Football FALL CAMP CONTENT HUB DAY 17 (8/22)

Brenden Slaughter · Aug 22, 2023

Hey Edgers! Hope you're doing well!

Big news of the day is obviously DJ being named the starter, that news broke right after we filmed all our content (of course!) but we've still got tons coming from today's practice!

BeaversEdge Breaks Down Day 17

WATCH: BeaversEdge Breaks Down Oregon State's 17th Day Of Fall Camp

Brenden Slaughter and T.J. Mathewson break down the 17th day of fall camp!

oregonstate.rivals.com

WATCH: BEAVERSEDGE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JAKE OVERMAN

WATCH: BeaversEdge Exclusive Interview With Oregon State TE Jake Overman

BeaversEdge caught up with Oregon State tight end Jake Overman for a wide-ranging, exclusive discussion!

oregonstate.rivals.com

WATCH: Keith Bhonapha, Jake Overman, & Isaiah Newell Talk Day 14

WATCH: Oregon State Offense Talks Fall Camp Day 17

Hear from Oregon State RB coach Keith Bhonapha, RB Isaiah Newell, and TE Jake Overman...

oregonstate.rivals.com

NUGGETS:
Oregon State was back at the Prothro practice fields for day No. 17 of fall camp. Here’s everything that happened:

DJ Uiagalelei has been named the starting QB with a week and a half to go until kickoff. Today was the second consecutive day DJ took almost exclusive reps with the first-team offense. It was pretty apparent at one point where the other four quarterbacks in the group were on the near field working with receivers/DBs in one-on-one, while DJ was off on the second field running seven-on-seven with the starters for about 80% of the period. Glad the news was finally announced.
To further showcase why Uiagalelei won the job: One of his more impressive throws today came during 11-on-11 work where he was able to fit the ball into a very tight window to Zach Card where he was blanketed by two defenders. Typically, when a quarterback throws into double-coverage it isn’t a great play, but DJ placed that ball in a perfect spot where only his guy could get it… It is plays like that we’ve noticed throughout camp that really show why DJ is going to elevate the quarterback production in a big-time way…
Best play of the day came from none other than Aidan Chiles. We’ve well-documented Aidan’s struggles accurately delivering the ball down the field. He didn’t do that consistently today, but he tossed a 45-yard spiral in the shadow of his own goalposts to Zach Card, hitting the freshman perfectly in stride for a 95-yard touchdown. That wasn’t the only dart from Aidan today, he also found Jesiah Irish on a go ball for a TD a little bit before them.
Speaking of Card, his speed and athleticism continue to impress. He’s not the biggest guy at 5-foot-9, 165-pounds, but he’s lightning quick and I was genuinely surprised at how high he can jump. There was a throw from DJ where Card was able to get 2-3 feet off the ground and out-leap his defender to make the catch. For a freshman, this kid has a lot going for him…
Chiles seems to be closing the gap with Ben Gulbranson for the backup job. It was the freshman who was playing with the second team in every live rep until the final 20% of practice or so, paired with the fact this is the best we’ve seen from Chiles passing the ball, it leaves the door open.
With the Beavers acutely aware of Chiles’ rising star, I wouldn’t be surprised to eventually see an “OR” on the depth chart with Gulbranson, even if it isn’t right away. From what we saw today, Chiles looks like he’s really really on Ben’s heels, and given that we expect Chiles to play in some capacity this season, it’ll be an interesting storyline to watch. Given that he’s still just 17 years old, his potential is still off the charts.
Another guy who continues to impress in recent sessions is wide receiver Jimmy Valsin… We’ve talked a lot about Zach Card pushing his way into the receiver rotation, but Valsin has quietly put together a couple of nice practices, plus we heard from Smith he performed very well in the closed scrimmage this last weekend. He offers a good-sized target at 6-foot-2 and could push Jesiah Irish for that third receiver spot.
Highlighting another receiver whose name we haven’t called in a minute, Jamai East… The JUCO transfer caught a great ball from DJ over the middle today amidst double coverage and really showcased good hands and strength to fight through contact. He’s another guy who will be pushing to be in the rotation right away, and also offers great size.
The offense as a collective unit looked the most comfortable we’ve seen. Despite a pair of backups on the starting OL, the pass protection was good, the receivers and QBs were in sync, we saw every RB get a good chunk of time, and everything seems to be clicking into place at the right time. The defense had certainly been “ahead” of the offense up till this week, but it seems like things have certainly evened out these past two days… Definitely what you like to see at this point in camp…
Atticus Sappington attempted one kick from 56 yards, and left it short and to the right. Everett Hayes did not kick today, that will something to keep an eye on after Hayes hurt himself (his groin, which is the reason he is out currently) right before the 2022 season…
Other highlights from today include
- Zach Card stood out besides his touchdown catch. He was all over the field making all sorts of catches. While his size might let him down at some point, he has a good nose for the football and can snatch an overthrown ball with ease.
- Both Drake Vickers and Akili Arnold snagged interceptions. Vickers got Gulbranson, who left a ball too far inside on a bench route and Vickers jumped in front of the receiver to record the pick. Arnold took advantage of a rare DJ mistake, who didn’t see the safety lurking in the middle of the field and jumped what was supposed to be a comeback route.
- Trent Walker has not been afraid to get his hands dirty in the middle of the field, and the redshirt sophomore showed more of that today. he also cashed in a touchdown from DJ outrunning the corner down the sideline. He’s going to get some playing time.
- John Miller forced a fumble on Gavin Haines after a reception.
- Damien Martinez ran a beautiful wheel route down the far sideline and caught it for a touchdown, totally outrunning his DB down that side. That’s some real receiver savvy from the Beavers’ RB1, and the most emphatic way we’ve seen him used as a receiver this camp.
- On the negative side for Damien, he did fumble once while his offense was backed up into the end zone, it was scooped up by Jaden Robinson. Robinson also intercepted Ben Gulbranson in one-on-one. Good day from the assumed starter.

FIRST TEAM
QB: DJ Uiagalelei
RB: Damien Martinez
LT: Joshua Gray
LG: Heneli Bloomfield
C: Tanner Miller
RG: Grant Starck
RT: Taliese Fuaga
TE: Jake Overman
TE: Jermaine Terry
WR: Silas Bolden
WR: Jesiah Irish/Trent Walker

DL: James Rawls
DL: Joe Golden
DL: Isaac Hodgins
OLB: John McCartan
OLB: Drew Chatfield
ILB: Calvin Hart Jr.
ILB: John Miller
DB: Ryan Cooper Jr.
DB: Jaden Robinson
DB: Akili Arnold
DB: Kitan Oladapo

SECOND TEAM
QB: Aiden Chiles
RB: Isaiah Newell/Deshaun Fenwick
LT: Jacob Strand
LG: Nathan Elu
C: Luka Vincic
RG: Flavio Gonzalez
RT: Tyler Voltin
TE: Jermaine Terry
WR: Jeremiah Noga
WR: Rweha Munyagi Jr.
WR: Jimmy Valsin

DL: Semisi Saluni
DL: Tavis Shippen
DL: Takari Hickle
OLB: Cory Stover
ILB: Makiya Tongue
ILB: Michael Erhart
DB: Jermod McCoy
DB: Josiah Johnson
DB: Drake Vickers
DB: Joe Swen
DB: Jack Kane

Brenden Slaughter · Aug 22, 2023