Happy Tuesday Edgers! Check back here for all the content from today's first practice...
This post will be updated...
Practice Highlights
Interviews with Lindgren, Michalczik, Bradford, Nolan, & Gebbia
Practice Nuggets
- Football is back! After many months of waiting since the conclusion of the 2019 season, the Oregon State football team returned to practice to kick-off the third year of the Jonathan Smith era. Smith hinted to the media last week that spring practices were going to be a different feel and vibe compared the past two years, and that was evident early-on as the Beavers no longer look like a team that's trying to put it all together. The "Smith" culture is in full-force in Corvallis there's no doubt there's a really good buzz about where the program is headed this season and beyond.
- With today being the first day, the Beavers weren't in pads and didn't do a ton of live work, electing more to focus on individual position groups. I anticipate the live-action will ramp up in the coming days and practices once the acclimation period is lifted.
- Starting with the quarterbacks, it's clear that Tristan Gebbia is the guy early-on as his command of the offense and chemistry with the receivers puts him in a class of his own after day one. His footwork and timing are much crisper than last season and it's clear that he spent a lot of time fine-tuning his craft this offseason. He had a few passes get away from him (one that Jaydon Grant nearly took to the house), but mostly I was very impressed with what Gebbia did today.
- On the flip side of the coin, newcomer Chance Nolan looks like he's going to need some time to acclimate to Lindgren's offense. He's oozing athleticism and has nice touch on his throws, but is still somewhat raw as a passer as we saw him miss a couple throws. Nolan noted after practice that he feels that timing will come with more knowledge of the playbook and that more reps will help him become more in-tuned with the Beavers' offense.
- Ben Gulbranson was impressive in the limited reps that he took today... there was some question about how quickly he'd be ready to compete at this level as he was still a little raw in terms of accuracy in HS, but he looked the part of a QB that had been in Lindgren's QB room for multiple seasons. He received ample reps behind Gebbia and Nolan and could be a lot further ahead in his development than previously thought. It's early on, but he was definitely one of the bright spots today.
- Nick Moore, Aidan Willard, and Jackson Chryst were the other QB's to take reps on Day 1.
- Anthony Gould made several nice catches and looks like a much-improved player from a season ago. Smith has been extremely high on him since he arrived last season and he made several nice toe-tap catches after getting himself open thanks to his blistering speed. He and the rest of the receiving corps had a strong day.
- In terms of the RB's, I was impressed with Jermar Jefferson, BJ Baylor, and Trey Lowe. The trio was impressive finding running lanes and Lindgren is very excited for what Lowe will bring to the offense. Additionally, Jefferson has changed his number from 22 to 6 for the upcoming season.
Here's my best guess at what the first-team offense looked like today: Again, take this with a grain of salt as there were a lot of rotations and it became harder to pinpoint.
- QB Tristan Gebbia
- RB Jermar Jefferson / BJ Baylor
- WR Trevon Bradford
- WR Tyjon Lindsey
- WR Champ Flemings / Anthony Gould
- TE Teagan Quitoriano
- LT Joshua Gray
- LG: Keli'i Montibon
- C Nous Keobounnam
- RG Onesimus Clarke
- RT Brandon Kipper
- Moving over to the defense:
DL - Isaac Hodgins
DL - Tavis Shippen
DL - James Rawls
OLB - Hamilcar Rashed
ILB - Omar Speights
ILB - Doug Taumoelau
OLB - Riley Sharp
CB - Kaleb Hayes/ Alex Austin
CB - JoJo Forest / Alton Julian
S - David Morris
S - Jaydon Grant
- The defense was on the opposite practice field for most of the day, so we didn't get to see them too closely other than brief 11-on-11 work. With that being said, they definitely had the advantage on the offense as the Beaver defense came to play today. Don't read too much into the above first team because the substitutions came early and often, but as a whole, the defense looks really good early-on. The talent, depth, and size were on display from the get-go as the D-line knows they've got an advantage on a young offensive line and took advantage throughout the day, getting pressure on the QB's often.
INJURIES - No real updates from the previous INJURY REPORT other than the fact that Hamilcar Rashed was actually participating in live 11-on-11 work, albeit in a very limited fashion. For those wondering how his recovery was going, seeing him out on the field on Day 1 is a very good sign.
