8/17/2020 football Edit

BeaversEdge Top 25 for 2020: No. 5 - No. 1

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

Publisher

With Oregon State's 2020 season officially postponed, BeaversEdge.com will wrap up the Top 25 for 2020 in two editions. Today, we look at No. 5 through No. 1

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No. 5 - Omar Speights - ILB - 6-foot-1, 227-pound Sophomore

After bursting onto the scene and putting together one of the more impressive true-freshman campaigns in recent Oregon State memory, sophomore inside-linebacker Omar Speights finds himself just inside the top five in this years' edition of the rankings.

The 6-foot-1, 227-pounder had a lot of people in and around Corvallis very excited when he officially joined the squad, but nobody could have predicted just how impactful and impressive his first year would be.

The Philadelphia native played in all 12 games, making six starts en-route to a season that saw him earn honors from:

The Athletic Freshman All-America First Team | FWAA Freshman All-America | USA Today Freshman All-America | Pac-12 Honorable Mention Freshman Defensive Player of the Year

Despite being one of the youngest and least experienced players in Tim Tibesar's defense, he finished second on the team with 73 tackles (7.5 tackles for loss). Those 73 tackles marked the third-most nationally by a freshman (true or redshirt) as Speights put the Pac-12 and college football on notice heading into the 2020 season.

While we'll have to wait an indefinite period of time before seeing Speights take the field again, it'll be well worth it as we're looking at one of the best and most complete recruits Jonathan Smith and Co. were able to land.

He'll no doubt be itching to play a season with his older brother Jeromy Reichner wreaking havoc on opposing defenses and there's no doubt we still haven't seen his ceiling.

No. 4 - Avery Roberts - ILB - 6-foot-1, 233-pound Rs-Junior

When the Beavers snagged former Nebraska inside-linebacker and four-star recruit Avery Roberts from the transfer portal in the midst of the 2018 season, there was some chatter that they were getting a really good linebacker, but I don't think many would have expected Roberts to be so consistent and productive right out the gate.

After sitting out the '18 season due to transfer rules, the Beavers handed Roberts the keys and said 'Go' during the '19 season as he played in 11 games and made 10 starts en route to leading the team in tackles with 83 (51 solo). Roberts also added 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks with four quarterback hurries and two pass breakups.

Heading into the 2020 campaign, Roberts figures to be one of the leaders of the defense as he and Speights will be locking down the interior of the Beavers' defense.

The 6-foot-1, 233-pounder has really good football instincts and always seems to make the right plays. Whether that's playing the gaps correctly, playing pass coverage, or calling out offensive signals, Roberts looked equal parts leader and field-general on the field as he showed he was more than capable of being an effective full-time starter in the Pac-12.

The Beavers have unearthed several gems out of the transfer portal since Smith's arrival and Roberts just might be the capstone of that group.

No. 3 - Trevon Bradford - 6-foot, 183-pound Rs-Senior

Entering his fifth and final season in the orange and black, Oregon City, Ore. native Trevon Bradford will be looking to put last seasons' injury-woes behind him and put together a full and complete season.

The 2019 campaign was a bit of an odd one for the speedy Bradford as he missed eight games total (seven due to injury) in large part because of a foot injury suffered before the start of the season.

Bradford missed the first seven contests in '19 but managed to play in four games against Arizona, Washington, Arizona State, & Oregon to round out the season and get back on the right note heading into his final year.

The 6-foot, 183-pounder was cleared medically prior to the teams' final five games but elected to sit out against Washington State so he would only participate in four games, thus claiming a redshirt season and returning for the 2020 campaign.

With Isaiah Hodgins and his massive production now off in Buffalo, Bradford will need to step up and be that No. 1 receiver for Tristan Gebbia. While it's expected the Beavs will likely divvy up the workload between their bevy of talented wideouts, Bradford is more than capable of being a go-to option when he's healthy and in-sync with the QB.

Whenever the season gets underway, Bradford will be one of the most crucial pieces to Oregon State's offensive success. He can do a lot of different things and the Beavers will definitely be looking to get him in space early and often...

No. 2 - Jermar Jefferson - 5-foot-10, 208-pound Junior

Coming in at No. 2 on our countdown of top Oregon State players for the 2020 season is junior running back Jermar Jefferson.

The 5-foot-10, 208-pound junior didn't find the same success in his sophomore campaign as he did during his true-freshman one, but he still managed to up his name in the OSU record book as he enters this season 12th all-time at Oregon State with 2,065 rushing yards.

After running through just about anyone in his path en route to a dominant 2018 season that saw him eclipse 1,380 yards (an OSU true-frosh record) and 12 touchdowns, Jefferson didn't find his groove until later in the '19 season as he suffered an injury against Hawaii in the second game of the year.

He wasn't quite himself in the games following Hawaii and the training/coaching staff took it easy on him, giving Artavis Pierce the workload before Jefferson found his groove against Arizona and eventually worked himself back into the rotation.

All told, Jefferson finished with just 685 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground in nine games played. The coaching staff found success in alternating Pierce and Jefferson when matchups favored one guy, so he wasn't getting the same amount of work and touches he saw his freshman year.

With Pierce off to Chicago and Jefferson once again the leading man, it'll be interesting to see how the Beavers handle his carries this year. OC Brian Lindgren has talked about wanting to stick with one guy when he gets hot, but the team has some intriguing depth behind him, so watching his workload and number of carries will be something to keep an eye on.

No. 1 - Hamilcar Rashed - 6-foot-4, 238-pound Rs-Senior

Last but certainly not least, we arrive at No. 1 on the BeaversEdge Top 25 for 2020 as redshirt-senior outside linebacker Hamilcar Rashed earns the nod.

It seems like just yesterday Rashed was one of the young bucks on this squad, but time has a tendency to fly and it sure seems like Rashed's college career has flown by.

The 6-foot-4, 238-pound redshirt-senior is arguably Oregon State's most pro-ready prospect (outside of Jefferson) and the Beavs should count themselves lucky he decided to return for his final season.

When speaking to Rashed prior to spring practices being canceled, he was quite honest saying that his broken wrist suffered against Washington State in the penultimate game of the season last year played a major factor in his decision to return. Simply put, Rashed wouldn't have been able to participate in the combine drills as a result, so coming back to Corvallis made the most sense.

Flash forward to now, it's going to be REAL interesting to see what we hear from Rashed in the wake of the Pac-12 football season being postponed until at least Jan. 1st 2021. Rashed is a guy with big-time NFL aspirations, so I wouldn't overly surprised to see him potentially sit out if a spring season comes to fruition.

Sure, there's some left for Rashed to accomplish at the collegiate level, notably team success as he's itching to get to the postseason, but it's important to keep in mind that he's coming off a season where he led the nation with an Oregon State single-season record 22.5 tackles for loss while also finishing tied for third nationally with an Oregon State record 14 sacks.

His future and what he decides in lockstep with the Pac-12 and the team is going to be one of the most intriguing storylines to keep an eye on over the next several months. Rashed is one of the most talented edge-rushers the Beavers have ever had and it's anyone's guess whether or not we'll see him in an OSU uniform again.