7/9/2023 football Edit

BeaversEdge Top 25 For 2023: No. 18 Easton Mascarenas-Arnold

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 2023 roster.

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No. 18 Easton Mascarenas-Arnold

Bio

No. 55

5-foot-11, 234-pounds

Inside Linebacker

Junior

Mission Viejo HS

Mission Viejo, Calif.

2022 Stats: Played in 12 games - Recorded 37 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception for a touchdown and a pass breakup

2022 Recap

Slotting in as the third inside linebacker behind Kyrei Fisher-Morris and Omar Speights, Mascarenas-Arnold saw his role and production increase as he went from 40 total defensive snaps and 15 tackles in 2021 to 300 snaps and 37 tackles in 2022.

While Speights and Fisher-Morris received most of the headlines this past season, Mascarenas-Arnold was quietly having himself a standout season as in addition to his 37 tackles also tallied 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass breakup, and a pick-six against Washington.

Mascarenas-Arnold was also no stranger to the big moments as his interception return for a touchdown against the Huskies came at a crucial moment, giving the Beavers a 14-7 halftime lead.

While he didn't receive starting experience in '22, he came as close as you could with Speights and Fisher-Morris receiving the lion's share of the snaps and that's going to bode extremely well for next season.

The Beavers knew that Fisher-Morris would be out of eligibility, but were perhaps caught by surprise with Speights, thus highlighting how important it was for OSU to get Mascarenas-Arnold fully immersed into the defensive system.

2023 Outlook

With Kyrei Fisher-Morris graduating and Omar Speights now in Baton Rouge, Mascarenas-Arnold now projects as one of the starters at the inside linebacker position.

Who exactly will be his running mate at the other inside linebacker position is very much the question, but regardless, Mascarenas-Arnold showed in 2022 that he's more than capable of being an effective, full-time starter for the Beavers.

Look for Mascarenas-Arnold to help the interior of the Oregon State defense not miss a beat as he's got all the physical tools to be a really good inside 'backer.

Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Trent Bray always talks about his ILBs having "stopping power" in the middle of the defense, and that's exactly what Mascarenas-Arnold brings to the table.

Additionally, I think the Beavers could actually project to be more athletic at the position with Mascarenas-Arnold as I think he's more effective in both pass coverage and run support. He showed last season with his pick-six against Washington that he can effectively pass cover and make athletic plays on the ball in addition to stopping ball carriers at the second level.

Mascarenas-Arnold is more than ready for the increased responsibility this season and I expect he'll help the Beavers not miss a beat in the heart of the defense...