Oregon State Football

HEIGHT: 6'6"

WEIGHT: 324

HAND: 10⅛"

ARM: 33⅛"

WINGSPAN: 81½"

---

40-YARD DASH: 5.13

3-CONE:

SHUTTLE:

VERTICAL: 32"

BROAD: 9'3"

---

POSITIVES

— Large frame with well-dispersed thickness throughout his build and large hands.

— Good initial quickness out of his stance to get to landmarks and cover up defenders on zone combos and cut-offs.

— Takes very good angles on zone climbs and pulls to intersect and take out second-level targets.

— Plays with good pad level and square power in the run game to deliver jolt on contact and create immediate displacement on double-team feeds and angle-drive blocks.

— Does a nice job keeping his head out of blocks with a flat-back posture and a quick anchor against the bull rush.

— Uses light, independent hand strikes in pass protection that effectively disrupt timing of rushers and give him a chance to recover if initially swiped or chopped.

— Provides thump when uncovered in pass protection to cave in adjacent rushers and clear the pocket.

---

NEGATIVES

— Adequate redirect quickness; tends to not bring his feet with him in time when shifting his weight laterally against inside moves.

— Will get manipulated out of position, drift, overset and create a soft inside shoulder on an island against rushers who know how to set up their moves with stutters and hesitations.

— Needs to clean up letting his outside hand get down the middle of rushers to prevent losing the corner against the cross-chop technique.

---

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 starts at right tackle

---

NOTES

— 3-star recruit from 2020 class, per 247Sports

— 2022 All-Pac-12 second team

— 25 career starts at right tackle

---

OVERALL

Taliese Fuaga is a two-year starter inside Oregon State's 56-44 run-pass split, zone-based run scheme with 25 career starts all at right tackle.

Fuaga has a large frame with adequate arm length and well-dispersed thickness throughout his frame. He has solid athletic ability with good initial quickness out of his stance and very good power.

Fuaga is an efficient mover out of his stance with good initial quicks to get to landmarks with low pads and heavy hands, delivering jolt at the point of attack. He works combination blocks effectively, bumping and feeding to secure the first level before taking very good angles on climbs to intersect backers.

Fuaga is also functional as a puller with the movement skills to lead, track and line up smaller targets around the edge. His proficient angles help mitigate his below-average change of direction ability, but he is vulnerable to losing quickly if defenders can beak him down in space.

Fuaga plays with a flat-back posture with his head out of blocks in pass protection and a firm, quick anchor. He balances heavy hands with light, independent strikes to disrupt the timing of tightly aligned rushers.

Fuaga does drift and overset against wide rush alignments and rushers who know how weaponize stutters and hesitations, leaving him vulnerable to losing across his face. He also has a bad habit of striking down the middle of high-side rushers, creating a short corner that the cross-chop technique can exploit.

Overall, Fuaga has the size, power and run-blocking skills to earn a starting role in his first training camp at guard inside a run-first, play-action-based system. He also has enough quickness to play tackle in a pinch.

---

GRADE: 7.9 (Potential Impact Player — 2nd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 25

POSITION RANK: IOL4

PRO COMPARISON: More athletic Halapoulivaati Vaitai

---

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

Visit B/R's NFL Scouting Department hub for scouting reports on all of the top prospects.

In the wake of Jonathan Smith leaving for Michigan State, Oregon State has promoted defensive coordinator Trent Bray to be the Beavers' next head coach.

Introducing the 32nd head coach in program history, Trent Bray! pic.twitter.com/xDjcXzVgrH

— Oregon State Football (@BeaverFootball) November 29, 2023

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported the news first on Tuesday evening before it became official.

Bray, 41, is an Oregon State alum who excelled as a Beaver linebacker from 2002-2005. He earned second-team All-Pac-10 honors in 2004 and first-team All-Pac-10 in 2005. Bray ended his collegiate career with 337 tackles, 29.0 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks.

Minus a quick stop with the now defunct UFL's California Redwoods in 2009, Bray has coached collegiately since 2008. He's coached at Oregon State on two separate occasions (2012-2014, 2018-present date). Bray coached linebackers from 2012-2014 and 2018-2021 before adding defensive coordinator duties in 2022.

