Q & A with Oregon State OC Brian Lindgren

Oregon State offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren met with the media via zoom to discuss the latest on the team in terms of digital communication, the changes in recruiting, Isaiah Hodgins and the other potential draftees, Tristan Gebbia, Chance Nolan, and more...

BeaversEdge.com Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter was on the call and has all the latest from the Beavers' OC.

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Q: How has this transition been for you and your family?

Brian Lindgren: "It's been crazy adjusting to it all. It's been good for me to be able to be home to spend more time with my kids than I normally would, but I think everyone in my family just tried to get adjusted to having everyone in the house at the same time. My wife getting used to having me and the kids home has been an interesting deal, but we're all healthy and we're getting used to it as we all move along. Coach Smith has been really aware of making sure that we coaches know our priority is our family right now."

Q: What's your communication like with the quarterbacks?

BL: "I'm meeting Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with the quarterbacks on zoom and we go for about half-hour, 45 minutes. It's been really good to make sure everyone is on the same page academically and then we've really started to dive into our spring install.

We've been able to go back through the stuff that we installed in the first four practices and then we're able to go through and show them what we would have installed later in spring with video. Obviously, physically taking the reps would be ideal, but we're making the most of this time.

Q: Talk a little about the QB battle... where does it stand?

BL: "It's too early to tell because we didn't see enough reps. If there was a clear cut favorite, we might have made a decision at the end of spring, but typically, working with coach Smith, we've let it go through the summer and make a decision then.

But it was too early to tell, particularly with Chance Nolan and Ben Gulbranson just getting into the mix. Those guys just didn't have enough opportunities, and I really thought they were going to take a big step this spring. Early on Tristan (Gebbia) had the leg up because of his familiarity with the system.

I'm really excited about Tristan. I thought he was thrown into a tough spot in the Civil War, but he did a lot of good things against a really good defense. I really like Tristan's mental makeup. He's a guy that can handle a lot and he has a gym rat mentality in terms of always wanting to learn more. He's grown a lot and he's really learned a lot since that game. Where he's maybe not as physically talented as Jake was, he makes up for it was a really good work ethic."

Q: What's been most valuable from the limited spring film?

BL: "There's a lot of teachable moments. Guys making mistakes or showing guys how they should react and interpret certain looks are things we try and teach. For instance, we had a walk through the day before everything got shut down where it was a blitz pickup drill against our defense and that film continues to be useful."

Q. Recruiting... how much has this dead period hurt you?

BL: "I think it's hurting us really. We had a lot of kids that were scheduled to come on whether it be unofficial visits or even April and May officials that won't happen since the dead period will extend through May. I think it's crucial to get those guys on campus and get them around our staff and see the culture we've built. Plus, you get them up in Corvallis in April, May, and June and it's beautiful here. It's been a big frustration for sure.

Q. Do you want to make Jermar Jefferson a bigger piece of the offense this year?

BL: "Last year we wanted Jermar to be a huge part of the offense, but he had those injuries. I see him being a huge part of our offense this year because it's going to center around him in the run game. But we've also got to be mindful of his touches to keep him healthy. We went into last year thinking he was going to be a major part of the offense and we're thinking the same this year."

Q: What are you selling scouts on your offensive potential draftees?

BL: Starting with Jake (Luton), he had a really good senior year and we've had a lot of ton teams reach out about him. He was really efficient this year and a lot of those eyes saw him perform well in our offense that was suited to his pro-style set. His system understanding is a huge advantage for him at the next level and his TD/INT ratio was impressive. He threw well at pro day and is in great shape. Isaiah Hodgins, Noah Togiai Blake Brandel, Gus Lavaka, and really all those guys we're selling the fact that they're all smart football players that can go into training camp and pick it up very quickly. They'll be in a good mental position from that standout."

Q: Talk about the impact of not having the offensive line get reps in spring.

BL: "There were some young guys that just hadn't played a lot of ball and hadn't been in those situations. They've kinda been in redshirt mode and now they're being asked to pick up blitzes and what not. There's so much pickup of movement that will be missed out on because our defense really just showed us vanilla looks early on. It's crucial for an offensive lineman to get those reps, but we've got to make the best of it and be the best virtual teachers we can be."

Q: If the college football season does start according to plan, how much do you think the lost time will be felt on the field?

BL: "Those first couple weeks will probably be a little more sloppy than usual with just about every team in the country missing out on some part of spring practice. That's a big install time and you usually build off that heading into fall camp. For us as coaches, we'll have to pull back on the install and keep it simple early-on so we can limit mistakes."