Notes & Quotes From Oregon State HC Jonathan Smith

With Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith meeting the media on Thursday afternoon to give us various updates on the offseason, BeaversEdge.com recaps the zoom call in this edition of Notes & Quotes...

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NOTES

- Oregon State plans to start its offseason training regiment on January 19th, which will give the Beavers approximately six weeks in the program before starting spring practices.

- Head coach Jonathan Smith expects spring football to start in the first or second week of March. The Beavers will follow a similar practice schedule to that of the past which would involve several weeks of training in March followed by a break for spring break, then to return and wrap up in April.

- Defensive back Isaiah Dunn will also be declaring for the NFL Draft, joining Hamilcar Rashed & Nahshon Wright.

- Because of the nature of the recruiting landscape, Smith wasn't allowed to go into much detail about the Beavers' recruiting process, but he said that things are going very well on that end.

- Sam Vidlak, Omarion Fa'amoe, and Semisi Saluni are all on campus. Arnez Madison is expected to arrive next week.

- In terms of what the priority is for the Beavers on the recruiting trail, Smith said that offensive and defensive linemen are the main goals. He also said that he could see the Beavers adding another secondary player within the next month or so. There's also a possibility for another running back.

- As far as injuries go, Smith said that he expects linebacker Avery Roberts, who suffered a broken arm late in the season, to be limited for most of spring practice. Addison Gumbs, who missed the entire 2020 season with a hamstring injury will hopefully be healthy and ready to go by spring. David Morris, who dealt with several health issues this season should also be ready to go by spring. Tristan Gebbia, who suffered a season-ending hamstring injury against Oregon, is doubtful for the early part of spring, but there's a hope he could be back near the back end.

- Smith said that the majority of the COVID-19 opt-outs from the 2020 season will be back this season. JoJo Forest should be back per Smith, but the remainder are still in question for the moment. At this point, we knew of Jonathan Riley, Onesimus Clarke, & Jeromy Reichner as the other opt-outs.

QUOTES

Jonathan Smith reflects on 2020 season, talks offseason priorities:

"We're really taking the month of January to self-scout and break down our film in detail. We want to find ways that we can improve... I thought our offensive line, tight ends included, did a great job in the seven games. Having the entire offensive line coming back next year with Teagan (Quitoriano) and Luke (Musgrave), we've got high expectations for them.

Defensively, I think we took a step forward in run-defense, but we need to create more turnovers. I'm excited about the defensive group coming back, particularly at inside 'backer with Avery Roberts and Omar Speights."

Smith on utilizing the transfer portal:

"We've got a formula for the type of player that fits our program. When you look at the portal, you often find players that are older and more ready to play right away. It's going to be another avenue to build our roster. The majority of our transfers have been guys with multiple years, and we're wanting to be able to build them up in the program. The more time, they'll be better and better each year. Most of our portal transfers have been multi-year guys and that's not going to change."

Smith on the running back room

"We've got some talent there, but we're short on experience. BJ Baylor has some real talent and we have some real confidence in him. Calvin Tyler Jr. also got in the mix as well as he was able to get some experience this year. We're also excited about our young backs, Isaiah Newell will be a good player. Trey Lowe will also get a chance to get on the field as well. To wrap it all up, we've got talent, just need more experience."