The Beavers didn't register a top-25 finish in the final Associated Press poll from 2013-2021 but finished 17th in 2022 after a 10-3 season in Bray's first year as DC. Oregon State notably improved from 61st to 16th in points allowed per game from 2021 to 2022.

Oregon State fought hard in 2023 en route to an eight-win season and a No. 21 spot in the latest AP poll. The Beavers nearly picked off undefeated Washington two weeks ago before falling 22-20.

Given the team's success over the past two years, it makes sense for Oregon State to hire from within and hope to keep the good vibes rolling in 2024 and beyond. The future athletic home for Oregon State right now is unknown with the Pac-12 dissolving around them and Washington State, but the football team should be in good hands with Bray if his track record of success is any indication.

The remaining two teams in the Pac-12 are reportedly on the verge of aligning with another conference for the 2024 season.

According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, Oregon State and Washington State "are in the final stages of striking a football scheduling agreement" with the Mountain West Conference for next season "that includes a lucrative financial package for MWC schools."

Dellenger noted that an announcement of the scheduling alliance is expected "in the coming days." The agreement is only in place for one season for now and is "expected to include a fee of about $14 million paid to the Mountain West."

The scheduling alliance is currently only for football as Oregon State and Washington State explore their options for their other sports. A similar agreement for men's and women's basketball is being explored with the Mountain West, but nothing is imminent at the moment.

OSU and WSU were left without a home for next season after the 10 other teams in the Pac-12 departed for three other conferences in a seismic realignment. Per Dellenger, the two schools "stand to lose at least $25 million annually in Pac-12 and Power Five conference distribution, though they are likely due a windfall of league revenue over the next two years."

As part of the agreement with the Mountain West, a "7+1" format will be implemented in which MWC teams play seven conference games instead of eight followed by one game over either Oregon State or Washington State. The Beavers and Cougars will not be eligible for the Mountain West championship.

OSU and WSU plan to operate as a two-team conference for at least a year to keep the Pac-12 brand alive. However, conferences with less than eight teams are not eligible for an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff, so the Beavers and Cougars would only be able to earn an at-large berth.

Oregon State is open to the possibility of a conference with a relegation model.

The university has been left in the dust alongside Washington State as a result of the mass exodus from the Pac-12 Conference. The conference is set to have just those two teams in 2024, with four schools leaving for the Big Ten, four leaving for the Big 12 and two leaving for the ACC.

As the two remaining schools look to secure a future, the idea of a merger with the Mountain West Conference and perhaps other Group of Five conferences to form a system involving relegation has come to the table. Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said that his school is interested in the idea.

"As you think about the future of even media rights, I think a sort of relegation model, either in unequal distribution, a contraction of teams and/or peer relegation will take place. I think that's coming," Barnes said in a joint news conference with presidents and athletic directors from OSU and WSU on Thursday. "In terms of the model itself, I think there's some merit to look at some form of hybrid model that does support that. We see it working in a similar fashion in Europe, and certainly it's worthy of our study."

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

For more from Bleacher Report on this topic and from around the sports world, check out our B/R app, homepage and social feeds—including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

As the clock ticks down to the seemingly inevitable demise of the Pac-12, Oregon State and Washington State find themselves in a very precarious position with nowhere to go.

Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, the two programs are no longer engaged in talks with the AAC about a potential move.

Oregon State and Washington State are the only schools that will be left in the Pac-12 after the 2023-24 academic year. The ACC announced Friday it is adding Stanford and Cal, as well as SMU, before the start of the 2024-25 academic year.

SMU has been in the AAC since 2013 when the conference reorganized from the old Big East.

AAC commissioner Mike Aresco told reporters on Wednesday, amid rumors SMU could leave, that the conference had "contingency plans" in place.

The conference added six full-time members this year, including UAB, UNC-Charlotte, North Texas, Rice and UTSA.

Aresco also said he was "evaluating" Washington State and Oregon State as potential expansion targets and had an invitation to visit both schools, but there needed to be more discussion among current members about expansion.

Mike Aresco says the AAC is "evaluating" potential expansion targets in Washington State & Oregon State. "Kicking the tires."

He has an invite to visit those campuses & will "probably" do it, but he noted that further discussion on expansion among his league members is needed.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 30, 2023

With the AAC apparently out of the running for both programs, the Mountain West could be the best option for Washington State and Oregon State to land on their feet.

