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NUGGETS
- Oregon State returned to the practice fields for the first time in 2023 on Tuesday morning with the Beavers conducting a roughly two-hour practice inside the Merrit Truax Center... There was definitely a buzz in the air today, you could certainly tell that there's a lot more excitement and expectation within the program.
- Today's biggest takeaway is how impressive DJ Uiagalelei looks in person now that I was able to get my own eyes on him... His size at 6-foot-4, 252 pounds is quite noticeable as he just looks like a really big human. His cadence calling out the snap was also particularly impressive as we could hear him from the other side of the facility. He just looks like a big-time college quarterback, and with some of the throws he made on Tuesday, it's easy to see why...
- Ben Gulbranson was the first quarterback to take reps during the live 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work... He made several nice intermediate throws, but was intercepted twice on deep throws, once by Kitan Oladapo and once by Skyler Thomas.
- Uiagalelei and Aidan Chiles were second and third receiving reps... Both guys made several impressive throws: Starting with DJ, the thing that stands out the most is the arm strength he has... There were several times during the live work where he out-threw his receivers, and that's not something we've seen all that often. He connected with Jeremiah Noga for a deep sideline catch that really showed off his pin-point accuracy... Chiles also made some impressive throws during his first practice as a Beaver, connecting with fellow freshman Zach Card for a long touchdown pass. Chiles, like DJ, has really nice touch on the deep ball. I was also impressed at how comfortable each guy looked on day one, both guys are definitely getting fully immersed. Chiles and DJ also both have really great feet and don't hang onto the ball for too long...
- JUCO defensive back Tyrice Ivy caught my eye today, making several physical plays on the ball from his cornerback spot. The College of San Mateo has been quite kind to the Beavers with Ryan Cooper and Alton Julian recently, could he be the next guy to impress? He's definitely got a lot of the things you're looking for in a corner with good size and instincts...
- I also really liked what I saw from Akili Arnold today as well... Made several nice plays in the secondary...
- Speaking of Card, he's definitely a guy to keep an eye on... He made several nice catches on Tuesday and just missed a couple of others... He and Montrel Hatten are both guys to keep an eye on as the Beavers will be looking for more receiving output this season.
Notes
- Alton Julian was running sprints on the sidelines... Smith said on Monday he wouldn't see action in spring, but he's looking pretty healthy in his runs...
- Saw Avery Roberts working in several different spots on defense, it's almost like he never left with how comfortable he was as a coach on day one...
- Ryan Cooper Jr. was limited during today's practice and didn't go live.
- We'll get to interview Uiagalelei next week...
Here's a rough look at what the first-team offense looked like:
LT - Joshua Gray
LG - Luka Vincic
C - Dylan Lopez
RG - Grant Starck
RT - Tommy Spencer
QB - Ben Gulbranson / DJ Uiagalelei / Aidan Chiles
RB - Jam Griffin / Gavin Haines / Jake Reichle
WR - John Dunmore / Zachary Card / Jeremiah Noga
WR - Jesiah Irish / Joel Valadez / Trevor Pope / Karson Boschma
WR - Silas Bolden / Trevor Pope / Rweha Munyagi Jr. / Montrel Hatten
TE - Gabe Milbourn / Riley Sharp / Carter Neuman
And a look at the first-team defense
DL - Joe Golden
DL - Sione Lolohea
DL - James Rawls / Tavis Shippen
OLB - Drew Chatfield / Tyree Blake
ILB - Mason Tufaga / John Miller / Porter Phillips
ILB - Easton Mascarenas / Melvin Jordan
OLB - Cory Stover
DB - Tyrice Ivy / Carlos Mack
DB - Jaden Robinson / Joe Swen
DB - Kitan Oladapo / Ian Massey / Josiah Johnson
DB - Skyler Thomas / Akili Arnold
WATCH: Oregon State Football Talks Spring Football Day 1
Hear from Oregon State OC Brian Lindgren, QB Ben Gulbranson, and OL Joshua Gray...
