Notes & Quotes From Oregon State HC Jonathan Smith

With Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith meeting the media on Saturday afternoon to discuss day nine of spring football, BeaversEdge.com recaps the zoom call in this edition of Notes & Quotes...

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Notes

- Smith confirmed that quarterback Tristan Gebbia will not be participating in spring practices. After suffering a torn hamstring against Oregon midway through the 2020 season, Gebbia's recovery was set to be lengthy, but there was an outside chance he'd return at some point in spring. Smith said that won't be the case as he's planning on being 100% to start the summer, setting himself up for an ideal fall camp return.

- Linebackers Addison Gumbs (hamstring) & Avery Roberts (arm), who are both working back from season-ending injuries in 2020, continue to make solid progress towards a return. We wrote about Roberts on Thursday, while Smith said Gumbs is in a similar place as far as a return timeline goes. It's quite likely that neither will get much live work this spring, but it's very good to hear that both should be 100% by the start of summer.

- As we noted in our Tuesday Nuggets, the punting competition is primarily between Luke Loecher and Josh Green. Smith said he likes what he's seen out of both guys and the lefty/righty mix gives them a lot of versatility in a given situation.

- Speaking of special teams, Smith confirmed that 2020 starter Everett Hayes is the clear leader as far as kicking duties go. He added that he nailed a couple of key red zone attempts during today's session.

- Smith also added that defensive lineman Jeromy Reichner, who we've seen take reps with the second unit in recent practices, is officially back to 100%. He mentioned that he made several plays during Saturday's session on the interior of the defensive line and looks good.

- Defensive tackle Jordan Whittley, who was working on the side this week with strength and conditioning coach Mike McDonald, continues to make good progress per Smith.

- According to Smith, receiver Tyjon Lindsey was recently in a motorcycle accident and that's why he's been absent. Smith said that's he's okay and it wasn't a serious injury. He added there's a chance Lindsey could return to the practice field in the next couple of weeks.

Quotes

Jonathan Smith on what the spring game could look like with a low number of receivers

"We're going to adjust around our health for sure, we're not going to put our guys at risk just because we're low on numbers. We're still planning on having a spring game. (We're) a little low on receivers, but we can adjust by adding in a couple of tight ends or running backs. We're adjusting so we're not wearing those guys out, but we're getting a lot of work done.

Smith on what he wants to accomplish down the stretch of spring

"We're going to add in a little more schematically on both sides, implement some situational end of the game stuff, some goal-line things, but more than anything, we want to continue to build skill and get better. We need some reps on both sides of the ball in regards to our scheme and we need some more turns to tighten up the details. We've got a lot to accomplish the next couple of weeks."

Smith on wide receiver Zeriah Beason

"He's a good player, he really is. And we're still talking about a youngster, last fall was his first fall. He's taken a step in his game, he's confident, and he's making a lot of plays out there. He deserves to play well because he's one of the hardest working guys we've got, the game really means a lot to him."