ball … the more chances you have for some type of negative play, whether it be a fumble, an interception. We hope those things don’t happen.”
Murphy’s deep ball ability, chemistry with receivers, and attention to detail has been on display throughout fall camp. OSU fans caught glimpses of it in the spring game, too.
On Saturday, Murphy hit speedster Zachary Card for a long touchdown — a buzz-worthy moment in a fall camp filled with optimism about the OSU passing game.
Card had a strong spring. He will compete with returning receivers including a now-healthy Darrius Clemons, Taz Reddicks, Jimmy Valsin, and top wideout Trent Walker.
The summer included plenty of bonding for Murphy and his receivers, highlighted by throwing six days a week to build a rhythm with one another, according to Walker.
While coaches often preach extra work, Gunderson noted he had to encourage his receivers and quarterback to dial it back.
“It’s important for them to work that timing, but those guys, (Murphy) is not running like they are,” Gunderson said. “They have hamstrings, and those hamstrings can pull, and we do not want that to happen. So, six days a week is a lot. Like, if you want to throw six days a week, I’m okay with that, but I don’t want them running six days a week. I’m telling you, these guys are junkies.”
Murphy also has four tight ends likely to see the field in 2025, led by Miami transfer Riley Williams and returner Bryce Caufield. But BYU transfer Jackson Bowers and Cooper Jensen are in the mix as well.
While he will be looking downfield for the deep ball whenever possible, finding both receivers and tight ends in space on short and intermediate throws will help balance out OSU’s offense.
Opposing defenses will have to do more to gameplan against the Beavers this year, Hankerson said, which opens the game up for both him and Murphy and makes them less predictable.
“It helps tremendously,” Hankerson said of the big-play threat through the air. “Just for the simple fact, everybody knows we can run the ball, and we gonna run the ball. But you stack the box, you’re gonna get beat over top. So, it’s like, pick your poison. Either want to stop the run, or you stop the pass, but you ain’t gonna do both.”
There is also a greater familiarity with Gunderson’s offense for this group, even if Murphy is still getting up to speed on certain modes of communication.
“We’ve got a lot of cool, key pieces that joined our offense. But behind the scenes, we all know the offense a lot better this year,” Walker said. “It’s our second year with Gundy, but it’s really our fourth season with it if you count spring and the past two falls. I think we’re going to be more efficient on offense, and the key pieces like Maalik and the running backs are just going to help.”
Gunderson is honest and typically forthcoming; like any good offensive coordinator, he is careful not to show his hand too much or give in to unfettered optimism. But the sense of excitement and relief, knowing this team is capable of doing much more with the ball in its hands than last year, is palpable.
“I think our receivers have gotten better than they were last year. I think we are better throwers than we were last year. So, am I optimistic about that? Yes,” Gunderson said. “I think everywhere in the offense, talent-wise and understanding of what we’re doing, we’re better. I think we can get that going.”
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon State Beavers for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at RClarke@Oregonian.com
Totally different from the Lindgren philosophy of scoring in as many plays as possible
“The longer you have the ball … the more chances you have for some type of negative play, whether it be a fumble, an interception. We hope those things don’t happen.”
I thought that was an odd perspective. I recall both Chip Kelly and Mike Riley saying time of possession was very overrated, and it seemed like Kelly preferred a lot if possessions with short drive times. But it seems like one could also say “The more times you posses the ball, the more chances you have for a negative play….” ?
Emphasize ball security, teach QBs to throw it away if nothing is there(?). I hope the QBs will do that….
Seems like you’re leaning heavily on defensive conditioning if this is your offensive approach. The good JS teams kept the D fresh by running the ball a lot and chewing up the clock.
Ha! Defensive coordinator:”The longer your D is out there, the more bad things can happen, big plays, touchdowns…”
Yeah, don’t like that mindset at all. OC’s that’re impatient with long drives tend to see a lot of 3 & outs..
Sounds like TJ Crandall (CB transfer from WVU slated to start) has suffered a season ending in the first week of camp.
Luck o da beavs.
Coaches poll out,
Just two opponents ranked. Oregon and surprisingly Texas Tech? No other opponent got a vote in the coaches poll.