The Athletic's Chris Vannini reported last week leaders from the Mountain West paid a visit to Washington State's campus to pitch school officials on potentially joining the conference.

Vannini noted Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez and New Mexico president Garnett Stokes were also expected to visit Oregon State at some point.

One potential solution to keep the Pac-12 alive is a "reverse merger" with the Mountain West in which the schools currently in the Mountain West vote to dissolve the conference to move to the Pac-12.

Jon Wilner of the Bay Area News Group noted the reverse merger might be more financially beneficial because the Pac-12 brand has more name recognition nationally than the Mountain West.

Of course, such a move would open up its own financial complications with the Mountain West having television deals with CBS and Fox Sports that run through the 2025-26 season.

The Pac-12's current media rights deals with ESPN and Fox expire at the end of the 2023-24 season. Stewart Mandel of The Athletic previously reported Apple TV offered the conference a five-year deal with an annual base rate of $23 million per school "with incentives based on projected subscribers to a Pac-12 streaming product akin to Apple's MLS League Pass."

That offer came before Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah decided to leave the Pac-12 after the 2023-24 season. Oregon and Washington are moving to the Big Ten. Arizona, Arizona State and Utah are heading to the Big 12.

Washington State and Oregon State are two of the oldest members of the Pac-12. Oregon State originally joined in 1915, followed by Washington State two years later when it was known as the Pacific Coast Conference.

The Los Angeles Dodgers used their final MLB draft pick (20th round, No. 610 overall) on Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.

L.A. drafted the 6'5", 240-pound Uiagalelei as a right-handed pitcher. According to Lou Bezjak of The State, he pitched at St. John Bosco (Bellflower, California) and sported a fastball that topped out at 95 mph.

The 22-year-old Uiagalelei hasn't played baseball in college. He began his collegiate football career at Clemson in 2020 and started for the Tigers in 2021 and 2022 before transferring to Oregon State.

Last season, Uiagalelei completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 22 touchdowns (seven interceptions) and 2.521 passing yards. He added 545 rushing yards and seven scores.

Uiagalelei struggled at times in 2022 and was notably benched for Cade Klubnik in the ACC Championship Game. He entered the NCAA transfer portal and soon found a new home in Oregon State, a program on the rise after posting a 10-win season and a No. 17 spot in the Associated Press poll.

Now they can perhaps reach greater heights with Uiagalelei, the No. 2 overall prospect in the class of 2020, according to 247Sports.

Uiagalelei has underperformed to some extent after those lofty expectations, but he is absolutely capable of better play, and could certainly parlay a great year into boosting his NFL draft stock. Baseball appears to be an option for him if he ever goes that route, though, after the Dodgers took a flier on him.

HEIGHT: 6'5"

WEIGHT: 317

HAND: 10½"

ARM: 34½"

WINGSPAN: 82⅞"

---

40-YARD DASH: 5.23

3-CONE: 7.65

SHUTTLE: 4.75

VERTICAL: 28½"

BROAD: 8'10"

---

POSITIVES

— Thick, naturally powerful-built frame with good length

— Surprisingly agile and rangy on the move led to being heavily featured in the run game as a lane-creating puller

— Uncorks on defenders with jarring force to uproot and displace on contact

— Has flashes of patience and processing to quickly sort out dual reads and post-snap movement

— Puts dents in defenders on double-team bumps and feeds to create lateral displacement

— Brings a physical, tone-setting demeanor to the field with excellent snap-to-snap effort

---

NEGATIVES

— Has an overaggressive, wild element to his game with a propensity to throw haymakers that lead to lunging and shaky body control

— Struggles on frontside kick-out and backside hinge blocks to line up, connect and seal off his target

— Lacking the fluidity in his pass sets to expand his landmarks and protect the corner against high-side rushes from wide alignments

— Not a good fit for outside/wide zone concepts

---

2023 STATISTICS

— 13 starts at right tackle

---

NOTES

— Former 0-star guard recruit who went the JUCO route at Navarro College in Texas, becoming the top-ranked offensive tackle in JUCO after two years there before committing to Oregon over Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, USC and others.

— Originally declared for the 2022 NFL draft but decided to return and was granted an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic.

