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Currently, JaMarcus Shephard's Oregon State Beavers are on spring break. When they return to practice April 1st, several positions will be up for grabs. This piece breaks them down.
, JaMarcus Shephard's Oregon State Beavers are competing for their football futures. This piece breaks down the three most important position battles across Oregon State's roster.So far, 2025 preseason starter Maalik Murphy is favored to top the depth chart.
When the portal opened in January, Oregon State lost quarterback of the futurecompleted 66% of his passes last season, with a blazing 34 touchdowns versus only 11 interceptions. For comparison, Murphy completed only 58% of his passes, while throwing 9 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Atkinson undoubtedly has the better stats, but Pac-12 football represents a new challenge for the true sophomore. The same can be said for Western Michigan transfer, who boasts impressive measurables and absurd junior college stats before slumping at Western Michigan last Fall.. Instead, Freauff remains in Corvallis. His presence locks down one of the Beavers' starting three wide receiver spots, but the rest of the receiver room remains a mystery. Alongside Freauff, only three other Beavers wideouts have suited up in orange & black: Karson Boschma, Malachi Durant, and Jhae Drummer. Last season, that trio combined for a mere 8 catches, 120 yards, and 2 touchdowns.- a teammate of quarterback Braden Atkinson - and Xayvion Noland can each offer better production than Oregon State's returning receivers, but neither player has experience facing FBS competition. In this environment, true freshmen Jesse Legree, Jameson Powell, and Cynai Thomas have a genuine shot to earn playing time., and second to last in field goal percentage. To address those issues, JaMarcus Shephard hired special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield, who helped recruit three important transfers: Syracuse kicker Jadyn Oh, Memphis long snapper Jonathan Zarut, and Stephen F. Austin long snapper Tug Sanford. Oh follows Brumfield from Syracuse, where the senior boasted a strong leg but struggled with accuracy. He is currently battling with returning starting kicker Caleb Ojeda and reserve Cameron Smith, who scored a point-after try and missed a field goal last season versus Houston.with fellow newcomer Zarut. Complicating matters is the presence of last season's preseason reserve snapper Will Haverland, who thrust into action after Dylan Black's injury and Jackson Robertson's demotion. Haverland played 11 games last season, mostly at long snapper, but the physically impressive 6'6" edge from Eugene is listed at edge defender so far this spring. In addition, kick & punt returner spots are up for grabs, following the transfer departures of Salahadin Allah, Trent Walker, and others.Matt fell in love with radio during his college days at Oregon Tech, and pursued a nine year career in sports broadcasting with Klamath Falls' and Medford's highest-rated sports radio stations. He currently lives in McMinnville wine country and is excited to talk about the Beavers again.
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