Oregon State HC Trent Bray To Take Over DC Duties

Just days after it was announced that former defensive coordinator Keith Heyward would resign, the Beavers know their plan for the future. BeaversEdge has confirmed that head coach Trent Bray plans to take over the defense in 2025 as de-facto DC.

Bray will likely still make a hire on the defensive side of the ball to help with the duties, but it is expected that it will be Bray's defense with him calling plays... It could still be one of the names from our V1.0 Hotboard...

We had this possibility listed in our DC Hotboard V1.0, but considering that only a select few defensive-minded head coaches call plays, Vanderbilt's Clark Lea and Middle Tennessee's Derek Mason do, it's a big-time statement from Bray that he can handle the extra responsibility.

Oregon State's defense allowed nearly 400 yards of total offense per game in 2024, which ranked 98th in the country. The Beavers were 56th against the pass, allowing 214 yards per game, but they allowed 186 yards per game on the ground, which ranked them 108th nationally. The Beavers' 29.9 points allowed ranked 101st nationally...

While it's not as common defensively, there are plenty of offensive-minded FBS head coaches who call plays, and that's been commonplace at the next level for quite a while now.

In other defensive news, we've confirmed that there will be a shuffling of the defensive responsibilities on the staff. As we mentioned we expect Bray to call plays and coach the inside linebackers, while AJ Cooper will help DBs and quality control coach Kharyee Marshall will help with outside linebackers.

Stick with BeaversEdge.com as we'll have continuing coverage of the offseason...

BeaversEdge writer Ryan Harlan contributed to this story

MORE: Beavers Announce Pickering, Heck As RB, TE Coaches | Transfer Analysis: LB Raesjon Davis | Beavers To Hire Ray Pickering | Scholarship Chart | Offseason Movement Tracker

• TALK ABOUT IT ON THE DAM BOARD

• SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE

• SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCASTS ON APPLE & SPOTIFY

• LIKE US & FOLLOW OUR FACEBOOK

• FOLLOW THE STAFF ON TWITTER - @Beavers_Edge, @b_slaught, @RivalsDylanCC, & @ryan_harlan