BeaversEdge Top 25 for 2019: No. 22 Nathan Eldridge
In the months of June and July, BeaversEdge.com will be counting down the top 25 Oregon State football players on the 2019 roster.
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No. 64 Nathan Eldridge
Bio
6-foot-3, 292 pounds
Center
Redshirt Senior (Arizona grad-transfer)
Anthem, Ariz.
Boulder Creek HS
Prior to Oregon State
Eldridge spent the last three years at Arizona, lettering in 2016 and 2017. He missed last season due to an injury after initially being on the Rimington Trophy Watch List for the nation's outstanding center in college football the last two years.
The 6-3, 292-pound, Anthem, Ariz., native is immediately eligible after earning a bachelor's degree in literacy, learning and leadership from Arizona.
He started 25 games, including being the first freshman starting center at Arizona in 10 years during the 2016 season, for then Wildcat offensive line coach and current Beaver run game coordinator/offensive line coach/associate head coach Jim Michalczik.
"Nathan is a tremendous addition to the program," Smith said. "He brings valuable experience to our offensive line, and his familiarity with Coach Michalczik provides him a great understanding of our offensive philosophies."
Eldridge was a 2017 Pac-12 Honorable Mention selection, as voted by the league's coaches, following a season where the Wildcats finished third in the nation for rushing at 324.4 yards per game.
2019 Outlook
Eldridge comes in at No. 22 on the BeaversEdge Top-25 for 2019 as he's expected to be an instant-impact plug and play player at center.
With Sumner Houston exhausting his eligibility following last season, the Beavers needed a fix at the center position as the young crop of lineman isn't likely to fill a starting role at this point.
While Eldridge missed last season with a season ending injury, he's expected to be at 100 percent to start fall camp and should instantly step into the starting rotation with Blake Brandel, Gus Lavaka, Clay Cordasco, and Brandon Kipper.
If Eldridge can return to the form of the player that he was prior to injury at Arizona, and all indications are that he will, he'll not only be an instant upgrade at the center spot, he'll be the most talented center the Beavers have had since Issac Seumalo.
With Eldridge in the fold, the Beavers' starting offensive line now appears complete and it's up to Michalczik and Co. to get the group up to speed by the time the Cowboys come to town.