— 29 career starts at right tackle

— Turns 24 years old on May 25th

— Invited to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl

---

OVERALL

Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu is a three-year starter with 29 career starts at right tackle, including 13 in 2022 for Oregon's 54-46 run-pass split offense and multiple run game.

Aumavae-Laulu was originally a 0-star recruit out of high school, playing two years of JUCO ball at Navarro College before becoming the top-ranked offensive tackle recruit in JUCO and committing to Oregon. Aumavae-Laulu has a thick, naturally powerful and well-rounded frame and build with big hands, good arm length and athletic ability.

He wins as a run-blocker on gap and man concepts using jarring power at the point of attack to collapse defenders on down blocks and as the drive man on double-teams. He is a plus puller with nimble movement skills and the range to intersect and wipe out second-level targets when he connects.

However, Aumavae-Laulu plays with inconsistent hand placement and leverage that leads to lunging and shaky body control on frontside kick-out and backside hinge blocks when he has to deal with defensive ends rather than defensive tackles. This leads to either missing his target while attempting a kill shot or bad positions that lead to him getting grabby to avoid losing cleanly.

Aumavae-Laulu fires off the ball square in his pass set but lacks the range to expand his landmarks against wide rush alignments, leading to open hips/shoulders that create a short corner and two-way gos for rushers to exploit.

Some of his overaggressive habits carry over as well, leading to oversets and clean losses. He is more effective when uncovered, delivering body blows on adjacent rushers to clear the pocket with flashes of clear eyes and patience to sort out dual reads and games quickly.

Overall, Aumavae-Laulu has the physical tools and demeanor of a potential backup on the interior in a downhill, gap-centric run scheme with tackle experience in his back pocket, while needing significant technical refinement to improve body control and harness his power. This gives him starting potential down the road with value as a late Day 3 dart throw in the right situation (scheme, coaching staff).

---

GRADE: 5.7 (Backup or Draftable/Rounds 6-7)

OVERALL RANK: 222

POSITION RANK: IOL25

PRO COMPARISON: Sam Tevi

---

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes, who was hospitalized on Saturday night after suffering a "medical event," is reportedly in stable condition, according to Nick Daschel of the Oregonian.

Per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, Barnes was at an awards ceremony on Saturday at his alma mater, Fresno State, when he had to be taken to the hospital. The Oregon State athletic director, who has played basketball at Fresno State, was set to receive an award from the school.

He was taken to Fresno's Saint Agnes Medical Center.

"Scott Barnes is a dear friend, trusted colleague and incredibly loved man across the Oregon State and Pac-12 families and the entire college sports community," the Pac-12 said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with Scott and his family at this time."

"All of us at Oregon State University are grateful for the medical care that Scott is receiving," Oregon State president Jayathi Y. Murthy added.

Prayers for my friend Scott Barnes and his family. Scott is a terrific man and truly one of the genuine good people in college athletics. https://t.co/icxBNsBTIa

— Roxy Bernstein (@roxybernstein) April 23, 2023

All positive vibes to Scott Barnes, @OregonState AD. One of the best. Get well.

— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) April 23, 2023

Barnes, 60, has served as Oregon State's athletic director since Dec. 2016. He previously held the same position for Humboldt State (1997-99), Eastern Washington (1999-2005), Utah State (2008-15) and Pittsburgh (2015-16), among other roles in the college sports landscape.

In his playing career, Barnes helped the Bulldogs reach two NCAA tournaments and was a second-team all-conference player as a senior after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Division II's Eastern Montana College (since renamed Montana State University Billings after merging into the Montana University System).

He also played professional basketball in Germany, per Oregon State's staff directory.

Barnes, who is from Spokane, called his position "absolutely a destination job" upon his hiring in 2016 and noted at the time that being "back out in the Pacific Northwest is an absolute no-brainer."

"Our ability to be successful in the Pac-12 is something that creates a sense of urgency—and I'm excited about that," he added. "It's a big time conference and Oregon State is a big-time institution."

HEIGHT: 6'6"

WEIGHT: 253

HAND: 10 3/8"

ARM: 32 5/8"

WINGSPAN: TBD

---

40-YARD DASH: 4.61

3-CONE: TBD

SHUTTLE: TBD

VERTICAL: 36"

BROAD: 10'5"

---

POSITIVES

— Tall, lean build with long arms. Great build for the position.

— Positional flexibility. Can play in-line Y, wing and wide receiver alignments.

