First-year head coaches in college football tend to learn many lessons across their first season leading the charge. Oregon State Beavers head coach Trent Bray, hired as the head coach on Nov. 28, 2023, following the abrupt departure of their previous head coach, took his lumps in year one.
But ultimately, he should be judged by his program-building skills across a multiple-year time period. That begins in 2025, where we’ll break down what the offense and defense may look like as well as the teams outlook and expectations heading into next season.
How Can Beavers Head Coach Trent Bray Rebound in 2025 After Disappointing Season
The Beavers endured a disappointing season in Bray’s first season at the helm, finishing with a 5-7 record in their first season of the post-modern Pac-12 era. This earned Bray a ‘D’ in CSN’s report card for every first-year head coach in college football this past season.
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Bray was announced as the head man prior to the season after previous head coach Jonathan Smith left Corvallis to lead the Michigan State Spartans program, taking a handful of his players with him to East Lansing.
Formerly the defensive coordinator since 2021 for the Beavers, Bray was tasked with rebuilding a roster that had become decimated by transfer portal departures amid Smith’s exit — as well as conference realignment.
Oregon State and the Washington State Cougars were the only two schools in the Pac-12 that decided to stay put in the league after their conference TV deal negotiations fell through. The other 10 schools ended their membership with the conference and joined the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC.
That left the Beavers with a scheduling conflict, which they resolved by agreeing to a scheduling alliance with the Mountain West Conference that allowed them to play seven opponents in the MWC during the 2024 season.
All of this resulted in a turbulent season for Bray and the Beavers, as they faltered down the stretch, losing six of their final seven games after a promising 4-1 start.
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Inconsistent quarterback play, injuries, and inexperience led to much of the decline from 2023, when Oregon State posted an 8-5 record and was ranked as high as No. 12 in the country.
Just three seasons removed from going 10-3 and posting a top-20 total defense and top-40 total offense in the country, including a victory over the rival Oregon Ducks, Bray has his work cut out for him heading into next season.
We’ll take a deep dive into what the team will look like on both sides of the ball as well as a breakdown of what Bray needs to improve upon to secure his job and bring the Beavers back to relevance in 2025.
Offense
The backbone of Oregon State’s offense in recent seasons has been their offensive line. That group led the way once again in 2024, as the Beavers ranked 29th in the nation with 189.2 rushing yards per game.
The majority of the starters along the line won’t be back next season, but injuries forced younger players into key roles throughout the season. They’ll be better because of it come next year.
Returning starter at running back, Anthony Hankerson evolved into a star in 2024 after transferring from the Colorado Buffaloes. He led the team with 1,082 yards on 4.7 yards per carry and scored 15 touchdowns. Look for him to have an even bigger impact next season after establishing himself as the alpha in the backfield.
While the rushing offense was more than solid, the passing offense was putrid at times. Two quarterbacks, both gone from the program, started games, while a third, Gabarri Johnson, took significant snaps in multiple games. Johnson, a four-star recruit out of high school, remains on the roster.
The position will most likely be filled by incoming Duke Blue Devils transfer Maalik Murphy, who chose to join the Beavers after a successful season in the ACC. He amassed 2,933 yards while tossing 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Murphy will try to revitalize a passing attack that ranked 94th in the country in terms of pass yards per game last season.
He’ll have a solid group of promising receivers to throw to, including leading receiver and former walk-on Trent Walker. He led the team in receiving in 10 of 12 games, catching 81 passes for 901 yards and two touchdowns.
Fellow receiver Darrius Clemons, who began the season sidelined with a foot injury, had 25 receptions for 292 yards and two touchdowns across seven games. He ended the season by posting an eight-catch, 123-yard stat line against the College Football Playoff-bound Boise State Broncos, including a highlight-reel-worthy juke that led to a touchdown.
The cupboard is far from bare for offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson, but he’ll need to improve this unit from its slot as the 95th-ranked scoring offense in the nation in 2024.
Defense
The defense, a long-time advantage for the Beavers, was anything but last season. After Bray took over as head coach, Keith Hayward stepped up to fill the role of defensive coordinator and play-caller.
A year removed from giving up only 24.3 points per game in 2023, Heyward’s defense allowed over 31 points per game in 2024. Transfers had a big impact — but heading into next season, Hayward needs to right the ship.
The defensive line was notably lackluster, to the point that they were the worst in the country in terms of sacks per game, with just 0.58. They were no better in the run game — they finished 130th in tackles for loss per game as well.
Linebacker Nikko Taylor, who led the Beavers in sacks and forced fumbles, transferred to join the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets following the season. Second-leading tackler, fellow linebacker Isaiah Chisom, left as well, joining the UCLA Bruins.
Soon-to-be sophomore linebacker Dexter Foster will be expected to fill a big role next season after recording 43 total tackles last season, including a season-high 13 tackles against the Air Force Falcons.
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The passing defense, which ranked a solid 55th in the country, loses key cornerback Jaden Robinson, who declared for the NFL Draft. Leading tackler, junior defensive back Skylar Thomas, returns — he also defensed nine passes and notched an interception. Defensive back Jack Kane, a junior as well, also returns after leading the team with two interceptions and a forced fumble.
The defensive unit as a whole forced only 12 turnovers across the entire season, tied for 110th in the nation. They fell to 98th in total defense.
Bray is expected to take over play-calling duties in 2025, something he did while leading above-average defenses from 2021-2023 with Oregon State. The importance of — at the very least — an average defense will allow the Beavers more room for error next season.
Outlook Heading Into 2025
The main goal over the course of the offseason and into the fall for Bray should be to develop an identity for his football team.
In past years, they were a ground-and-pound offense with an in-your-face, physical style of defense. In 2024, while the rushing attack excelled, the lack of complimentary football was evident. When the rushing attack worked, the passing attack didn’t.
While the secondary was solid, the pass-rush up front was nonexistent. Everything had to go right for the Beavers to win, especially after the losses began to pile up.
Establishing an identity to fall back on will be key. The offensive line will replenish like they have in years past. Hankerson should continue his bulldozing ways, opening up the play-action pass game for Murphy. Walker will be his go-to target with Clemons a close second.
The defense is the question mark. Will the play-calling abilities of Bray just clear up all the issues that surrounded this side of the ball last season? Who will step up and lead the linebacking core? Can anyone on the defensive line become a consistent presence in the backfield? It will be something to monitor as spring and summer practices commence.
Now, after even more transfers have left, what should Bray and the Beavers’ goal be in 2025?
They play one of the strangest schedules that college football has ever seen. The scheduling agreement with the Mountain West didn’t carry over to 2025, so the Beavers had to piece together their own schedule.
It includes trips to the App State Mountaineers, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, and Oregon Ducks. The Sam Houston Bearkats and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns are among their home opponents. Imagine reading that just a year and a half ago.
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To top it all off, the Beavers will play Washington State twice — a home-and-home. The fact that both games are in the same month is head-scratching.
To put it simply, the schedule layout is extremely weird for Oregon State. But that’s not what truly matters.
What matters is how — and if — Bray can manage to turnaround the Beaver program, bringing it back to bowl-eligibility with aspirations for much more in the coming years.
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