Oregon State Football 2021 Position Analysis: Tight End

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With the 2021 Oregon State football season now firmly in the rearview, BeaversEdge kicks off the first of an article series analyzing how each position group fared throughout the season.

After starting with the offensive line, we now take a look at how the tight ends performed this past campaign...

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Teagan Quitoriano (Declared For NFL Draft)

Ralph Taufa'asau - Sr.

Luke Musgrave - Jr.

Jake Overman - So.

Tommy Spencer - So.

J.T. Byrne - Rs-Fr.

Gabe Milbourn - Rs-Fr

Quitoriano - Started all 13 games and caught 19 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns

Musgrave - Played in all 13 contests, starting nine. He caught 22 passes for 304 yards and one touchdown

Spencer - Played in all 13 games and recorded one catch for four yards vs Idaho

Overman - Played in all 13 contests & started against Utah State

Taufa'asau - 2 games played on special teams

Milbourn - DNP

Byrne - DNP

Armed with a veteran tight end in Teagan Quitoriano, and a rising No. 2 in Luke Musgrave, the Beavers entered the season with one of the better tight end tandems in the Pac-12.

Both could be receiving threats, but it was their ability to essentially act as extra offensive linemen in the run-blocking department that made them so valuable to Oregon State's offensive scheme in 2021.

While the stat totals of 522 receiving yards and four touchdowns aren't eye-popping, it was the second-best mark for total tight end production during the Jonathan Smith era, coming in just behind the production from the 2019 group. Both Quitoirano and Musgrave made big plays for the Beavers in 2021, but there was still a sense that both could have been utilized more as receivers.

In terms of what will be the biggest priority heading into this next year, it's going to be how to get the guys more involved in the passing game. This group has proven to be stout run-blockers every season under Smith, now it's time we see the receiving yards grow in a big way.

Despite losing Quitoriano to the NFL Draft, this group is in pretty good shape heading into spring and ultimately this next campaign thanks to some terrific depth built up by position coach Brian Wozniak.

Piece by piece over the past couple of recruiting cycles, the Beavers have steadily made sure that they've got quality depth at the position and now we're starting to see the fruits of that labor.

Heading into this next season, Musgrave should prime to take on Quitoriano's No. 1 spot after having his best collegiate season in 2021, while talented up and comers Jake Overman & Tommy Spencer have multiple seasons to ready themselves for a bigger opportunity.

Ralph Taufa'asau will provide some veteran depth, while redshirt freshmen J.T. Byrne & Gabe Milbourn will likely be eager to work their way into the mix. Incoming freshman Jack Velling will provide more depth when he arrives in the summer.

Offensive Line

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