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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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MORE: Updated Football Scholarship Chart | JUCO WR Jailen Holmes Commits | Edge Top 25: No. 22 Alton Julian | Beavers Land DB Exodus Ayers | Inside The Dam: Several Notes On Top Targets
No. 21 Jack Velling
Bio
No. 88
6-foot-4, 240-pounds
Sophomore
Seattle Prep School
Seattle, Wash.
2022 Stats: Played in 11 games (seven starts) and made 16 catches for 281 yards and three touchdowns...
2022 Recap
A true-freshman three-star recruit, Velling wasn't expected to have a massive role in Oregon State's offense in 2022, but injuries opened the door for the Seattle native to get a full taste of D1 college football throughout his first campaign with the Beavers.
Luke Musgrave and Jake Overman were in line to handle most, if not all of the tight end duties in '22, but when Musgrave, the primary receiver of the duo, went down for the season in the win over Fresno State in week two, the coaching staff threw Velling into the mix with the hope he'd pick things up quickly and grow into a playmaker over the course of the campaign.
With Overman settling into the de-facto No. 1 tight end spot and mostly being featured as a blocker, Velling received most of the receiving reps at tight end, hauling in 16 receptions for 281 yards and three touchdowns.
Velling's best game of the season came against Washington State where he tallied four catches for 63 yards... he also recorded the longest reception by an OSU tight end in more than 20 years with a 60-yard touchdown reception against Colorado...
For his efforts, he was named College Football News Freshman All-America Honorable Mention...
2023 Outlook
Entering 2023, the Beavers are certainly expecting big things from Velling...
After being thrown into the fire as a true freshman in the wake of the season-ending injury to Musgrave, Velling proved himself in a big way, recording nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns.
Now, the Beavers will be looking for him to take another step forward in his game this offseason and emerge as even more of a playmaker in the receiving game.
Oregon State figures to have a more explosive passing attack this season with the influx of talent at the quarterback position and that's where someone like Velling could really thrive.
He'll have to compete with California transfer tight end Jermaine Terry for the receiving reps at tight end as the Beavers see Terry as a major asset in that department, but given that he didn't tally a ton of stats at Cal, Velling is currently the more seasoned receiving threat.
Riley Sharp will also factor into the mix as he moved over from outside linebacker in the offseason... it's not entirely sure what exactly his role will be, but he offers great size at 6-foot-6, 252 pounds, and is another intriguing addition.
Overall, I expect Velling to be the most consistent of all the tight ends this season... Regardless of whether it was out of necessity, the fact that the coaching staff had enough confidence in him as a true freshman to play and play as big of moments as Velling did tells me they believe he's got a very bright future...
It's not unreasonable to think that Velling could double his receiving output, as I have little trouble seeing him have a season where he has around 30-40 receptions for 500+ yards...
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