Updated 1/16/2025 10:20 PM

For the past two months, Trent Bray has been as much change agent as head football coach at Oregon State.

Things look much differently now in the Beavers’ grid program than they did at the end of the 2024 campaign after a 34-18 loss at Boise State.

Within a few weeks, Bray will unveil the final pieces to a vastly different coaching staff to go with a roster bolstered by an influx of transfers and recruits.

The biggest change is on defense, where Keith Heyward’s one-year tenure as defensive coordinator has ended. Heyward, 44, resigned Sunday, citing a need to get away from the coaching profession for awhile.

The former OSU cornerback’s father died shortly before the ’24 season. He said his mother was hospitalized for two weeks. He was unable to see either during the season, and also said he had minimal time with wife Cameo and their two daughters. Keith kept a studio apartment in Corvallis but his family has been living in Eugene for the past year.

“I feel for him and what Keith is going through,” Bray told me during a lengthy interview on Wednesday. “It is a tough situation for him. He made a decision that is best for him and his family at this moment. I respect the reasons why he is leaving. I have a lot of respect for Keith. Great coach and a great person. So we will miss him, but I understand why.”

Were Bray and Heyward on the same page as far as the defense was concerned?

“For the most part,” Bray said. “As we were going through it, Keith was learning exactly what I wanted. We had to do it fast. He was coming from a different system and had never worked in mine. So there was some lost-in-translation stuff.”

That won’t happen during the 2025 season. Bray will take on the additional duties of defensive coordinator and also work with the inside linebackers. AJ Cooper moves from inside linebackers to join Rod Chance coaching the secondary. Kharyee Marshall, who as a quality control analyst coached the outside linebackers last season, will now be a fully paid assistant. Isaisa Tuiaki will remain coaching the defensive line.

Bray has also hired two offensive coaches — Ray Pickering for the running backs and Will Heck for the tight ends.

Defense was not a strong point for Oregon State a year ago. The Beavers ranked 98th among 133 FBS teams in total defense at 399.9 yards per game. They were 107th in rush defense (185.8) and 55th in pass defense (214.1). And they were dead last in the nation in sacks with only seven in 12 games.

“That’s twofold — talent and scheme,” a former college coach observed of the Beavers in ’24. “No wonder they had the ball thrown deep on them so often.”

I asked Bray if pressuring opposing quarterbacks will be more of an emphasis next season.

“Yes,” he said. “I have always been like that. That has always been my philosophy.”

Bray said the idea of taking over as defensive coordinator has been brewing for awhile.

“This has been something I have been thinking about a lot,” he said. “As we were going through the back half of the season, after Keith and I had a conversation that (his resignation) might be coming, I started going through the process of figuring out the amount of time it would take to do all the game-planning and head coaching stuff.”

So during the second half of the season, the Beavers were using Heyward’s defensive game plans, but Bray was privately drawing up his own, just to see if he could handle the time commitment to perform both duties.

“And I was able to do it,” he said. “I created all the things I would normally create (as D-coordinator) in addition to doing the head coaching. That’s where I started thinking, ‘OK, this is possible.’ And part of the thought was, I got this job based on the way we were able to turn this program around because of how we played on defense. For me not to drive the bus, it made less sense to me as I thought about it.”

Last season, Bray was more CEO than on-the-field coach. He became convinced that had to change next season. He has to take a more active role in the defense.

Said Bray: “After the season was over and Keith told me exactly what was going to happen, I went into thinking, ‘How can I help myself and take a little of the load off while coaching inside ‘backers as well as (serving as) head coach?’ ”

Bray will hire a pair of analysts to fill two roles.

“Our new defensive analyst will assist me in coaching the inside ‘backers, which will take a lot of the load off me when I have to do the D-coordinator and head coach stuff,” Bray said. “Especially in-game — a guy who can help make the adjustments on the sidelines with (players). He will be a veteran guy who has coached at the Power Five level, has been a coordinator before and is someone I trust and know.”

One person who matches that job description is Mark Banker, the former OSU defensive coordinator who has a summer home in Corvallis next door to Bray’s house.

