8/3/2023 football Edit

Oregon State Fall Camp Nuggets: Uiagalelei Impresses On Day 1

Brenden Slaughter & T.J. Mathewson

BeaversEdge.com Staff

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With the Oregon State football team taking to the Prothro Practice Fields on Thursday, BeaversEdge gives you the latest inside scoop from Corvallis including first and second-team rotations for offense and defense, QB observations, and much more!

Man, was it good to get back to the Prothro practice fields and watch some Oregon State Fall Camp practice... A lot of first-day rust, but still plenty to note. Here’s everything that happened in Corvallis...

- The energy seemed a little low for a first practice back. It very well could’ve been the fact they spent most of it going through basic drills (only one short live session at the end of practice), but it was definitely something to note. Jonathan Smith acknowledged it was good to have some actual football to focus on instead of off-the-field realignment drama.

- Smith emphasized how much work DJ Uiagalelei put in with the other receivers in the offseason, and that chemistry showed off in the first practice. The junior QB looked significantly more comfortable in the pocket, anticipating where his receivers would be in their routes.

- My favorite throw of his came on a rollout to his left. DJ threw on the breaks on the far hash marks, stepped up to dodge the pass rush, and fired a rocket to Jesiah Irish coming back to the football. Really showing off that arm strength...

- Guys on the “best shape of their life” list: Aiden Chiles, Isaiah Newell, Jack Velling, Damien Martinez, Riley Sharp, Sione Lolohea, Jake Overman, and Joshua Gray to name a few are some guys that caught our eye today as being in great shape. The Beavers definitely attacked the weight room this offseason and it showed up in a big way today.

- True freshman edge rusher Zakaih Saez had a notable highlight in practice today as he beat his man off the edge and have a would-be sack of Chiles… Saez was running with the third-team defense, but making a play like that right out of the gate caught my eye. He’s got a ton of potential and could become quite the effective edge for the Beavers in the seasons to come…

Here’s a look at the first-team offense

QB - DJ Uiagalelei / Ben Gulbranson

RB - Damien Martnez

WR - Jamai East

WR - Silas Bolden

WR - Jesiah Irish

TE - Jake Overman / Jack Velling

LT - Joshua Gray

LG - Heneli Bloomfield

C - Jake Levengood

RG - Tanner Miller

RT - Taliese Fuaga

To read the entire nugget report, including the first-team defense, second-team rotations, and more in-depth analysis, CLICK HERE