Oregon State Spring Football: Three Position Battles to Watch

This Spring, football is in the air.

From now through April 25th's Spring Game, 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.

1. Quarterbacks

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 future Tristan Ti'a and dependable backup Gabarri Johnson. Murphy stayed behind. His loyalty was rewarded with a helping hand - new offensive coordinator Mitch Dahlen is a quarterback guru - and a scheme change: Dahlen and new Oregon State head coach JaMarcus Shephard espouse an aggressive, vertical passing game reminiscent of Shephard mentor Mike Leach at Washington State.

So far this Spring, Shephard has praised the incoming senior Murphy, but competition is expected. FCS Jerry Rice Award-winning Mercer transfer Braden Atkinson completed 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 Brady Jones, who boasts impressive measurables (6'4" tall) and absurd junior college stats (47 touchdowns in 2024) before slumping at Western Michigan last Fall.

2. Wide Receivers

Before JaMarcus Shephard's arrival in late November, we feared that promising young pass catcher Eddie Freauff would enter the portal. 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.

Similarly, former four-stars Aaron Butler and Aeryn "Bubba" Hampton lack gaudy statistics. On paper, FCS transfers Adonis McDaniel - 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.

3. Specialists

In 2025, Oregon State's special teams units were abysmal. When the season ended, the Beavers finished dead last in net punting yards, 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 (6 field goals, long of 53 yards, 10 touchbacks) and reserve Cameron Smith, who scored a point-after try and missed a field goal last season versus Houston.

Pun unintended, Sanford is locked in a proverbial tug-of-war 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.