7/8/2021 football Edit

BeaversEdge Top 25 for 2021: No. 17 Jack Colletto

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

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In the months leading up to the start of fall camp, BeaversEdge.com will be counting down the Top 25 Oregon State football players on the 2021 roster.

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MORE: How OSU Has Improved Their Roster Via Transfer Portal

Jack Colletto

No. 12

6-foot-3, 239-pounds

Inside Linebacker/Quarterback

Redshirt Junior

Camas, Wash.

Camas HS

2020 STATS: 15 rush attempts for 128 yards (8.5 ypc) and two touchdowns - 14 tackles, 0.5 TFL's. One kick return for 13 yards.

2020 Recap

Talk about an offensive arrival for Jack Colletto in 2020...

Thriving in a role on offense tailor-made for his skillset, Colletto took the conference by storm in his role as the wildcat-offense initiator, averaging 8.5 yards per touch on 15 attempts for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

That included a 40-yard rush against Utah where Colletto opened everyone's eyes to just how much of an x-factor he can be in this role, even when the defense knows it's coming.

Against Arizona State in the season finale, Colletto had his busiest day of the year as he took six carries for 44 yards and two touchdowns.

On the defensive side, Colletto served as one of the primary inside linebacker backups, even though he was still learning the nuances of the position.

He appeared in all seven games, recording 14 tackles and half a tackle for loss. He also started the final game of the season opposite of Omar Speights once Avery Roberts was lost for the season due to a broken arm.

2021 Outlook

Heading into the 2021 campaign, Colletto has carved out a perfect niche as a two-way player who is going to heavily factor into the Beavers' plans on both sides of the ball.

Starting on defense, I'm very intrigued to see what he'll be able to do with a full season at inside linebacker.

Talking to position coach Trent Bray back in spring, he noted just how far Colletto has come as an ILB and that spoke volumes. Bray also added that he's never coached a guy with that sort of dual-threat ability, so seeing him tie the defensive aspect of his game to his already solid offensive abilities just shows how special of an athlete he is.

Switching gears to offense, Colletto has already established just how dominant he can be as a runner in the wildcat, now it's up to him to perhaps add in a tweak or two that could utilize his previous experience as a QB. If Colletto could add a consistent passing threat to his wildcat package, good luck trying to slow down that formation...

All in all, Colletto has put himself in an extremely good position heading into this next season. Not only is he a dynamic threat with the ball in his hands on offense, but he's also now coming into his own as a stout inside 'backer, and that duality is beyond impressive.

Look for Colletto to play a key role in specific situations on offense, while being the first guy off the pine in relief of Roberts & Speights on defense.