3 Changes to Watch on Oregon State's Defense in 2025
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With a new year, comes new feelings of hope and optimism. In that vein, we are continuing a 2025 football preview series that looks at changes on each side of the ball for Oregon State. This week, the focus is on 3 key changes to the Beavers' defense.
1. Assistant coach Robb Akey will make an impact
Following Keith Heyward’s resignation in January, Oregon State head coach Trent Bray hired a familiar face to call the defense: his own. That assignment will come with a challenge - juggling the responsibilities of a head coach and a defensive coordinator at the same time - so Bray made another hire: Special Assistant to the Head Coach Robb Akey.
Akey’s wide-ranging experience gives this coaching staff a swiss army knife. He’s been a defensive coordinator (spending the past 6 seasons at Central Michigan, plus a stint at Washington State from 2003-2006), a defensive line coach (3 seasons coaching in the NFL, plus a season at Florida) and a head coach at Idaho from 2007-2012. While Trent Bray’s defense is on the field, he can focus on them; Akey will focus on the rest.
2. Two prized transfers are hungry for sacks
In 2024, Oregon State’s pass rush was not one for the ages. The Beavers’ finished dead last in all of Division I FBS with a puny 7 sacks across 12 games. In January, they brought in a pair of transfers: Kai Wallin and Walker Harris. The two pass rushers had opportunities to join power conference schools, but fell in love with Oregon State. Walker & Harris each measure up impressively at 6’5”, and could fill vital roles in Trent Bray’s 3-3-5 defense.
3. The injury-plagued secondary is healthy now
The Beavers’ anemic pass rush wasn’t their only problem last season. The 2024 campaign featured a bevy of injuries in the secondary, including the loss of starting boundary corner Kobe Singleton, starting nickel corner Noble Thomas Jr, and versatile defensive back Amarion York. This season, expect Singleton & Thomas Jr to compete for starting corner positions, and York to battle for a safety spot alongside reliable captain Skyler Thomas. The return of the three injured starters, plus the emergence of sophomore Exodus Ayers (who spent his true freshman thrust into a starting role at boundary corner) marks a potential rise of the Oregon State pass defense.
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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.