Oregon State Beavers off to stellar start to 2026 recruiting cycle

Andrew Nemec | Feb 12, 2025

Junior running back LaMarcus Bell (24 carries for 245 yards and three touchdowns against Tualatin) is just one of the many players who make Lake Oswego a matchup nightmare for opponents. / Photo by Dan Brood

The ink has barely dried on the 2025 recruiting class, but there's already plenty of reason for optimism for the Oregon State Beavers in the 2026 cycle.

Oregon State has a pair of high three-star commitments early - Clovis (California) quarterback Deagan Rose and Lake Oswego (Oregon) running back LaMarcus Bell - and both have class headliner potential.

In the 2025 recruiting class, Oregon State signed just three players rated as top 1,000 recruits in the 247Sports composite rankings and none in the top 500 (Tristan Ti'a, No. 501).

Rose (No. 413) and Bell (No. 539) would both have a legitimate argument to be the jewels of last year's class.

And both are likely to rise in the rankings.

Rose, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound signal-caller, committed to Oregon State in July 2024 and held offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Boise State, California, Houston, Iowa State, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Utah, Virginia Tech and others.

Over his sophomore and junior seasons, the dynamic gunslinger has thrown for 5,612 yards and 50 touchdowns with 21 interceptions.

Rated the nation's No. 20 quarterback, Rose has the opportunity to add a fourth star as he continues to develop and cuts down on the turnovers.

The raw tools are special and he profiles as the type of player Oregon State can build its offense around.

Adding to a bright future in the backfield is Bell, the No. 2 player in the state of Oregon in 2026 and the reigning 6A offensive player of the year.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound speedster led Lake Oswego to an undefeated regular season and is the most dynamic ball-carrier the state has seen since All-American Bowl selection Casey Filkins (Lake Oswego; 2020; Stanford).

As a junior, Bell rushed for 1,538 yards and 25 touchdowns while averaging 8.9 yards per carry.

Like Rose, he has legitimate bluechip potential.

In fact, I've graded out both as being four-star prospects - and recruiting services could soon follow suit.

Adding to Bell's value is the fact that he's a "Pied Piper"-caliber Oregon athlete - the type of player who other in-state recruits will want to play alongside.

He should be a key peer recruiter for top Northwest prospects, and locking him in early gives him plenty of runway to work his magic.

The hard truth?

In the 2025 recruiting cycle Oregon State struggled to even finish as a finalist for bluechip talent.

But the momentum has shifted.

Following a successful transfer window in which Bray's program added coveted Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy, Miami tight end Riley Williams, BYU tight end Jackson Bowers, Nebraska edge-rusher Kai Wallin and others, the Beavers have two very strong 2026 pledges.

It's early - and hanging on to Rose and Bell will be imperative - but the early signs of a program-defining recruiting class are impossible to ignore.