“It’s not me — not that I know of,” Banker told me Wednesday night from his winter home in Arizona.

Another possibility could be Craig Bray — Trent’s father and OSU’s former defensive coordinator (under Dennis Erickson) with a wealth of college coaching experience but now retired and living in Montana.

Another name floated out as a potential candidate has been Brady Hoke, the one-time OSU defensive assistant (under Jerry Pettibone) who has been head coach at Michigan and San Diego State and D-coordinator at Oregon.

Bray will also hire someone to be “analyst to the head coach.”

“He is going to take a load off me in doing administrative head-coaching stuff when I need to focus on the defense,” Bray said.

One source told me that role will be filled by Danny Langsdorf, the former OSU offensive coordinator (under Mike Riley) who served as offensive coordinator at Temple the past three seasons. Head coach Stan Drayton was fired after last season, so Langsdorf is out of a job.

Langsdorf was offensive coordinator during the playing days of current OSU offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson, and they worked well together while on Riley’s staff at Nebraska from 2015-17. After nine seasons at Oregon State, Langsdorf has bounced around. He was quarterbacks coach in 2014 for the New York Giants, was Riley’s O-coordinator at Nebraska, an offensive analyst at Oregon in 2018, quarterbacks coach at Fresno State in 2019 and quarterbacks coach at Colorado in 2020 and ’21.

When I asked Trent when he expected to make the hires, he said, “I am hoping to have them here in February.”

Marshall is a former defensive end at Boise State who served as grad assistant at Oregon in 2020, then for two years as defensive analyst at his alma mater.

“Kharyee is a good young coach,” Bray said. “He has a great relationship with the players. The way he conducts himself is very professional. He does a great job recruiting. Look at the guys we were able to grab out of the high school ranks and in the portal at the edge positions. His ability to build relationships with those guys was a big part of that.”

Pickering replaces Thomas Ford, who left to become head coach at Idaho. Pickering was running backs coach at Buffalo last season, where he coached Al-Jay Henderson, who ran for 1,078 yards and nine touchdowns and earned first-team All-MAC honors. The Bulls finished 9-4 overall and 6-2 in conference and beat Liberty 26-7 in the Bahamas Bowl.

Among Pickering’s previous stops were as an analyst at Texas and as offensive coordinator at FCS Norfolk State. This is his fifth different job over the past five years, among them as O-coordinator at Division II Lane College in Jackson, Tenn. Pickering coached at five different high schools before moving to the college ranks.

Bray did not have a previous relationship with Pickering, “but he was someone who was highly recommended by a lot of people,” Bray said. “There are some coaches on our staff who have worked with him before and have known him. It was great to get their feedback. I love his story about working his way up — starting in high school and small college. And he has done more than just coach running backs. That will add to a lot of the stuff on offense, not just the running back part.”

Heck, 29, replaces Jon Boyer, who left to join Jonathan Smith at Michigan State. Heck is a Crescent Valley High grad. His father, Bill, was agent for both Trent Bray and former OSU tight end Tim Euhus during their playing days. Will’s sister, Hadley, is the creative director for football at Oregon State. Will played at Linfield and was a grad assistant and quality control coach for four years at California before coming to OSU.

“I really got to know Will during the Covid year (2020),” Bray said. “He was in town with his family and would often come up to the office and meet with coach (Jim) Michalzcik and coach (Brian) Wozniak, and I got to know him well. I have been impressed with him. He is really sharp. I like his work ethic and his wanting to be really good.”

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Oregon State did well in the battle to retain players and gain new talent through the transfer portal — much better than it did the previous year with the defection of Smith to Michigan State. After this season, the Beavers lost a half-dozen players to FBS schools. One of them, quarterback Gevani McCoy (Texas State), was expected. They lost cornerback Andre Jordan and linebacker Isaiah Chisom to UCLA, linebacker Melvin Jordan to Georgia Tech and offensive linemen Luka Vinci (Michigan State) and Flavio Gonzalez (Arizona).

