Let me start with this... While I've come to love covering Oregon State athletics and running this website the past two and a half years, I'm not a "Beaver fan." My job is to give you guys information, give you my analysis, and run a good, clean message board community. I'm not going to wake up every day and wave Beaver pom poms.
You guys like that I give it to you straight. That's what I'm going to do with this post. Whether OSU has the No. 1 or No. 100 recruiting class in the country, I'm the same journalist and I will give you my honest takes either way.
WARNING: If you are an over the top OSU optimist who sleeps with orange-colored glasses, you may not want to read the bottom of this post.
THE GOOD
- Transfers
You absolutely have to start with the transfers. Without them, you're looking at a fairly average class, but with them, you have (excluding Nathan Eldridge) four young men who have the potential ability to change the tide of the Oregon State football program.
Maybe this is a poor analogy, but bear with me. In last year's NBA Eastern Conference finals, the Boston Celtics were all around a better team than the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics had a much better bench and overall team chemistry. However, the Cavs won the series because they had Lebron James, who was able to mask his team's issues because of how good he was.
For the Beavers, the transfers -- QB Tristan Gebbia, WR Tyjon Lindsey, ILB Avery Roberts, and OLB Addison Gumbs -- have the ability to mask other issues on the team. For example, Gebbia's pocket presence can help OSU's O-line; Lindsey can create explosive plays; and Roberts and Gumbs can help a potentially below average secondary by putting opponents in obvious passing situations.
Take it for what it's worth, but I think these guys can make a huge impact on OSU football. If they don't pan out, then I do worry what the future may hold.
- Upside of young defensive players
I'm pretty fired up about some of OSU's high school players on defense. It's well documented by now that Cory Stover is my favorite recruit in this class. Not saying he'll be the best, but his talent is so intriguing to me. He's got the height, super long arms, and athleticism to be an absolute freak. How he will develop though is a big question mark. Will he bulk up and be able to play DE? Will he move over to tight end? Could he potentially play OLB?
Here's what OSU's Vince Guinta told me about Stover in an interview a couple weeks ago: "Any time you get a young man with that kind of frame, you don’t know what he truly can be because he might naturally gain weight or he might naturally stay lighter. The nice thing with him is that he’s athletic and he’s got a lot of fast twitch muscle fiber. He can play a few different positions. You get him in, let him work through your strength and conditioning and nutrition programs, and see how his body responds and develops – and you place him accordingly.”
While Stover is more of a developmental prospect, I see Kelsen Hennessy as a young man who could get snaps at defensive end this fall. He could end up at offensive tackle as well. I love the upside of Evan Bennett as well, and he should play some nose this season. And in the secondary, I think JoJo Forest and Alex Austin were solid additions, and Wynston Russell is already on campus. Akili Arnold has playmaking ability.
A lot to like here.
- Nathan Eldridge
This one is obvious. The Beavers got a coveted graduate transfer center to not only replace Sumner Houston, but got big upgrade at the position (no offense to Houston). Not too much else to add here -- Eldridge should be a day one starter when he gets on campus. I'm unsure at this point if that will be for spring ball or not.
- Some very strong gets in the high school ranks
Bennett, Forest, Omar Speights, Luke Musgrave, Taron Madison -- these are all high school players that were highly pursued during the recruiting process by other P5 programs that the Beavers were able to land. As I've said on our podcast, it's very important for Oregon State to sign a healthy combination of under the radar gems to develop and legit P5 recruits. I feel like they did that in this class.
- Addressing defensive line need
Oregon State's defensive line in recent years has been underwhelming, and you have to give credit to Jonathan Smith and Co. for recognizing their need and addressing it. They added three JuCo players in Jordan Whittley, James Rawls, and Simon Sandberg. Whittley has the potential to be a day one starter at nose or end, Rawls has serious potential at DE, and Sandberg showed some flashes of great play before he suffered an injury. Combine those three with Bennett, Hennessy, and Stover, and you have a strong group of six D-linemen who offer play-now ability and long term upside.
