It's another edition of the Three & Out as Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter and Recruiting Analyst Jared Halus give their take on news relevant to Oregon State sports and recruiting.

This week, Slaughter and Halus dive into the Beavers uptick in social media presence, the recruiting dead period, and future Beavers in the class of 2020 that could be getting slept on.

It's a good time to be in Corvallis.

While there's not a lot of team action set to start until fall camp begins in August, there's still a lot going on at Valley Football Center as the team begins their march toward the grind that the next season will bring.

While the offseason has largely brought us big-time recruiting news for the future of the program, one of the more impressive storylines has been the continued upward swing of perception in Corvallis.

To put it bluntly, there wasn't much to be positive about when it came to talking about the program prior to Smith's arrival, and while the job is far from finished, the way that Smith's culture and image have grown and spread so quickly has been impressive.

While expectations aren't exactly sky high for the Beavers this season, they're operating and doing all the things that a winning team does, and that's a credit to the culture that Smith and Co. are building each and every day.

Winning in the classroom.

Building chemistry off the field.

Believing in the vision.

These are just some of the areas where the team has improved in the offseason and thanks to an uptick in social media presence, recruits talking up the program, and message that's working on the recruiting trail, the Beavers are cementing a culture Corvallis.

- Brenden Slaughter

Tualatin linebacker John Miller committed to Oregon State back in December, and would stand alone as the only member of the 2020 class until quarterback Ben Gulbranson pledged to the Beavers in the middle of May.

Since then, coach Jonathan Smith and staff have mashed on the gas, adding nine more players in less than two months. They picked things up at the right time, as the end of June marks the beginning of one of the NCAA’s recruiting dead periods.

What is a dead period, you ask?

A dead period is a span in which college coaches are not allowed to have any face-to-face contact with any college-bound athletes or their parents. Whether it is at a football game, a camp, a training session or even something as simple as a restaurant, no words can be exchanged between the coach and the recruit.

With all of that being said, that does not mean the dead period isn’t a time to recruit. Though there is no face-to-face contact allowed, coaches are still allowed to talk with players through various forms of communication such as text, email, social media, etc.

Because of the restrictions, players will often use the dead period as down time to screw their heads on straight after experiencing the crazy world of recruiting, think about their options, and enjoy their summer.

The dead period will last until July 24th, and all forms of communication can then resume.

- Jared Halus

The first commit in the 2020 class, John Miller boasts the ideal size for what the Beavers are looking for at the inside 'backer position.

The No. 2 recruit in the the state of Oregon, Miller represents one of two committed Oregonians in the class, alongside fellow linebacker Jason (Junior) Walling. While Oregon State wasn't able to land several of the other "big fish" in the Oregon class, Miller is a guy that I'm really excited about.

It's always exciting when you get homegrown guys on the roster and it's an even bigger bonus when they're as talented as Miller. With Oregon recruiter Jake Cookus having a knack for finding hidden gems, I'd be willing to bet that Miller is going to be a guy that rises up quickly once he gets too Corvallis.

- Brenden Slaughter

To put it simply, Tommy Spencer is an up-and-comer.

At six-foot-five, 240-pounds, Spencer has fantastic size for a power five tight end, and has solid film to go with it.

Spencer committed to the Beavers less than one month after receiving his first offer from San Diego State on May 28th.. Shortly after, Oregon State would follow with an offer of their own, and it was all orange from there.

Things will continue to pick up for Spencer as he continues to develop and perform throughout his senior season, and he has not seen the last of his offers.

- Jared Halus