Published May 19, 2017
Oregon State Spring Analysis: Offensive Line
circle avatar
Brenden Slaughter  •  BeaversEdge
Publisher
Twitter
@b_slaught

Now that OSU’s spring practice is in the books, BeaversEdge.com is diving into each of the Beavers' position groups post-spring and priming you for the fall by breaking it all down.

Catch up on our preview spring analysis stories in the links below.

Oregon State Spring Analysis: Defensive Line | Safeties | Outside Linebackers| Cornerbacks | Inside Linebackers | Tight Ends | Wide Receivers

Advertisement

Who's Gone?

Gavin Andrews

Dustin Stanton

Sean Harlow

Will Hopkins (Hopkins decided to transfer recently for his last year of eligibility)

Sosaia Tauaho

Bobby Keenan

Brayden Kearsley

Given that three of these guys are currently with an NFL team, the Beavers will definitely have a void to fill. Sean Harlow was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, and Stanton and Andrews found homes with the Bengals and Bills, respectively. They were absolute gamers on the offensive line, particularly with run blocking. The way that they played as a unit in the Civil War was most impressive. These three guys will not be easy to replace. It’s disappointing to see a guy like Brayden Kearsley not make it after being a former four star recruit. Guys like Hopkins, Keenan, and Tauaho never were able to consistently crack the rotation.

Who's Back?

Fred Lauina, SR

Kammy Delp, JR

Sumner Houston, JR

Trent Moore, JR

Yanni Demogerontas, JR

Gus Lavaka, SO

Miki Fifita, SO

Blake Brandel, SO

Who's Coming In?

Clay Cordasco, JR

Justin Sattelmaier, SO

Onesimus Lutu-Clarke, FR

Travis MacKay, FR

Brock Wellsfry, FR

Of all of the incoming players, I only expect Cordasco and Sattelmaier to play. Unless massive injuries pile up, it doesn’t appear that Lutu-Clarke, MacKay, and Wellsfry are headed anywhere other than a redshirt year. Cordasco and Sattelmaier are D1 ready, while the others could use a redshirt year to get bigger, faster, and stronger. But keep your eye on Lutu-Clarke, Cordasco, and Sattelmaier. When I spoke with Gary Andersen last month he was really impressed with all three of those guys, and just maybe one of them will sneak up to a starting job in fall camp.

Spring Analysis

The biggest storyline in spring was Sumner Houston’s transition from the defensive line to the offensive line and particularly, the center position. And he handled it very very well. All throughout spring, he played extremely consistently despite having to snap the ball to three and sometimes four different quarterbacks, not to mention the difficulty of snapping the ball in a shotgun formation to a 6’7 quarterback like Jake Luton and a 6’0 quarterback like Darell Garretson.

Other than Houston’s transition, the rest of the offensive line was a bit like musical chairs for most of the spring with many guys trying out different positions on the offensive line. However, what I was most pleased with when it came to o-line play in spring ball was their ability to run and pass block. The Beavers have struggled to protect their quarterback at times in the past few years, and it really seemed like they were able to give their QB 1-2 more seconds of time to throw compared to in the fall. The Beavers will have the challenge of replacing three starters who are now in the NFL, but given the talent they have, OSU should be able to find another group of offensive lineman who will shine in Corvallis.

Spring Superlatives

MVP, Sumner Houston

Houston burst onto the scene day one of spring ball when he was taking reps with the first team at the center position. When I first heard the news that he was moving to the offensive line, I was skeptical, but his consistent play in spring really impressed me. He has tremendous footwork and has a very high football IQ. He wins MVP here because there are very few guys on any football team that can change from defense to offense and be versatile enough to play at a high level when you first make the position change.

Biggest surprise, Blake Brandel

Brandel earns the nod of biggest surprise because of his improvement in the offseason. When I first talked to him in the spring, I was surprised at how much stronger he was compared to the end of the 2016 season. Not to mention, his work ethic is outstanding. He was always one of the last players to leave practice this spring and that work ethic has clearly paid off as the coaching staff sees him as a guy who can play multiple positions on the offensive line. Last season he primarily played RG or RT. This season is appears he is poised to take over Sean Harlow’s spot at LT. Strong praise for the young redshirt sophomore.

Most underrated, Fred Lauina

What can you say about Fred Lauina that hasn’t been said already? He is one of the last Riley recruits on the offensive line and has been a model of consistency ever since he came to OSU. Whether it’s being a starter or being the top reserve, Lauina is one of those guys who is just a glue guy. He is the most underrated because he can play several different positions on the offensive line and has always been one of OSU’s most consistent lineman wherever he does play.

Projected Depth Chart

Starters

LT- Blake Brandel, LG: Gus Lavaka, C: Sumner Houston, RG: Fred Lauina, RT: Trent Moore

Bench players that will provide depth

Justin Sattelmaier, Clay Cordasco, Yanni Demogerontas, Kammy Delp