— Great top-end speed. Excels on vertical and horizontal stretches.

— Good flexibility and explosiveness for his size.

— Good route-runner, even from wide receiver alignments. Smooth mover with quick, light feet.

— Above-average ball-tracking skills and hands to locate ball away from his frame.

— Good blocker. Plays with ample strength, good leverage and proper hand placement.

---

NEGATIVES

— Poor ability to fight through contact on routes. Gets rerouted too easily and often.

— Below-average energy and physicality at contested catch points. Allows defenders to fight back into position.

— Hands tend to waver in traffic.

---

2022 STATISTICS

— 2 GM, 11 REC, 169 YDS (15.4 AVG), 1 TD

---

NOTES

— DOB: September 2, 2000

— 3-star recruit in 2019

— 15 starts in four seasons

— Suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2022; missed all but two games

---

OVERALL

Luke Musgrave is a highly athletic tight end who may need to add some strength before he realizes his full potential.

In simple terms, Musgrave is too tall and fast to cover easily. He's 6'6" but plays with airy change-of-direction skills and long, explosive strides that allow him to separate in the open field. He excels on deeper routes, such as seam routes, deep overs and corner routes that allow his athletic tools to shine. Moreover, Musgrave has the twitch and route-running chops for a full route tree, even from wide receiver alignments.

Musgrave is fairly snappy at the top of his routes and can explode out of them in order to generate separation, a tough skill to find in most players his size. Combine that with his ability to track and reach the ball outside his frame, and you have a receiver who thrives in space.

Musgrave is a solid blocker, too. His raw strength is about average, but he brings his game up a tier through great technique. Despite being 6'6", he does well to find good leverage and play with a sound base under him. Likewise, he plays with smart, active hands and rarely ends up whiffing on his targets. He may not be a people-mover, but he gets the job done reliably.

Where Musgrave struggles is with play strength as a pass-catcher. He is prone to getting jammed up at the line of scrimmage or rerouted early in routes. He doesn't have the raw strength nor the crafty hand usage to combat it right now. Likewise, Musgrave can struggle when battling for position on the ball. He too often concedes positioning and allows defensive backs to get to the ball, disrupting his ability to finish plays in traffic. That's going to be an issue against bigger, stronger NFL athletes.

In all, Musgrave's height, athletic tools and baseline blocking skills give him everything he needs to be a weapon. He can succeed as a field-stretching tight end who doesn't have to leave the field on run downs, which gives him access to aggressive play-action concepts to make use of his speed. He will need to add weight and muscle in order to handle himself in traffic and over the middle of the field, however. Hopefully a year or two in an NFL weight training system can do the trick and unlock his potential.

---

GRADE: 7.4 (High-Level Backup or Potential Starter/Round 3)

OVERALL RANK: 59

POSITION RANK: TE5

PRO COMPARISON: Darren Waller

---

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

4-star cornerback Rodrick Pleasant announced his commitment to Oregon on Wednesday, giving the Ducks a late bolstering to their 2023 class.

Pleasant chose Oregon over USC, UCLA, Cal and Boston College. He's the No. 91 overall prospect and ninth-ranked cornerback in the 2023 class, according to 247 Sports' composite rankings.

"I have a great relationship with the coaches and they really recruited me hard throughout this process," Pleasant said, per Greg Biggins of 247Sports. "I felt really connected with the staff and not just one or two coaches but everyone there."

Oregon now has the eighth-ranked class for the 2023 recruiting cycle, and Dan Lanning has the top group of players in the Pac-12. Pleasant said Lanning pitched him as a "game changer" in the secondary for the Ducks.

"I still remember my official visit there and how much Oregon opened my eyes," Pleasant said. "That was when I knew Oregon could be home for me. I loved the atmosphere and the fan support. Oregon really has everything you need to be successful and they put so much into the athletes, that was big for me."

Pleasant's calling card is his speed. He will also run track-and-field at Oregon and is one of the top high school sprinters in the country. Last May, Pleasant set the California state 100-meter record at 10.14 seconds.

Someone with Plesant's Olympic-level speed understandably can use that advantage as a crutch, but he has all of the physical tools necessary to be a lockdown cornerback at the next level. It will be up to Oregon's coaching staff to lock him into improving and becoming a more well-rounded player.