2025 Oregon State Football Preview: Quarterbacks and Running Backs
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Last fall, Maalik Murphy set a Duke school record for the most touchdown passes in a season. Now, the soon-to-be redshirt junior aims to boost the Beavers’ aerial attack.
Leading off our spring & summer series on the 2025 Oregon State football team, here is our breakdown of Murphy, plus the other quarterbacks and running backs on the roster.
Starting Quarterback - Maalik Murphy
The 6’5” 236 pound transfer from Duke projects to be an immediate upgrade at the most important position in football. He started 12 games last season for the Blue Devils, completing 60.3% of his passes for 2933 yards (good for 7.0 yards per completion), with a school record 26 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions.
Before Duke, Murphy played two seasons at Texas, where he started twice, completing just 56.3 percent of his throws, and earning a 3:3 touchdown to interception ratio.
He will enter his fall camp as a redshirt junior, and should face no serious competition for the starting job.
Backup Quarterback - Gabarri Johnson
The 5’11” dual threat was a gadget player on last season’s offense - throwing only 29 passes (with 15 completions) and no touchdowns, but playing at least 1 drive in 6 different games.
Oregon State playcaller Ryan Gunderson valued Johnson’s rushing ability, and rewarded him with 26 carries. On those runs, the Missouri transfer picked up over 100 yards on the season, plus a rushing touchdown against Washington State.
Johnson will begin the upcoming season as a redshirt sophomore.
Reserve Quarterbacks
Following a spring with substantial third string passing reps, former Wilsonville HS state champion Kallen Gutridge is in line for a reserve role this season. Gutridge will begin the 2025 season as a redshirt freshman. There is a chance that Tristan T’ia, the incoming 4 star signee from Amador Valley HS in the Bay Area, will earn the third string job, but T’ia is not currently enrolled.
Starting Running Back - Anthony Hankerson
Rocking the “Agent Zero” #0 jersey, senior Anthony Hankerson may seem cool, but he runs fiery: last season’s Oregon State offense was often carried by Hankerson’s penchant for violent contact with defenders. The 5’8” playmaker crossed the 1000 yard mark, and scored 19 touchdowns. This season should mark another standout campaign for the promising star tailback.
Backup Running Back - Marquis Crosby
Last season, Hankerson’s best games occurred alongside a spell back to help share the workload. Enter Marquis Crosby: the Louisiana Tech grad-transfer arrives in Corvallis with significant experience - this is his final year of eligibility - and double digit career touchdowns at Louisiana Tech. Fans should not be surprised to see Crosby eclipse 10-15
Reserve Running Backs
Expect sophomore Salahadin Allah to battle Crosby for snaps, especially as a receiving threat out of the backfield; the young back’s elite speed could prove a matchup nightmare against man coverages.
More Reading Material From Oregon State Beavers On SI
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.