DJU? Gulbranson? Beavs QB Competition “A Dead Heat” in Spring Ball.
By STEVEN VAUGHAN, 750 THE GAME
Ten wins. Las Vegas Bowl victory. An unforgettable comeback win over the rival Oregon Ducks. A former five-star quarterback transferring in from Clemson.
The Oregon State Beavers had a great season in 2022 but expectations in Corvallis are sky high for 2023.
But are fans too quick to assume DJ Uiagalelei will be the starting quarterback?
Nick Daschel, who covers the program for The Oregonian, said the competition so far is neck-and-neck between DJ and the returning Ben Gulbranson.
“There are six practices left (this spring). I mean at this point, it’s a dead heat,” Daschel told John Canzano on 750 The Game. “No one ever expected either one to win the job this spring. It’s gonna go right down to the last week of fall camp in August. And it wouldn’t surprise me if they let it bleed into the non-conference thing to get a fair read.”
Uiagalelei seemed to be the favorite for the job once he transferred in from Clemson, but Daschel says he is still adjusting to a brand new offense.
“It’s not like DJ has come in and blown everyone away,” he said. “And I think it’s kind of unfair to think he would, because he’s never really played under center. That’s a good part of Oregon State’s offense. He’s never worked with these receivers. Gulbranson has worked with them for three-plus years.
“You know at this point it’s a dead heat. But, when they get to the end of August, whoever wins this job, they’ve got to be able to hit some balls downfield.”
Daschel also points out that true freshman Aidan Chiles has shown flashes of promising talent but is likely not in the mix to start in 2023.
Oregon State hasn’t been afraid of the expectations, and have openly talked about their desire to get to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Championship game.
Daschel says the expectations of Beavers fans are just as high, if not higher.
“They won 10 games last year. They got a lot of guys back. They think they got the quarterback of the future. They got the big transfer. Come on. It’s gonna be 10 wins or bust! It doesn’t mean that’s what’s going to happen. But that’s gonna be the expectation from fans for sure.”
The Oregon State Beavers will have their spring showcase from Reser Stadium on Saturday, April 22nd.
Listen to the full interview with Nick Daschel by clicking the podcast below. And listen to the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano weekdays 3-6 p.m. in Portland exclusively on 750 The Game.
