Vanderbilt Transfer AJ Newberry Setting a High Bar For Himself at Oregon State

As Oregon State continue their preparations for the 2026 season, Vanderbilt transfer AJ Newberry (RB-SR) met with the media this week, to talk about spring/summer workouts, learning the offense, and the expectations that come with transferring in from an SEC program.

One of the first things Newberry noted was his recent improvement in pass protection - a skill the Beavers will likely need whoever ends up being the starting quarterback.

"Over the summer, that was one of the main things I took pride in. Just hitting the sleds every day, getting better on my technique. Working on my pad level, makin' sure everything is good. I've always been pretty good with film, now it's just about understanding some of the more little details that I'm looking for."

In the time between spring practices and fall camp, Newberry also noted he was focused on getting his body physically ready to perform, even with a variety of assignments expected to fall to him as a primary back.

"We were really big on weight room and conditioning, that's one thing we really emphasized is that we're trying to go fast, run the ball quickly and then throw the deep shot. We wanna do everything that we can on the field and in order to do that, you gotta be really well conditioned."

Newberry is expected to work in tandem with sophomore Cornell Hatcher Jr. in the Beavers' backfield.

"For one thing my speed with his power, is great. It's a good changeup but at the same time it's very compatible. Like, there's no drop off. If one of us goes out and the other comes in, we're still on the same level of attack and getting to the points that we need at our position. Just holding each other accountable and making sure that we do whatever we gotta do for the team."

Newberry also noted his early early entrance into Oregon State gave him a leg up on learning Mitch Dahlen's playbook.

"They got me a jumpstart before I got here by doing zoom calls and sending me little installs that I could look over to get the plays, when I came in main thing for me was just learning signals, and I picked up on that very quickly. Learning the plays and all that, that's something I knew I had to take very seriously, you can't get on the field if you don't know what you're doin'."

Leaving a program like Vanderbilt, which has experienced a significant rise in performance and profile over the last two season, Newberry hopes to use lessons gained from one of the nation's premier conferences to set the Beavers up for success.

"Coming from the SEC, everyone always saying that's like the closest thing to the league, seeing all the big players, the skill, the talent, the speed, everything. So now that I'm here I just wanna take everything that I've learned and re-apply it, just be better every single day. Learn from what I've went through, and apply it to now."

This season, look for Newberry to help the Beavers replace the production of fan-favorite and current Seattle Seahawk Anthony Hankers, particularly on his favorite play - counter.

"I like the blocking scheme and how everything is set up for how we get to our point of attack."

The Beavers open the season on September 5 at Houston.

About State of the Beavs

Each week, veteran sports broadcaster and writer Matt Bagley examines the news and storylines at play for Oregon State University Athletics. Occasionally joined by contributors for On SI's coverage of the Beavers, as well as the occasional guest spot from Beavers past, present, and future. Get caught up with the playlist below. New episodes are typically released on Tuesday mornings.

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