The schedule has some deceptively bad teams that make it appear kind of tough. Wake Forest, Cal, WSUx2, Texas Tech, Oregon give some legitimate names to play in 6/12 games. Beavs should win 4/6 and win all 6 against the rest of the schedule. My curiosity is whether Bray’s defense has something in store for Dante Moore again early in the season before he gets settled in. Texas Tech will have talent but may not be a cohesive team when the Beavs play them.
I figure anything better than 10-2 is a long shot. More likely 9-3. But easily 7-5 if they can’t figure out how to win on the road.
I’d like to predict and upset of either Texas Tech or Ducks, but that just means they trade it back with a dud later in the schedule. Life of a Beav.
I guess Texas Tech has a boatload of NIL money and is viewed as an up and coming program because of the pay to play era we’ve entered.
Cody Campbell, played at TTU and UFA to the Colts in 2005 before medically retiring.
Made billions in oil industry and is now their “Phil Knight” style booster and Board of Regents Chair and dumping $ into their NIL.
They’re loaded with 4-stars. $55m payroll.
And he thinks he has the plan to save college football for everyone…
$55M!?! Including coaches? He’ll , I thought UO was “only” $23M for players, not sure about coaching staff but recall Lanning at about $9M..Ohio State $20M for players but $20M for coaches…
Listen, if every college team would just invest in these kids – to the tune of 50$ mil/year – the game would be so much better! Think of the kids!
$55m just on NIL for players.
$22m is the revenue-sharing cap, the max amount schools can directly pay players.
Can still go beyond that with third party NIL uncapped to the moon.
I had read last year that Ohio State had a $20M football player budget, Oregon $23M, and that was before a cap was implemented. The numbers are likely conservative estimates.
UO apparently on its way to a #1 “recruiting” class in ’26, which means the NIL is flowing…
…just not at Oregon State…
“CORVALLIS — It’s time for full pads.
Oregon State football picked up where it left off Tuesday at fall camp, with the team practicing in full pads for the first time in front of media. Offensive weapons made big plays, quarterback Maalik Murphy was sharp in his reads, and the OSU defense made its presence felt with some big hits and turnovers.
Here are three things we learned about the Beavers on day six of fall camp:
Exodus Ayers is emerging as Oregon State’s No. 1 cornerback. The true sophomore made significant plays from the first whistle Tuesday, including lockdown coverage in the Beavers’ tempo drill and remaining step-for-step with No. 1 wideout Trent Walker during 11-on-11 later in practice.
While he surrendered some underneath throws with Murphy in a rhythm, Ayers’ footwork and awareness has been strong throughout camp. He closes on the ball faster than anybody at his position.
Ayers didn’t take a redshirt season a year ago as a freshman. Ayers saw action in the team’s final eight games, making 21 tackles.
Gabarri Johnson might not start, but offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson would be remiss not to find a way to get his No. 2 quarterback on the field. On Tuesday and throughout fall camp, Johnson’s elite athleticism has been on full display.
Johnson has shown elusiveness in and out of the pocket, an ability to break off big runs, and a zip on his throws noticed by media members in attendance who covered the team last year. His quick feet are particularly lethal in space, if OSU were to utilize a speed option look.
Trent Bray talked after the OSU spring game about possibly getting Johnson and Murphy on the field at the same time. However the Beavers choose to utilize him, Johnson just adds another dimension to an offense already optimistic about its potential this season.
Jimmy Valsin is on his way back at wide receiver, but he’s not in a rush. The redshirt senior revealed Tuesday that he tore his patellar tendon last spring, which kept him out for the entire 2024 season. And another injury from over the summer is keeping him sidelined throughout fall camp.
“I’ve just been rehabbing and trying to get back to where I’ve been,” Valsin said. “I’ve been out for a while, and I actually injured myself twice. The first time was shooting a NIL commercial (in 2024), and the second time this summer trying to come back.
“The process was long and hard, but I just pushed to recover because I want to get back to the top of my game.”