But OSU retained a large percentage of its players from a year ago and secured 11 players through the portal, including quarterback Maalik Murphy from Duke. One report said Murphy landed an NIL deal worth $1.5 million.

Kyle Bjornstad, executive director of Dam Nation, Oregon State’s collective, won’t talk specific NIL numbers. But he told me, “To get a quarterback of that stature, you are going to be in the seven figures-plus.”

Four of the incoming transfers were four-star recruits out of high school, and the Beavers also landed ballyhooed high school tight end T’Andre Waverly from Mukilteo, Wash., who announced for OSU over Notre Dame and Washington at the Navy All-American Bowl on NBC. That kind of haul can only be made with significant NIL funding.

“In this day and age in college football, that is a big part no matter where you go,” Bray said. “(Bjornstad) did a great job in gaining support from Beaver Nation. That was a huge part in being able to do what we did.”

Did Bray have a role in arranging NIL deals?

“No,” he said. “Kyle knows who we’re going after. As far as negotiating and all that? I stay 100 percent out of that.”

Bjornstad told me he is “thrilled with how it has gone, with the roster Trent has been able to build. Dam Nation has helped him mightily to make sure that could happen.”

I asked Bjornstad who did the heavy lifting in funding. Was it Joth Ricci? The Resers? Jensen Huang? Wes Edens?

“It’s a melting pot of a lot of different things,” Bjornstad said. “A handful of major supporters are helping. Through corporate sponsor dollars we have been able to get some major partnerships for marketing. Merchandise sales are helping. We are pulling a lot of different levers to get resources.”

Dam Nation is currently running a “Drive for ’25” campaign. An anonymous donor will contribute $1 million once the collective picks up 2,500 monthly contributors for a minimum-level membership of $10 a month, or $120 annually.

“To get 2,500 is ambitious,” Bjornstad admits. “That’s a lot of people, but that’s the goal. We want sustained revenue. We rolled it out three weeks ago and we are at 413 donors. I am thrilled with that. This is a marathon, not a sprint. It might take us an entire year, but we are going to get there.”

Bjornstad emphasizes the need to maintain the momentum.

“Retention of players was good, and we wanted to bring more talent and make a splash in the portal,” Bjornstad said. “We checked those boxes. We are very thankful, but we need to keep going. This isn’t just a one-time thing. Let’s keep building. Let’s not slow down. This is working really well.”

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Bray said he considers there to be three legs in recruiting these days.

“No. 1 is keeping the guys from your current team that you have to keep,” he said. “That was our first focus. You are going to lose guys every year. That’s just going to happen. You have to have guys ready to move into those roles when you do. The next piece is the portal part. OK, what positions on our roster do we need to have someone who can play right now because we are not quite there with the young guys? That’s how we look at it. Then it’s the high schools and making sure you can bring in guys you can develop.”

Has the portal become more important than high school recruits?

“Definitely as important,” Bray said. “And more important at some positions? Absolutely.”

Bray said he now has “a part of our recruiting department just doing the portal.”

Like most coaches, Bray has always enjoyed the developmental part of his job. It is especially important in a program such as Oregon State’s, where blue-chip signings are rare and mining the hidden gems and turning them into viable players has been important to its success. Bray admits the portal has been frustrating, especially when the Beavers lost outstanding linebackers Omar Speights and Easton Mascarenas-Arnold to LSU and USC, respectively, the last two years.

“When Omar and Easton left, that was really hard from a personal level more than anything, because I coached both of them,” Bray said. “They were here for three or four years. You get to know them, develop them and reach that goal of where they want to be as a player. Then to have them go somewhere else and finish is hard.

“But as I am getting more used to this whole thing, I also understand that, unfortunately, it is just part of the business now.”

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Bray said he feels “great” about the nucleus of players returning from last year’s team.

“I really like the group coming back,” he said. “We got a ton of experience last year, which we didn’t have our first year. Getting those guys with a full season under their belt is good. I feel good about where we are at roster-wise.”

Bray seems especially encouraged on the defensive side.

