Oregon State Football: Beavers excited about QB depth

While most of the spring quarterback derby attention has been focused on incumbent Tristan Gebbia and JUCO transfer Chance Nolan early on, the Beavers are showing that quarterback depth could be an ace up their sleeve this season.

The Beavers presumably have their guy in Gebbia for the upcoming season as he's the most seasoned and experienced as anyone in the QB room, but having depth to fuel competition is what leads to success.

Per Gebbia, having a QB room full of guys who are all familiar with one another being all from the state of California has helped build a strong camaraderie between the group.

"We've got a ton of great guys in the quarterback room and we've all got great chemistry together because we're from California," Gebbia said with a smile. "It's been a lot of fun and we all have a lot we can learn from each other."

Competition breeds success and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren has been impressed with quarterbacks Nick Moore and Ben Gulbranson as the duo shined during Tuesday's practice session.

Moore, who's the younger brother of Matt Moore and a current walk-on, has a strong grasp of the Beavers' playbook and has the ability to be calm under pressure.

"Nick has been around for a while and really understands the system," Lindgren said. "He's really comfortable out there. He's playing fast, seeing things well, and converted four of the five third-down situations we had today, which was really good to see."

Gulbranson, who's exceeded all expectations for a kid who should be in spring term of his senior year of high school, has flashed moments of being very special and Lindgren is very excited about what the future is going to hold with him eventually running the show.

"Ben is swimming a little bit as we're throwing a lot at him as far as the install goes, but really, he's still a senior in high school, so for him to be able to come out and make some throws is great to see. He's still got a long way to go, but he's gotten better each practice and I'm really excited about his future."

Added Gebbia: "Ben brings a humble and hungry mentality to the table and he's a really great guy. He's ready to learn and he brings a lot to the table in the quarterback room as far as competition goes."

There's a while between now and when the Beavers will name a starting quarterback but make no mistake, this is the most depth and talent that the team has had top-to-bottom in the QB room in some time and there's little doubt that it won't translate to better success on the field. Iron sharpens iron and that's what's got the Oregon State coaching staff excited about what their QB's are going to provide in the near future.