Jonathan Smith Talks Oregon State's Quarterbacks

With the Oregon State football team three weeks into spring football, we've had a solid opportunity to see firsthand the quarterback derby between Chance Nolan, Ben Gulbranson, & Sam Vidlak.

With 2020 starter Tristan Gebbia on the shelf for spring as he continues to rehab from a season-ending hamstring injury and only three other quarterbacks on the roster in Nolan, Gulbranson, & Vidlak, it's opened up a ton of opportunity for those guys to showcase themselves.

Nolan, Oregon State's backup last season and starter for the remainder of the season after Gebbia went down, has struggled a bit with accuracy the first few weeks of spring but continues to showcase a lot of growth from where he was last season.

"You can tell he's a lot more comfortable in the scheme in regards to protections, plays, and checks at the line of scrimmage. He's really grown there," head coach Jonathan Smith said. "He still makes plays with his feet, so really like what he's done. He can be a little more accurate, but that's attributed a bit to the interchangeable receivers, but that's something we want to get cleaned up."

Gulbranson, who's taken a huge leap from where he was last season, has been neck-and-neck with Nolan as far as first-team rep distribution goes, and it's not hard to see why. He's been making throws well beyond his years and it's kept him firmly in the mix to the guy.

"Ben's had a really nice spring and has made some big-time throws from the pocket. He's always understood the offense more than a freshman, and that continues to show. He's had a nice camp."

Last but certainly not least, we arrive at freshman Sam Vidlak. For a kid who's technically a senior in high school to enroll early and be this efficient has been impressive. He's a little raw and needs some more opportunity in the system, but his potential is already blossoming.

"Sam really creates out there... For a guy who's supposed to be a senior in high school, after nine practices, he's well along. He's understanding the offense well, practicing well, and has a good arm."

Once spring practices wrap and the summer kicks off, Gebbia will rejoin the mix, adding even more experience, talent, and depth to a room that's already boasting some of the best talents we've seen in the Smith era.

"We're anxious to get Tristan back out here, but he's probably not going to get to go during spring. He's in line to have himself a big-time summer."

While it's a given that the Beavers will keep the quarterback competition open through fall camp, Smith and Co. have been very happy with what the three guys have shown them in spring.

"We're really pleased with the work ethic of that group. The comfort level of all three continues to grow, and we've had some really good competition between those three. They're pushing each other, yet are still being great teammates to each other at the same time.