THE BAD
- Lack of high school QB
Don't get me wrong, landing Tristan Gebbia and getting Jake Luton back for another year is fantastic, but it really doesn't address OSU's future at QB. With Jake Dukart leaving the team for baseball, the Beavers don't have a QB signee in the 2018 or 2019 classes under Jonathan Smith.
Smith is one of OSU's best quarterbacks ever, and he came to OSU from Washington where he was the QBs coach/offensive coordinator for very successful teams. And he can't land one high school quarterback?
Granted, I give OSU credit for not taking an average QB out of desperation, but still, the Beavers were in on a lot of strong QB recruits but couldn't close the deal -- mainly Spencer Petras (2018) and Paul Piferi (2019). A lot of this probably has to deal more with the hand Smith was dealt rather than he and Brian Lindgren's ability to recruit quarterbacks, but it's still alarming that the Beavers don't have any incoming scholarship freshman or redshirt freshman.
Jackson Chryst and Nick Moore are nice walk ons, but if those are your answers to OSU's quarterback situation in looking a few years down the line, then yikes... OSU needs to grab a strong HS quarterback or two in the 2020 class.
- Offensive line
So, I liked what OSU did in landing a combination of defensive linemen that can help right away with developmental recruits. When you look at OSU's offensive line class, I see a one year rental in Eldridge and then five guys who were lightly recruited by other schools and are all developmental guys. I'm not saying I don't like the guys they got -- Rob Vanderlaan, Jacob Ferenczi (arrives Jan. 2020), Thomas Sio, in addition to Josh Gray and Josh Bowcut. All of these guys could reach their potential that OSU sees in them or all of them could bust.
It will probably be somewhere in the middle of that in terms of how many will be successful at OSU, but I just don't like that OSU didn't any prospects that are "wow" gets. Going back to the D-line comparison, the Beavers getting Evan Bennett was a "wow." They also addressed immediate needs at D-line. OSU's offensive line class did neither with the exception of the one year rental in Eldridge.
Going back to my interview with Guinta, I asked him about the Beavs' OL class and prefaced it by saying it's my biggest question mark of the class. Here's what he said in response: "The offensive line is a tough position. It’s a position that – I don’t care highly recruited or talented you were coming out of high school – you have to develop, get stronger, and increase your skill set. I think you always look at O-line two or three years down the road to judge how you did."
I will take his advice and hold back judgment for a few years, but in the meantime, I have my concerns. The Beavs were after big names like Jason Rodriguez, Sataoa Laumea, Paul Matavao-Poialii, and Siale Liku -- all guys who officially visited Oregon State but they couldn't land.
- How they finished down the stretch
This may be controversial... But I don't love how Oregon State finished their recruiting class. They missed on Siale Liku, who would've been the gem of the class outside the transfers, and then let's look at their additions...
The day before the December National Signing Day, the Beavs landed Simon Sandberg, a JuCo DE recruit with limited experience playing football, coming off an ACL injury, and his only other offers were from Northern Arizona and Incarnate Word. Sandberg could be good, but when? And how will he heal off his ACL injury that has him missing spring ball?
With Sandberg, the Beavers had him on campus in early November and then cooled on him. The Beavers basically stopped recruiting him for somewhere around 3-5 weeks but then picked up on him again a week and a half or so before Signing Day.
I think Akili Arnold's situation was similar to Sandberg's. They were targeting he and a couple of other safeties hard, but then the Beavs cooled on safety targets later in the fall, just to start recruiting Arnold again in January.
From where I sit, it just feels like the Beavs settled a bit with their final few targets. I definitely like James Rawls, but he was lightly recruited, and Thomas Sio was going to go to a prep school if the Beavers didn't offer him.