Valsin would join a wide receiver room that includes Walker, a now-healthy Darrius Clemons, Taz Reddicks, David Wells Jr., and the emerging Zachary Card — all of whom can benefit from the arrival of Murphy under center.
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon State Beavers for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at RClarke@Oregonian.com or on Twitter/X: @RyanTClarke. Find him on Bluesky: @ryantclarke.bsky.social.
Sounding promising. I Like the QBs developing and passing well, but D still consistently playing tight coverage and making plays. These kinds of practices should make each better. I think it’s unlikely the D will face a better passing QB in the regular season than Murphy, and GJ as a run threat can help prep them for mobile QBs.
An injury while making a commercial????
Yeah..right?
Yeah..right? The dangers of NIL….
Now THIS is what I’m talking about!
https://www.fanazone.com/collections/oregon-state-beavers-ncaa
Egads man! Are you looking for woman repellent?!? Don’t do it!
Active birth control.
Preemptive coitus prevention…
CORVALLIS — Listen for the music.
That was the advice from Oregon State football media relations to the new guy on the beat (me), who showed up Wednesday to an empty practice field.
I followed Snoop Dogg’s distant voice into Reser Stadium, where the Beavers were hard at work on Day 7 of fall camp.
Here are three things that stuck out from a more overcast day of practice:
AJ Winsor looks like the punter for OSU. In a healthy competition with redshirt junior Max Walker, the redshirt sophomore Winsor — at least to the naked eye — has booted them higher and farther. That was even more apparent from up in the stands inside an otherwise empty Reser Stadium.
Walker is an onside kick specialist, so his skills shouldn’t go unused this season even if he loses the punter job.
Winsor — like Costco — is from Kirkland, Washington. The Beavers are probably hoping they don’t have to use him in bulk.
In a talented tight ends room, Bryce Caufield is standing out. The redshirt senior appeared in all 12 games last season for the Beavers and is their most experienced returning player at the position.
While OSU bulked up in the transfer portal by adding former Central Catholic star Riley Williams (Miami) along with Jackson Bowers (BYU), Caufield seems to be the favorite target of quarterback Maalik Murphy thus far.
Caufield caught a one-handed touchdown in the back of the end zone during 7-on-7 drills Wednesday, while the imposing Williams had a drop on a crossing route.
Redshirt freshman wideout Eddie Freauff has all the physical tools to be a special player. At 6-3 with strong arms and large hands, Freauff has been impressive while running primarily with the OSU second team offense.
Freauff caught a touchdown pass from Gabarri Johnson on Wednesday, turning his right shoulder on a dime and opening his hands to secure the ball with confidence.
“He’s a big, strong, physical kid who probably doesn’t know how strong he is,” OSU wide receivers coach Pat McCann said. “Now, all of the sudden, he’s starting to play big. Which has been encouraging, seeing him gain some confidence.”
If injuries strike the OSU receiving corps beyond the still-recovering Jimmy Valsin, the Prineville product Freauff might have earned himself some snaps.
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon State Beavers for The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Freauff from Prineville! Cool to see him developing!
Fired up’ by its old school coach, Oregon State offensive line faces uphill battle
Updated: Aug. 07, 2025, 7:36 a.m.|Published: Aug. 07, 2025, 7:13 a.m.
CORVALLIS — When Mike Cavanaugh speaks, the men towering over him listen.
And they can expect some colorful language.
“I think they’re getting used to me,” Cavanaugh said with a grin. “I think they kind of like an old school guy. I like to call it tough love.”
Oregon State’s longtime offensive line coach is back in Corvallis after a 10-season stint from 2005-14 under Mike Riley, and several other stops over the past decade including an offensive analyst gig at Oregon from 2023-24. He got the call from Trent Bray in the spring to replace the outgoing Kyle DeVan.
Cavanaugh’s voice — and some words not fit to print — echo through an empty Reser Stadium as he gets the OSU offensive line up to speed during fall camp. Injuries have left the group still working to return to full strength, but “Coach Cav” isn’t shifting his expectations.
“We’re a work in progress on the offensive line,” he said in an opening statement Wednesday. “But consistency is what we’re striving for.”