NUGGETS
- Oregon State returned to the practice fields for the first time in 2023 on Tuesday morning with the Beavers conducting a roughly two-hour practice inside the Merrit Truax Center... There was definitely a buzz in the air today, you could certainly tell that there's a lot more excitement and expectation within the program.
- Today's biggest takeaway is how impressive DJ Uiagalelei looks in person now that I was able to get my own eyes on him... His size at 6-foot-4, 252 pounds is quite noticeable as he just looks like a really big human. His cadence calling out the snap was also particularly impressive as we could hear him from the other side of the facility. He just looks like a big-time college quarterback, and with some of the throws he made on Tuesday, it's easy to see why...
- Ben Gulbranson was the first quarterback to take reps during the live 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work... He made several nice intermediate throws, but was intercepted twice on deep throws, once by Kitan Oladapo and once by Skyler Thomas.
- Uiagalelei and Aidan Chiles were second and third receiving reps... Both guys made several impressive throws: Starting with DJ, the thing that stands out the most is the arm strength he has... There were several times during the live work where he out-threw his receivers, and that's not something we've seen all that often. He connected with Jeremiah Noga for a deep sideline catch that really showed off his pin-point accuracy... Chiles also made some impressive throws during his first practice as a Beaver, connecting with fellow freshman Zach Card for a long touchdown pass. Chiles, like DJ, has really nice touch on the deep ball. I was also impressed at how comfortable each guy looked on day one, both guys are definitely getting fully immersed. Chiles and DJ also both have really great feet and don't hang onto the ball for too long...
- JUCO defensive back Tyrice Ivy caught my eye today, making several physical plays on the ball from his cornerback spot. The College of San Mateo has been quite kind to the Beavers with Ryan Cooper and Alton Julian recently, could he be the next guy to impress? He's definitely got a lot of the things you're looking for in a corner with good size and instincts...
- I also really liked what I saw from Akili Arnold today as well... Made several nice plays in the secondary...
- Speaking of Card, he's definitely a guy to keep an eye on... He made several nice catches on Tuesday and just missed a couple of others... He and Montrel Hatten are both guys to keep an eye on as the Beavers will be looking for more receiving output this season.
Notes
- Alton Julian was running sprints on the sidelines... Smith said on Monday he wouldn't see action in spring, but he's looking pretty healthy in his runs...
- Saw Avery Roberts working in several different spots on defense, it's almost like he never left with how comfortable he was as a coach on day one...
- Ryan Cooper Jr. was limited during today's practice and didn't go live.
- We'll get to interview Uiagalelei next week...
Here's a rough look at what the first-team offense looked like:
LT - Joshua Gray
LG - Luka Vincic
C - Dylan Lopez
RG - Grant Starck
RT - Tommy Spencer
QB - Ben Gulbranson / DJ Uiagalelei / Aidan Chiles
RB - Jam Griffin / Gavin Haines / Jake Reichle
WR - John Dunmore / Zachary Card / Jeremiah Noga
WR - Jesiah Irish / Joel Valadez / Trevor Pope / Karson Boschma
WR - Silas Bolden / Trevor Pope / Rweha Munyagi Jr. / Montrel Hatten
TE - Gabe Milbourn / Riley Sharp / Carter Neuman
And a look at the first-team defense
DL - Joe Golden
DL - Sione Lolohea
DL - James Rawls / Tavis Shippen
OLB - Drew Chatfield / Tyree Blake
ILB - Mason Tufaga / John Miller / Porter Phillips
ILB - Easton Mascarenas / Melvin Jordan
OLB - Cory Stover
DB - Tyrice Ivy / Carlos Mack
DB - Jaden Robinson / Joe Swen
DB - Kitan Oladapo / Ian Massey / Josiah Johnson
DB - Skyler Thomas / Akili Arnold
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