3 Reasons why Oregon State Football turned a corner this spring

Following the conclusion of of spring practices under second year head coach Jonathan Smith, BeaversEdge.com dives into how this spring, the Beavers no longer resemble the makings of a 2-10 squad.

Thanks to added depth, increased talent, and a clear goal and vision, the Beavers had their best spring session since the likes of Mike Riley and here's three reasons why.

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Among the most important reasons why it looks like the Oregon State football team turned a corner this spring was the head man himself, Jonathan Smith.

From the moment he arrived in Corvallis, he never made excuses for the glaring and obvious disadvantages that his predecessor left him, as he quietly went about building the Oregon State football program in his high output, low ego image.

Despite the results being subpar in Smith's first season, the groundwork was laid for the future as he stayed steady and consistent in his message, approach, and philosophy throughout the ups and downs, and now, the Beavers are seeing the fruits of that patience.

Whether it was improved chemistry, better team awareness, more maturity, or executing more consistently on the field, the Beavers were significantly better this spring and showed glimpses of why many think the Beavers are primed to at least double their win total from a season ago.

When asked about the most notable differences between this spring and last throughout the session, one thing that kept coming up from players was that they were now all bought in and believing in Smith's vision. That's not to say that the team wasn't together a season ago, but rather that in year two, you have a team full of players who are all in with the new regime.

The Beavers made significant strides in spring, and Smith gave the team the tough task of calling this summer the most important of their lives and if the Beavers hope to improve off a 2-10 season, it'll have to be.

Smith has big plans for this team, and has a genuine care about the university and its image and perception. After a season of losing, Smith is going to do everything in his power to make sure improvements are made and that the team takes a leap forward this year.

Smith is still a young and upcoming head coach, and often times, it's those young and hungry head coaches are that are able to either put a school on the map or bring them back to prominence.

Time will tell if Smith is able to help the Beavers arrive in the coming years, but there's little doubt that his impact is one of the most important reasons the team is primed to be greatly improved this season.

There's nowhere to go but up.

That's the phrase that perhaps best applies to the Oregon State defense in 2019. Despite little expectations on the group after being nearly the nation's worst a season ago, there's a lot of reasons for optimism following spring, because simply put, the Beavers have nowhere to go but up.

Whether it was the 3-6 bodies the Beavers had to rotate on the defensive line, terribly inconsistent play from the linebackers, injuries and inconsistency in the secondary, or everyone simply not being on the same page, saying the Beavers had a rough season on defense in 2018 would be putting it lightly.

However, we're all about the future here at BeaversEdge, and luckily for the Beavers, there's a really good chance that defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar's defense won't even resemble the same group that was second to last in the NCAA in yards allowed per game a season ago.

Thanks to an added year of experience in Tibesar's system for the players already in place, an influx of talent via the transfer and recruiting ranks, and a chip on their shoulders, the Beavers are primed to have a bounce back year on defense.

While that's not to say that the Beavers are going to boast a top Pac-12 defense in year two, I expect that the team will be able to get stops on a much more consistent basis than a year ago.

For over a year, the Beaver defense has had to read and hear about just how bad they were a season ago, and with the right guidance, mindset, and coaching, that can be one heck of a motivating factor.

Last but not least, we arrive at the final reason why the Beavers turned the corner in spring, and it's because of their variety of offensive weapons in the holster for next season.

Offensive-coordinator Brian Lindgren has to be giddy with the group of versatile playmakers that the Beavers will boast on offense next season.

Between a receiving corps that boasts speed, size, and playmaking ability, a running back group that includes a returning freshman all-American in Jermar Jefferson and a starting level No. 2 in Artavis Pierce, OSU has the skill position players to take them to heights offensively not seen since the likes of Sean Mannion, Markus Wheaton, and Brandin Cooks.

However, despite all the potential, the Beavers weren't able to see a lot of the full picture of what the offense will look like in spring as injuries took their toll. At different points in spring, the Beavers were without presumable starting receivers Tyjon Lindsey, Trevon Bradford, and Isaiah Hodgins, and without having your starting receivers, it's hard to get a gauge of where you're going to be at.

Luckily for the Beavers, none of the injuries that kept impact playmakers on offense on the shelf for various parts of spring are considered serious, and everyone should be 100 percent and ready to go by fall camp.

The final pieces to the offensive puzzle are rounding out the offensive line and picking between Jake Luton and Tristan Gebbia for the starting QB job, and if the Beavers are able to handle those two aspects smoothly, I expect the OSU offense to sizzle in the opener against Oklahoma State and the rest of the 2019 season.