Column: Oregon State Strikes It Rich With Damir Collins

The Oregon State football program took a big step forward on Wednesday towards bringing the program back to national relevance as the Beavers landed one of the top prospects in the state in Jefferson running back Damir Collins.

The dynamic and electric athlete was a high priority target for the Beavers from the beginning and their blitzkrieg approach to his recruitment proved to be quite effective.

Whether it was daily phone calls, texts, or social media graphics consistently pushed out, Collins felt valued at Oregon State and that speaks volumes to the level of closing ability that position coach Michael Pitre has.

We've talked over and over again about how Pitre has been able to get "his guy" in each of the recruiting cycles since he's been in Corvallis, but landing Collins feels just a little more special.

The 5-foot-9, 184-pound back is a different mold than the Beavers' previous two running back classes as Isaiah Newell and Ta'Ron Madison are more in between the tackles runners compared to Collins who's more of an Artavis Pierce type build and frame.