“We had some young guys step up, guys like Dexter Foster, Sai Vadrawale and Exodus Ayers, who were true freshmen and by the end of the year were playing as good or better than anybody at their position,” Bray said. “That is exciting. We have pretty much the whole defensive front returning, and we have added pieces to complement that.”

Oregon State returns Thomas Collins, Tevita Pome’e, Takari Hickle and Jacob Schuster from the D-line, Nikko Taylor, Zakaih Saez, Andy Alfieri and Olu Omothosho on the edge and Foster and Makiya Tongue at inside linebacker. The secondary seems particularly stocked, with returnees Ayers, Vadrawale, Noble Thomas, Mason White and Kobe Singleton at cornerback and Jack Kane, Tyrice Ivy and Skyler Thomas at safety.

On offense, the Beavers return their top two running backs (Anthony Hankerson and Salahadin Allah), five veteran receivers (Trent Walker, Darrius Clemons, Jeremiah Noga, David Wells and Taz Reddicks), center Van Wells and reserve tight end Bryce Caufield.

Through the portal, OSU filled in many of the blanks. All 11 of the transfers — six on offense, five on defense — are enrolled in school for winter term.

“I feel really good for a couple of reasons,” Bray said. “Everyone we signed we had recruited previously, so we had done all the background and research on them either out of high school or the portal. Last year, we had to do things so fast, we didn’t get to do that. And from a metrics standpoint — size, length, athleticism — I feel good about this group of transfers.”

Murphy, a 6-5, 230-pound junior who threw for 2,933 yards and 26 touchdowns as a sophomore at Duke, will be the starting QB next fall.

“He is extremely talented,” Bray said. “Big-time arm. Really smart. I have been impressed while interacting with him — his presence, his intelligence about the game. He’s a big-time dude.”

Oregon State is bringing in a pair of tight ends: Jackson Bowers, a 6-5, 245-pound sophomore from BYU, and Riley Williams, a Central Catholic grad and a 6-6, 240-pound junior out of Miami who caught seven passes for 115 yards last season. Add in Caufield and the freshman Waverly and there seems more than enough to make up for the loss of outgoing senior Jermaine Terry. Gunderson might be inclined to use the tight end more next season.

“Gundy likes the two tight-end set,” Bray said. “I like it. From a defensive standpoint, when you have two really good tight ends it can cause problems for you. The playbook and where we go with the offense will be based on what happens in our different (position) rooms, but I can see us using it more with what we have coming in.”

Murphy, Bowers, Williams and incoming inside linebacker Reasjon Davis (from USC) were all four-star recruits out of high school.

Oregon State didn’t bring in any receivers through the portal and didn’t have a burner last season the likes of a Silas Bolden or Anthony Gould. Bray hopes sophomore Zach Card can fill the role and be able to “run some of the fly sweep stuff.” And he points to 5-10, 165-pound incoming freshman Elijah Washington from Oakland, “who can really roll.”

Offensive linemen Josiah Timoteo, a 6-5, 285-pound sophomore from Nevada; JT Hand, a 6-4, 300-pound junior guard from Arizona, and Keyon Cox, a 6-5, 300-pound sophomore from Central Florida, provide some experience to go with Wells at center. Timoteo started seven games for the Wildcats last season. 

Bray points out that juniors Luka Vincic (6-5, 305) and Jacob Strand (6-5, 295) were starters at the beginning of last season before missing most of the campaign with injuries.

“And I look at a guy like (6-4, 340-pound sophomore) Dylan Sikorski,” Bray said. “He’s a big, athletic kid who got a lot better through the season. The linemen who are coming in, Coach Devan knew real well. Kyle recruited Hand out of Arizona. It’s a lot like the guys who came in from Colorado (Wells and Gerad Christian-Lichtenstein) who were good players for us last year.”

Oregon State bolstered its defense with the likes of Davis, a 6-foot, 220-pound senior who started three games for the Trojans in 2023 but redshirted last season; junior linemen Tah-jae Mullix (6-3, 270 from Western Carolina) and Kai Wallin (6-5, 250 from Nebraska), outside linebacker Walker Harris (6-5, 250 senior from Southern Utah) and cornerback TJ Crandall (6-foot, 180 junior from West Virginia).

