I've been working the phones for the past week and wanted to deliver some post National Signing Day nuggets.
-- First off, I wanted to discuss the two big names that did not sign with Oregon State, and that's Nikko Hall and Isaah Crocker. Let's start with Hall... Simply put, there were some egos involved in his recruitment that scared teams off. I've also heard that Hall was indecisive in telling OSU what position he wanted to play between WR and safety. Hall legitimately had a chance to be at Tennessee or Florida, but concerns derailed him from the opportunity to play at Oregon State and his other P5 options. Again, these weren't grade concerns or issues with the law, just ego type stuff that college coaches didn't want to deal with.
With Crocker, one big reason that Oregon was able to get him was that even though they had a coaching staff change, they kept the rest of their staff intact, whereas OSU cleaned house. Another reason that Oregon was able to get him was that Crocker's dad went on the Oregon official visit, which was the only college trip he was able to go on. I've tried to get a timeframe on just exactly how long Crocker was a "silent commit" to Oregon State, and all I'm hearing that it's been basically since he first received the offer. I also believe that Crocker was telling other schools that he was going there too.
-- The 2019 class is the first group of recruits that will be allowed to take official visits during the spring of their junior years. This could be subject to change, but right now, I don't expect OSU to bring recruits on spring official visits. OSU will want kids to visit unofficially during the spring but I don't see them having spring official visitors.
-- When I spoke with Vince Guinta for an interview last week, he mentioned that the Beavs could be looking at a grad transfer WR. I've said before that I think OSU should just take the best available grad transfer player regardless of position, and my source agrees that OSU will do just that. By my count, OSU can actually take two grad transfers.
-- Let's move on to some team notes... A source of mine in Corvallis feels comfortable with what Oregon State currently has on the defensive line. Isaac Garcia is returning as a defensive end, and he will be participating in spring ball as will incomers Jeromy Reichner and Isaac Hodgins. My source believes that Ronald Audette could play as a freshman with how big and strong he is.
-- It's obviously way too early to tell who will get playing time as a true freshman, but based on some conversations I've had, the best candidates are Audette, Jermar Jefferson, Isaiah Smalls, Deshon Wilson, and Matthew Tago. John McCartan is a guy that a source mentioned to me as a guy who could play because of how much length he has. If I was to bet on one true frosh who will definitely see the field this fall, my money would be on Jefferson. OSU is very high on him and I think he will be utilized.
-- I'm hearing good things about how the assistant coaches are gelling. The Beavs have a group of high character coaches, and there is a good mix of older coaches with experience and younger coaches in their prime. A source said that Tibesar, Lindgren, and Riley are "big time" for the Beavs, and I'm only hearing really good things about Trent Bray as a recruiter. I'm told Pitre has some swagger on the recruiting front, and Legi is already very respected in the Polynesian community.
-- Final note: Obviously, there are no starting spots on this team that are guaranteed, but I am hearing that the QB spot is Jake Luton's job to lose. That's not a surprise to me at all but figured it's worth noting. Luton is throwing this offseason, but there are still health concerns coming off his brutal injury. You just never know how a player comes back from that and what the potential concerns are, so OSU will get the other QB's ready too.
-- First off, I wanted to discuss the two big names that did not sign with Oregon State, and that's Nikko Hall and Isaah Crocker. Let's start with Hall... Simply put, there were some egos involved in his recruitment that scared teams off. I've also heard that Hall was indecisive in telling OSU what position he wanted to play between WR and safety. Hall legitimately had a chance to be at Tennessee or Florida, but concerns derailed him from the opportunity to play at Oregon State and his other P5 options. Again, these weren't grade concerns or issues with the law, just ego type stuff that college coaches didn't want to deal with.
With Crocker, one big reason that Oregon was able to get him was that even though they had a coaching staff change, they kept the rest of their staff intact, whereas OSU cleaned house. Another reason that Oregon was able to get him was that Crocker's dad went on the Oregon official visit, which was the only college trip he was able to go on. I've tried to get a timeframe on just exactly how long Crocker was a "silent commit" to Oregon State, and all I'm hearing that it's been basically since he first received the offer. I also believe that Crocker was telling other schools that he was going there too.
-- The 2019 class is the first group of recruits that will be allowed to take official visits during the spring of their junior years. This could be subject to change, but right now, I don't expect OSU to bring recruits on spring official visits. OSU will want kids to visit unofficially during the spring but I don't see them having spring official visitors.
-- When I spoke with Vince Guinta for an interview last week, he mentioned that the Beavs could be looking at a grad transfer WR. I've said before that I think OSU should just take the best available grad transfer player regardless of position, and my source agrees that OSU will do just that. By my count, OSU can actually take two grad transfers.
-- Let's move on to some team notes... A source of mine in Corvallis feels comfortable with what Oregon State currently has on the defensive line. Isaac Garcia is returning as a defensive end, and he will be participating in spring ball as will incomers Jeromy Reichner and Isaac Hodgins. My source believes that Ronald Audette could play as a freshman with how big and strong he is.
-- It's obviously way too early to tell who will get playing time as a true freshman, but based on some conversations I've had, the best candidates are Audette, Jermar Jefferson, Isaiah Smalls, Deshon Wilson, and Matthew Tago. John McCartan is a guy that a source mentioned to me as a guy who could play because of how much length he has. If I was to bet on one true frosh who will definitely see the field this fall, my money would be on Jefferson. OSU is very high on him and I think he will be utilized.
-- I'm hearing good things about how the assistant coaches are gelling. The Beavs have a group of high character coaches, and there is a good mix of older coaches with experience and younger coaches in their prime. A source said that Tibesar, Lindgren, and Riley are "big time" for the Beavs, and I'm only hearing really good things about Trent Bray as a recruiter. I'm told Pitre has some swagger on the recruiting front, and Legi is already very respected in the Polynesian community.
-- Final note: Obviously, there are no starting spots on this team that are guaranteed, but I am hearing that the QB spot is Jake Luton's job to lose. That's not a surprise to me at all but figured it's worth noting. Luton is throwing this offseason, but there are still health concerns coming off his brutal injury. You just never know how a player comes back from that and what the potential concerns are, so OSU will get the other QB's ready too.
