BeaversEdge Top 25 for 2019: Honorable Mentions

In the months of June and July, BeaversEdge.com will be counting down the top 25 Oregon State football players on the 2019 roster.

The rankings will be controversial and no two people will agree on every single ranking, but that will be the fun of the rankings.

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This is obviously an inexact science as you're comparing quarterbacks to defensive lineman and linebackers to offensive lineman. But our team, which consisted of Brenden Slaughter, Mitch Monge, and Keenan Puncocher, gave it a shot.

The main criteria was assessing our expectations for the player's performance in 2019, and to assess that, you have to look at what the player did in 2018. Stats were taken into consideration, but it was more of overall impact on the team from an analysis perspective.

Again, we want to reiterate how difficult it was to create this top 25. It was tough to keep some of the guys below out of the top 25.

Today, we start with several players who just missed the cut in the top 20.

Among the first that just missed the cut in the BeaversEdge.com top-25 for 2019 was junior defensive back Kee Whetzel.

With the Beavers loading up on outside-linebackers, Whetzel and head coach Jonathan Smith elected it would be best for him to move to safety/defensive back prior to spring, and while for the sake of numbers and eventual playing time it makes sense, the unfortunate bi-product was that Whetzel was going to have to learn a new position and that would simply take time.

While the spring was up and down for Whetzel, his consistency was much better in the later stages, and it looked like things were starting to slow down for him.

Despite having veterans David Morris, Jalen Moore, and Omar Hicks-Onu already at the safety spot, Whetzel is a very smart and instinctive player that will find his way to playing time.

There's a lot of expectations riding on Kipper this season as heading into fall camp, it appears that the Beavers are penciling him in as a starter on the offensive line.

The 6-foot-6, 281 pound sophomore was granted eligibility late last season after transferring from Hawaii, and now we're seeing why offensive line coach Jim Michalczik was really really happy when he came to Oregon State.

Following the departure of three starters on the line following the '18 season, Kipper started spring with the first team and never relinquished duties as he held the right-tackle spot throughout spring.

Look for Kipper to help anchor a new-look Oregon State offensive-line that will look to keep it's quarterbacks upright with much more consistency this season.

After several years of biding his time, it appears that Cordasco is finally going to get the playing time he's desired since his arrival.

The 6-foot-5, 316 pound Cordasco came to Oregon State following the 2016 season after a successful stint at Los Angeles Valley CC, but redshirted in 2017, and played sparingly in nine games a season ago.

With the Beavers losing a bunch of bodies to graduation in the offseason, like Kipper, Cordasco seized the reigns of the open right-guard spot the first day in spring practice and never looked back.

He's got ideal size and strength for a guard, and if spring was any indication, he's going to be a very physical presence that upgrades the Beavers' offensive line this season.

Gumbs narrowly misses the cut as it's simply timing. Gumbs has yet to play a snap, or take one in practice, as he missed all of spring rehabbing an ACL injury suffered at Oklahoma last August.

Based on his potential and talent, there's no doubt that Gumbs is could be one of the top players on this roster once he's able to regain his health and return to form, but that simply hasn't happened yet.

For that reason, Gumbs finds himself just outside the top-25, but make no mistake, this is a guy who could be a one-of-a-kind player once he's able to take the field.

Oregon State doesn't often get kids with the sheer size and physicality of Gumbs, and if he's able to get healthy, he could end up being one of the best outside-linebackers the Beavers have had by the time it's all said and done.

This last spot was quite hard to fill as there were multiple players who were considered, but thanks to a dominant spring where he was easily the best receiver, Irish deserves consideration and merit on this list.

With injuries keeping Isaiah Hodgins, Tyjon Lindsey, and Trevon Bradford on the shelf for various parts of spring, Irish rose to the occasion and showed everyone why Smith and Co. were extremely proud that they were able to secure him late in the 2018 class.

With a team- 4.26 40-yard-dash, great hands, and superb route running, Irish became quarterback Jake Luton's favorite target in the final half of spring, showing he's capable of being a go-to guy after leading the team in touchdowns in the final two scrimmages.

While the Beavers' starting receiving corps is set with the trio of Hodgins, Bradford, and Lindsey, Irish shot up the depth chart in spring and figures to be one of he most utilized speedsters on the team this season.