Oregon State Football Coaching Staff Review: Quality Control & GAs

Rediscover Oregon State's 2026 coaching staff in the final part of this review series

Oct 9, 2021; Pullman, Washington, USA; Oregon State Beavers linebacker Semisi Saluni (45) lines up for a play against the Washington State Cougars in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

With fall camp looming on the horizon, we're wrapping up a short series reviewing Oregon State's 2026 football coaching staff. Today, we're covering the coaches on the bottom of the pecking order: the quality control coaches, and graduate assistants.

Offensive Quality Control Coach Zach McBride

Officially an offensive quality control coach, the young McBride already wields a wealth of experience across the high school and college ranks. After playing for his hometown Issaquah (Issaquah, WA) in the Seattle suburbs, McBride was a student assistant on Mike Leach's staff at Washington State - briefly connecting with Oregon State coach JaMarcus Shephard - before starting his coaching career. First, he cut his teeth at Colfax HS (Colfax, WA) near Pullman, working as an assistant coach from 2018-19. Then, he coached quarterbacks at NCAA Division II Western New Mexico University (2020-21), worked as an offensive analyst for FCS Eastern Washington in 2021, and served as offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach at NCAA Division II Franklin Pierce (2022-25).

Defense Quality Control Coaches Ian Crocker and George Frazier

Like his counterpart on offense Zach McBride, new defensive quality control coach Ian Crocker grew up in the Seattle area. At Ballard High School in the city, Crocker was a three-time all-Seattle Metro League selection, and was once named that conference's Defensive Player of the Year. After high school, Crocker started playing college football at since defunct NCAA Division II Simon Fraser Univeristy (Vancouver, BC) north of the border, before transferring to Portland State in 2021. After three seasons in the Rose City, Crocker embarked on a coaching career as a graduate assistant at Idaho last season, where he studied under former Oregon State running backs coach Thomas Ford Jr.

George Frazier was a captain at Colorado, where he played both ways at tight end and defensive end, and his college coaching career has mirrored that of his head coach at Colorado, Oregon State's new defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre. Like the Beavers' new defensive playcaller, Frazier has previously spent time assisting at Ole Miss and Memphis.

Special Teams Quality Control Coach Ben Larson

Football has carried Ben Larson across the country. First plying his trade as an assistant strength coach with FCS Northwestern State (Natchitoches, LA) from 2006-07, Larson has since coached at Louisiana Tech, Colorado State, Tennessee, Texas, and other programs. Most recently, he was a special teams analyst for UCF head coach Scott Frost.

Offensive Graduate Assistants Jon Maricic and Dre Darris

NAIA ties run deep throughout Mitch Dahlen's offense, and Jon Maricic is no exception. After playing running back at FCS UC Davis (Davis, CA), Maricic got his foot in the door with Dahlen's College of Idaho (Caldwell, ID) as a running backs coach from 2016-18. When Dahlen jumped from Boise State to NCAA Division II Black Hills State (Spearfish, SD), he brought Maricic with him as a graduate assistant. The young graduate assistant has also worked at the NCAA Division II University of Sioux Falls (Sioux Falls, SD), his alma mater UC Davis, and Eastern Washington.

DeAndre "Dre" Farris played on Western Kentucky's football team from 2015-18, where he switched sides from wide receiver to cornerback. By the time his college playing career ended, the Kentucky native was an all-Conference USA Honorable Mention honoree, and a team captain. His time with the Hilltoppers overlaps with new boss JaMarcus Shephard, who served as Farris' wide receivers coach at WKU. Farris' coaching career includes a stint with FCS Georgia Southern.

Defensive Graduate Assistants Nick Pickett and Semisi Saluni

Defensive graduate assistants Nick Pickett and Semisi Saluni both return to the Beavers' coaching staff in 2026. Pickett starred at Oregon from 2017-20, crossing paths with new Oregon State linebackers coach Cort Dennison, offensive line coach Kirk Barron, and strength & conditioning director Jeff Eaton. This marks his second season in Corvallis.

Semisi Saluni was a standout defender for the orange & black from 2021-24, with 51 tackles across 51 games played, before he joined Pickett on Trent Bray's 2025 staff.