The bulk of Oregon State's class was solidified by December, but still, I'm not a big fan of how the class ended. It felt like they had a couple of guys that they liked, passed on, and then started recrutiing again because they missed on other recruits (ex: didn't get a grad transfer OL/DL).
You guys like that I give it to you straight. That's what I'm going to do with this post. Whether OSU has the No. 1 or No. 100 recruiting class in the country, I'm the same journalist and I will give you my honest takes either way.
WARNING: If you are an over the top OSU optimist who sleeps with orange-colored glasses, you may not want to read the bottom of this post.
THE GOOD
- Transfers
You absolutely have to start with the transfers. Without them, you're looking at a fairly average class, but with them, you have (excluding Nathan Eldridge) four young men who have the potential ability to change the tide of the Oregon State football program.
Maybe this is a poor analogy, but bear with me. In last year's NBA Eastern Conference finals, the Boston Celtics were all around a better team than the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics had a much better bench and overall team chemistry. However, the Cavs won the series because they had Lebron James, who was able to mask his team's issues because of how good he was.
For the Beavers, the transfers -- QB Tristan Gebbia, WR Tyjon Lindsey, ILB Avery Roberts, and OLB Addison Gumbs -- have the ability to mask other issues on the team. For example, Gebbia's pocket presence can help OSU's O-line; Lindsey can create explosive plays; and Roberts and Gumbs can help a potentially below average secondary by putting opponents in obvious passing situations.
Take it for what it's worth, but I think these guys can make a huge impact on OSU football. If they don't pan out, then I do worry what the future may hold.
- Upside of young defensive players
I'm pretty fired up about some of OSU's high school players on defense. It's well documented by now that Cory Stover is my favorite recruit in this class. Not saying he'll be the best, but his talent is so intriguing to me. He's got the height, super long arms, and athleticism to be an absolute freak. How he will develop though is a big question mark. Will he bulk up and be able to play DE? Will he move over to tight end? Could he potentially play OLB?
Here's what OSU's Vince Guinta told me about Stover in an interview a couple weeks ago: "Any time you get a young man with that kind of frame, you don’t know what he truly can be because he might naturally gain weight or he might naturally stay lighter. The nice thing with him is that he’s athletic and he’s got a lot of fast twitch muscle fiber. He can play a few different positions. You get him in, let him work through your strength and conditioning and nutrition programs, and see how his body responds and develops – and you place him accordingly.”
While Stover is more of a developmental prospect, I see Kelsen Hennessy as a young man who could get snaps at defensive end this fall. He could end up at offensive tackle as well. I love the upside of Evan Bennett as well, and he should play some nose this season. And in the secondary, I think JoJo Forest and Alex Austin were solid additions, and Wynston Russell is already on campus. Akili Arnold has playmaking ability.
A lot to like here.
- Nathan Eldridge
This one is obvious. The Beavers got a coveted graduate transfer center to not only replace Sumner Houston, but got big upgrade at the position (no offense to Houston). Not too much else to add here -- Eldridge should be a day one starter when he gets on campus. I'm unsure at this point if that will be for spring ball or not.
- Some very strong gets in the high school ranks
Bennett, Forest, Omar Speights, Luke Musgrave, Taron Madison -- these are all high school players that were highly pursued during the recruiting process by other P5 programs that the Beavers were able to land. As I've said on our podcast, it's very important for Oregon State to sign a healthy combination of under the radar gems to develop and legit P5 recruits. I feel like they did that in this class.
- Addressing defensive line need
Oregon State's defensive line in recent years has been underwhelming, and you have to give credit to Jonathan Smith and Co. for recognizing their need and addressing it. They added three JuCo players in Jordan Whittley, James Rawls, and Simon Sandberg. Whittley has the potential to be a day one starter at nose or end, Rawls has serious potential at DE, and Sandberg showed some flashes of great play before he suffered an injury. Combine those three with Bennett, Hennessy, and Stover, and you have a strong group of six D-linemen who offer play-now ability and long term upside.
