The past week has been great as I've been able to talk to several sources all over the west coast on all things Beaver football. A few things that I thought I'd share.
Coach Andersen has been meeting major donors all spring. Not only has he traveled to all of the Beaver Nation Road Shows, there have been smaller gatherings around the state and in California that I am aware of. I have also heard, although have yet to confirm, that over the past few weeks, they have been able to raise $2 million to help get the VFC started earlier.
Andersen is very adamant on two points...getting the current team stronger and raising the money to get the facilities upgraded sooner rather than later.
One anecdote that I heard was that at Wisconsin there were 35-50 guys who could squat 500 pounds. At OSU there are around 5-10. Now realize that the B1G is a different ball of wax than the PAC 12, but strength is still very important, especially in the trenches.
A second tidbit I thought I'd pass along...I have heard that Steven Jackson will be hosting a gathering of NFL Beavers this summer in Las Vegas. Tough to get these guys to want to come back to Corvallis in the dead of summer, but Vegas...of course they'll head to Vegas. This will be a great chance to get Coach Andersen and the new staff in front of these guys and start building a connection with them. I have no doubt that it will be successful, as any of you who have heard Coach Andersen or the others on staff speak, they have a clear vision and will identify well with players, both past, present and future.
Coach Andersen has been meeting major donors all spring. Not only has he traveled to all of the Beaver Nation Road Shows, there have been smaller gatherings around the state and in California that I am aware of. I have also heard, although have yet to confirm, that over the past few weeks, they have been able to raise $2 million to help get the VFC started earlier.
Andersen is very adamant on two points...getting the current team stronger and raising the money to get the facilities upgraded sooner rather than later.
One anecdote that I heard was that at Wisconsin there were 35-50 guys who could squat 500 pounds. At OSU there are around 5-10. Now realize that the B1G is a different ball of wax than the PAC 12, but strength is still very important, especially in the trenches.
A second tidbit I thought I'd pass along...I have heard that Steven Jackson will be hosting a gathering of NFL Beavers this summer in Las Vegas. Tough to get these guys to want to come back to Corvallis in the dead of summer, but Vegas...of course they'll head to Vegas. This will be a great chance to get Coach Andersen and the new staff in front of these guys and start building a connection with them. I have no doubt that it will be successful, as any of you who have heard Coach Andersen or the others on staff speak, they have a clear vision and will identify well with players, both past, present and future.