“I expect them to help a lot,” Bray said. “When we bring guys in from the portal, we see them helping us immediately. You don’t want to bring anyone in who is not going to play for you. I feel good about their skill set and being able to play right away.”

The Beavers are also hoping to get an additional season of eligibility from Australian punter Josh Green, who had an outstanding year in ’24.

I asked Bray about young players who either redshirted or played little last season. I started with southpaw quarterback Kallen Gutridge, the state 5A Player of the Year out of Wilsonville High in ’23, and running back Cornell Hatcher from Corona, Calif, a second-team MaxPrep All-American and Los Angeles Times Back of the Year as a senior. Both players redshirted.

“Kallen did a nice job through the development process of his first year,” Bray said. “He has a good skill set. Like any young quarterback, it takes awhile to learn how to play. He is going through the process right now, but I like the kid a lot.

“As for Cornell, I am looking forward to seeing what he can do in the spring, because he has a ton of ability.”

My guess is Gutridge will compete with sophomore Gabarri Johnson for the backup QB role behind Murphy, and that Hatcher will be in the forefront behind Hankerson and Allah at running back.

Asked for other players with minimal playing experience to look for next season, Bray mentioned sophomore tight end Cooper Jensen (6-5, 235), junior safeties Jaheim Patterson (6-4, 205 junior) and Amerion York (6-1, 205) and sophomore linebacker Shamar Meikle (6-3, 210).

“With a year of development, I am excited to see what they can do,” Bray said.

Will OSU look to add more players via the portal in April?

“That is not the plan,” Bray said. “We feel great about where we are at roster-wise. We hit all our needs. We probably took more than our needs because we had some guys at certain positions to whom I couldn’t say no.

“It will depend on what happens in the spring. If we get some attrition in the spring we may have to, but we are hoping not to.”

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There are 12 high school players and one Juco product entering the program next season. Six of them are enrolled in winter term: Washington, cornerbacks Trey Glasper from Henderson, Nev., and Jalil Tucker from San Diego Mesa CC, linebacker Jeremiah Ioane from Henderson, Nev., edge Bleu Dantzler from Chandler and safety Zephen Walker from Lewisville, Texas. A seventh, offensive guard Jake Normoyle out of West Linn, will enroll for spring term and be on hand for spring practice, which begins on March 4.

Quarterback Tristan Ti’a, 6-3, 190 from Pleasanton, Calif., is expected to sign a letter of intent on the Feb. 5 second signing date.

“He has been unwavering in his commitment to us,” Bray said. “He will be here in the summer.”

OSU has signed two running backs — 5-9, 190-pound Kourdey Glass from Hanford, Calif., and 6-1, 205-pound Skyler Jackson from Henderson, Nev. Jackson is the son of former Beaver and NFL great Steven Jackson.

“Kourdey is dynamic, a smaller guy kind of like a Hankerson,” Bray said. “We also need bigger backs, guys like DeShaun Fenwick who we have had in the past. I really like Skyler, who fills the role of the big back. He is a strong, athletic kid who can knock over would-be tacklers. We like filling that room with those two types of bodies.”

Could the 6-4, 225-pound Waverly figure into the picture immediately at tight end?

“From a physical standpoint, he can,” Bray said. “He is a tremendous athlete and can run and do things dynamically that way. It will be about his learning curve with the offense and how fast he can learn how to play at this level.”

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My final question to the coach was about a young man who should be considered a great Beaver — quarterback Ben Gulbranson, now off to medical school with undergrad and Masters degrees after five years in the program.

“Ben has been awesome,” Bray said. “I have always had a ton of respect for him. He has been through a lot in his career. The most impressive thing is, through all the ups and downs, he stayed consistent, both in his attitude and work ethic. Whenever he was called upon, he came in and did the job. What he did at Washington State this year was a big part of why we were able to upset (the Cougars).”

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