Tyler Morano is back from injury, Cavanaugh said, while names like Jacob Strand and Tyler Voltin are among those still on the mend.
Morano — who hasn’t played since 2023 — said he ruptured his Achilles, then had labrum surgery on his shoulder. And others along the offensive line have sustained minor injuries, as is customary for a brutal position.
“I don’t think it’s meant much. I think it’s fine,” Voltin said of OSU’s injuries, and their impact on preparation. Everything’s good. Going good right now. We’ve got guys that know their roles and the guys that lead, and it kind of works out really well for us.”
Voltin, a redshirt senior and former preferred walk-on, is one of those leaders, sporting a shaved mohawk during fall camp and providing vocal leadership both on the field and in the film room.
The Beavers are working on communication with one another, and say they are building a strong bond in the offensive line room. They have a players-only meeting every day during which they review film, and then Cavanaugh shows up to double down and light the fire before, during and after practice.
I’ve always been a guy that you can’t just say, ‘Hey, I’m a right tackle,’” Cavanaugh said. “You’ve got to be able to play left tackle, or if I’m a left guard, I’ve got to play to play right guard. I have seen a lot of growth from spring to now, so there are flashes, but I always like to say: I want to be consistently good, not occasionally great, you know what I mean? And that’s what it’s all about for a front, being consistent.”
The Beavers would like to have a consistent five starting linemen for “at least two weeks” to get them in rhythm with one another, Cavanaugh said. But with different players on different injury timelines, that is no guarantee.
If he could, the 63-year-old Cavanaugh is so hands-on that he might don pads and a helmet if it meant setting an example for his group. Low man wins, as they say.
Strand was asked what position Cavanaugh might play on the field, and he said quarterback.
“I love Cav,” Strand said. “I love his aggression, you know? He loves to get on our ass a little bit. But it’s good for us. It builds the toughness and technique.”
– Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon State Beavers for The Oregonian/OregonLive
Oregon State football camp: 3 things we learned about the Beavers on Day 8
CORVALLIS — The Oregon State football team is gearing up for its first full scrimmage of preseason camp this Saturday, marking a significant milestone in their preseason preparations.
During Thursday’s practice, the eighth of the preseason camp, several key observations stood out:
The OSU offensive line, despite being banged up, remains formidable in run-blocking. Throughout Thursday’s practice, the defensive line struggled to contain the run game, regardless of who was carrying the ball.
Anthony Hankerson is expected to carry the load for the Beavers, supplemented by Salahadin Allah when he’s healthy. We saw several strong runs from Cornell Hatcher Jr. and Louisiana Tech transfer Marquis Crosby on Thursday, and coaches have been impressed by true freshman Kourdey Glass as well.
For all the hype surrounding Maalik Murphy at quarterback, this is still a team that will lean on its potent run game.
Injuries are piling up. It’s normal when a team gets into full pads for this to happen, but the list grows on both sides of the ball. (Note: One stipulation for media attending practice is refraining from reporting injuries, unless coach Trent Bray confirms).
Don’t panic just yet, Beaver fans. Coaches typically err on the side of caution when it comes to minor knocks that players — especially skill guys — pick up during camp. Just because there are several guys hitting a tire with a sledgehammer in lieu of playing actual football doesn’t mean they’re all in jeopardy of missing the opener vs. California in three weeks.
We should know more about individual availability and injury timelines with each passing scrimmage. This information will be shared when OSU coaches are willing to share it.
The pass rush is visibly improved. It’s not just talk from the Beavers — this improvement is visible from the outside. With new additions and several positive body changes in the weight room, these defensive linemen are more of a physically imposing presence than last season.
The Beavers’ D-linemen were inexperienced and injury-riddled in 2024, with just seven sacks all year. The group’s mindset has shifted, according to a more slender defensive tackle Tevita Pome’e, who said he’s lost more than 20 pounds by cutting out McDonald’s — among other dietary changes.
“It was a big drop,” Pome’e said. “I’m thankful to the coaching staff for helping me drop that amount of weight. It was hard. … I feel good now. I feel a little bit faster, too. I can move a little bit, and that’s a good thing.”
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon State Beavers for The Oregonian/OregonLive