THE BAD
- Lack of high school QB
Don't get me wrong, landing Tristan Gebbia and getting Jake Luton back for another year is fantastic, but it really doesn't address OSU's future at QB. With Jake Dukart leaving the team for baseball, the Beavers don't have a QB signee in the 2018 or 2019 classes under Jonathan Smith.
Smith is one of OSU's best quarterbacks ever, and he came to OSU from Washington where he was the QBs coach/offensive coordinator for very successful teams. And he can't land one high school quarterback?
Granted, I give OSU credit for not taking an average QB out of desperation, but still, the Beavers were in on a lot of strong QB recruits but couldn't close the deal -- mainly Spencer Petras (2018) and Paul Piferi (2019). A lot of this probably has to deal more with the hand Smith was dealt rather than he and Brian Lindgren's ability to recruit quarterbacks, but it's still alarming that the Beavers don't have any incoming scholarship freshman or redshirt freshman.
Jackson Chryst and Nick Moore are nice walk ons, but if those are your answers to OSU's quarterback situation in looking a few years down the line, then yikes... OSU needs to grab a strong HS quarterback or two in the 2020 class.
- Offensive line
So, I liked what OSU did in landing a combination of defensive linemen that can help right away with developmental recruits. When you look at OSU's offensive line class, I see a one year rental in Eldridge and then five guys who were lightly recruited by other schools and are all developmental guys. I'm not saying I don't like the guys they got -- Rob Vanderlaan, Jacob Ferenczi (arrives Jan. 2020), Thomas Sio, in addition to Josh Gray and Josh Bowcut. All of these guys could reach their potential that OSU sees in them or all of them could bust.
It will probably be somewhere in the middle of that in terms of how many will be successful at OSU, but I just don't like that OSU didn't any prospects that are "wow" gets. Going back to the D-line comparison, the Beavers getting Evan Bennett was a "wow." They also addressed immediate needs at D-line. OSU's offensive line class did neither with the exception of the one year rental in Eldridge.
Going back to my interview with Guinta, I asked him about the Beavs' OL class and prefaced it by saying it's my biggest question mark of the class. Here's what he said in response: "The offensive line is a tough position. It’s a position that – I don’t care highly recruited or talented you were coming out of high school – you have to develop, get stronger, and increase your skill set. I think you always look at O-line two or three years down the road to judge how you did."
I will take his advice and hold back judgment for a few years, but in the meantime, I have my concerns. The Beavs were after big names like Jason Rodriguez, Sataoa Laumea, Paul Matavao-Poialii, and Siale Liku -- all guys who officially visited Oregon State but they couldn't land.
- How they finished down the stretch
This may be controversial... But I don't love how Oregon State finished their recruiting class. They missed on Siale Liku, who would've been the gem of the class outside the transfers, and then let's look at their additions...
The day before the December National Signing Day, the Beavs landed Simon Sandberg, a JuCo DE recruit with limited experience playing football, coming off an ACL injury, and his only other offers were from Northern Arizona and Incarnate Word. Sandberg could be good, but when? And how will he heal off his ACL injury that has him missing spring ball?
With Sandberg, the Beavers had him on campus in early November and then cooled on him. The Beavers basically stopped recruiting him for somewhere around 3-5 weeks but then picked up on him again a week and a half or so before Signing Day.
I think Akili Arnold's situation was similar to Sandberg's. They were targeting he and a couple of other safeties hard, but then the Beavs cooled on safety targets later in the fall, just to start recruiting Arnold again in January.
From where I sit, it just feels like the Beavs settled a bit with their final few targets. I definitely like James Rawls, but he was lightly recruited, and Thomas Sio was going to go to a prep school if the Beavers didn't offer him.
The bulk of Oregon State's class was solidified by December, but still, I'm not a big fan of how the class ended. It felt like they had a couple of guys that they liked, passed on, and then started recrutiing again because they missed on other recruits (ex: didn't get a grad transfer OL/DL).
