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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 2024 roster.
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No. 19 DJ Wesolak
Bio
No. 13
6-foot-3, 261-pounds
Rs-Sophomore
Boonville, Mo.
Boonville HS
2023 Stats: DNP (Played in five games as a Tr-Fr. in 2022)
2023 Recap/2022 Look Back
As a member of the Missouri Tigers in 2023, Wesolak didn't see action and elected to hit the transfer portal at the end of the season. As a true freshman in 2022, Wesolak played in five games, not recording any statistics.
Coming out of Booneville High School in Missouri, Wesolak was one of the top defensive players in the country. He was the 14th-best edge-rusher per Rivals and was the fourth-best player in Missouri and the 185th-best player in the country regardless of position.
During his high school career, he totaled 119 tackles with 17 sacks and two fumble recoveries.
He boasted over 45 offers out of HS, including Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Clemson, Cal, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Texas, USC, Washington, and numerous others.
2024 Outlook
After not seeing action in his second year with the Tigers, Wesolak decided it was time to hit the transfer portal and ultimately followed former Missouri teammate Gabarri Johnson to Corvallis.
His arrival is sorely needed for an Oregon State outside linebacker room that was gutted by way of graduations and departures this offseason. Gone are the likes of Drew Chatfield, John McCartan, Cory Stover, and to an extent Hybrid Sione Lolohea, who played nearly every snap at OLB last season.
The 6-foot-3, 261-pounder is one of the more talented players on the roster as far as accolades coming out of high school and it's not often the Beavers land guys who were this high of recruits at one point. If can reach the billing he had coming out of HS, the Beavers could have a real game changer on their hands.
In terms of his size and how well he moves and makes plays on the field, he reminds me a lot of Chatfield, and their journeys are somewhat similar as well. Chatfield came to OSU with more experience than Wesolak, but Wesolak was the higher-rated recruit out of high school and both came to OSU from SEC programs looking for a bigger role.
While Wesolak is a bit short on experience, based on what we saw in spring where he was regularly running with the 1s and 2s, I wouldn't be surprised to see him lock down one of the EDGE rusher spots come the start of the season.
It may take Wesolak some time to get into rhythm, perhaps even the early part of the season, but once it clicks for him the Beavers are going to have a big-time backfield disruptor on their hands.
Previously
Honorable Mentions + Just Missed
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