Western Michigan 6'4" Transfer Quarterback Brady Jones Picks Oregon State
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New Oregon State head coach JaMarcus Shephard is fostering competition at football's most important position.
Last week, returning passer Maalik Murphy was joined by Mercer transfer Braden Atkinson. Now, that duo has become a trio. First reported by Angie Machado of 247Sports, Western Michigan transfer quarterback Brady Jones is headed to Oregon State.
The 6'4" pocket passer's story stresses the value of perseverance. Despite thriving in the intense Southern California high school football scene for his hometown Vista Murrieta HS (Murrieta, CA) - he threw a staggering 38 touchdowns across 2 full seasons of starts - Jones failed to receive any Division I scholarship offers. Electing to pass up chances at Division II schools, the young quarterback instead furthered his career at Riverside City College, a community college in nearby Riverside.
After learning from eventual BYU & Tulane standout Jake Retzlaff, and one-time Sacramento State backup quarterback Jordan Barton, Jones won Riverside's starting job ahead of the 2024 season. Then he dominated, winning National Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors thanks to a blistering 47 touchdown passes. When the dust settled on his breakout season, his offensive coordinator Kevin Craft told the school's student paper about their star quarterback's success story.
“He gets the checks and reads, he understands football, and he’s had a lot of training in the last two years he’s been here,” said Craft. “He got a chance to see elite quarterbacks and how they played. Even though he wasn’t ready to be the guy, he knew he was in the right program to develop, and it’s paid off. It’s fun to see the result of his dedication.”
Last offseason, Jones competed with Broc Lowry for Western Michigan's starting quarterback job. When fall camp ended in Kalamazoo, the battle was too close to call, and the Broncos needed more time to evaluate their passers. When the season began, they split snaps.
Jones' first game - a start against Michigan State in the Broncos' season opener August 29th - was a struggle: he completed 11 of 23 passes for just 97 yards, no touchdowns, and 1 interception. Despite starting the opening drives against North Texas and Illinois over the following two weeks, the quarterback competition was over. As the season progressed, Lowry won the MAC's Offensive Player of the Year award, and the Broncos won the conference championship, but Jones watched from the sidelines. 2025 saw the 6'4" gunslinger throw 40 attempts with 19 completions (47.5%), 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions.
Jones fills out Oregon State's quarterback room, and brings at least one year of eligibility to Corvallis.
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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.