This post will be updated...
Practice Highlights
Interviews with Lindgren, Michalczik, Bradford, Nolan, & Gebbia
Practice Nuggets
- Football is back! After many months of waiting since the conclusion of the 2019 season, the Oregon State football team returned to practice to kick-off the third year of the Jonathan Smith era. Smith hinted to the media last week that spring practices were going to be a different feel and vibe compared the past two years, and that was evident early-on as the Beavers no longer look like a team that's trying to put it all together. The "Smith" culture is in full-force in Corvallis there's no doubt there's a really good buzz about where the program is headed this season and beyond.
- With today being the first day, the Beavers weren't in pads and didn't do a ton of live work, electing more to focus on individual position groups. I anticipate the live-action will ramp up in the coming days and practices once the acclimation period is lifted.
- Starting with the quarterbacks, it's clear that Tristan Gebbia is the guy early-on as his command of the offense and chemistry with the receivers puts him in a class of his own after day one. His footwork and timing are much crisper than last season and it's clear that he spent a lot of time fine-tuning his craft this offseason. He had a few passes get away from him (one that Jaydon Grant nearly took to the house), but mostly I was very impressed with what Gebbia did today.
- On the flip side of the coin, newcomer Chance Nolan looks like he's going to need some time to acclimate to Lindgren's offense. He's oozing athleticism and has nice touch on his throws, but is still somewhat raw as a passer as we saw him miss a couple throws. Nolan noted after practice that he feels that timing will come with more knowledge of the playbook and that more reps will help him become more in-tuned with the Beavers' offense.
- Ben Gulbranson was impressive in the limited reps that he took today... there was some question about how quickly he'd be ready to compete at this level as he was still a little raw in terms of accuracy in HS, but he looked the part of a QB that had been in Lindgren's QB room for multiple seasons. He received ample reps behind Gebbia and Nolan and could be a lot further ahead in his development than previously thought. It's early on, but he was definitely one of the bright spots today.
- Nick Moore, Aidan Willard, and Jackson Chryst were the other QB's to take reps on Day 1.
- Anthony Gould made several nice catches and looks like a much-improved player from a season ago. Smith has been extremely high on him since he arrived last season and he made several nice toe-tap catches after getting himself open thanks to his blistering speed. He and the rest of the receiving corps had a strong day.
- In terms of the RB's, I was impressed with Jermar Jefferson, BJ Baylor, and Trey Lowe. The trio was impressive finding running lanes and Lindgren is very excited for what Lowe will bring to the offense. Additionally, Jefferson has changed his number from 22 to 6 for the upcoming season.
Here's my best guess at what the first-team offense looked like today: Again, take this with a grain of salt as there were a lot of rotations and it became harder to pinpoint.
- QB Tristan Gebbia
- RB Jermar Jefferson / BJ Baylor
- WR Trevon Bradford
- WR Tyjon Lindsey
- WR Champ Flemings / Anthony Gould
- TE Teagan Quitoriano
- LT Joshua Gray
- LG: Keli'i Montibon
- C Nous Keobounnam
- RG Onesimus Clarke
- RT Brandon Kipper
- Moving over to the defense:
DL - Isaac Hodgins
DL - Tavis Shippen
DL - James Rawls
OLB - Hamilcar Rashed
ILB - Omar Speights
ILB - Doug Taumoelau
OLB - Riley Sharp
CB - Kaleb Hayes/ Alex Austin
CB - JoJo Forest / Alton Julian
S - David Morris
S - Jaydon Grant
- The defense was on the opposite practice field for most of the day, so we didn't get to see them too closely other than brief 11-on-11 work. With that being said, they definitely had the advantage on the offense as the Beaver defense came to play today. Don't read too much into the above first team because the substitutions came early and often, but as a whole, the defense looks really good early-on. The talent, depth, and size were on display from the get-go as the D-line knows they've got an advantage on a young offensive line and took advantage throughout the day, getting pressure on the QB's often.
INJURIES - No real updates from the previous INJURY REPORT other than the fact that Hamilcar Rashed was actually participating in live 11-on-11 work, albeit in a very limited fashion. For those wondering how his recovery was going, seeing him out on the field on Day 1 is a very good sign.
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