5 Thoughts On Oregon State's 2021 Class
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With the Oregon State football team shifting the majority of its focus towards the Pac-12 restart scheduled to get underway in early November, BeaversEdge.com Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter gives five thoughts on the Beavers' 2021 class so far.
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1. Class is small in size but packs a mighty punch
With the Oregon State football team set to feature just 11 seniors when the 2020 campaign kicks off, the 2021 recruiting class is expected to be relatively similar in terms of total numbers.
As it currently stands, the Beavers have eight commitments in the class as Sam Vidlak, Damir Collins, Omarion Fa'amoe, J.T. Byrne, Jaylen Martin, Henry Buckles, Easton Mascarenas, and Arnez Madison have all made their pledge to head coach Jonathan Smith and Oregon State.
In addition to the eight recruits that currently are pledged from the 2021 class, the Beavers also have offensive lineman Sione Veikoso and linebacker Semisi Saluni. Both were 2018 recruits that were serving LDS missions the past two years and will be joining the team with the '21 class.
There's room for a few more players in the class, but the Beavers are going to be very selective using those spots. Add in the blanket waiver from the NCAA that will allow current seniors to return to school next year if they so choose, and all of a sudden it gets tricky as far as scholarship numbers go for Smith and Co.
With that all being said, it's not a big concern of mine that the class itself likely won't get much bigger. Yes, small recruiting classes leave less margin for error, but in the case of the Beavers this year, they addressed the positions they needed to add depth to and did what they could with what numbers they had.
Oregon State's 2021 class won't raise a ton of eyeballs for its relatively small size, but it's going to be very impactful as I believe the team is bringing in players who will be foundational pieces several years down the line.
2. A nice balance on both sides of the ball
In terms of looking at the class as a whole, the Beavers did a nice job of getting a nice balance of offensive and defensive recruits in 2021. Despite having fewer scholarship numbers to work with, the Beavers were able to address key positions on both offense and defense.
Offense
QB- Sam Vidlak
RB - Damir Collins
TE - J.T. Byrne
OL - Henry Buckles
OL - Sione Veikoso - (2018 LDS Recruit)
Defense
DL - Omarion Fa'amoe
LB - Easton Mascarenas
LB - Semesi Saluni - (2018 LDS Recruit)
DB - Jaylen Martin
DB - Arnez Madison
As far as what the Beavers want to add with their couple of remaining spots, I'd expect that they'd look strongly at another offensive lineman, receiver, or defensive lineman. Guys like Dylan Rollins, Emari Pait, Jimmy Valsin, and CJ Baskerville come to mind as potential late-additions to the class.
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