Evaluating Oregon State’s 2017 Recruiting Class (Before National Signing Day)

National Signing Day is less than 24 hours away. Recruits can start sending in their National Letters of Intent starting at 7 a.m. (local time for the recruit). Meaning recruits from the east coast can start faxing in their signed NLI’s as early as 4 a.m. PT. It’s going to be a busy day for Gary Andersen and his coaching staff and there is bound to be a few surprises, because its not official until these players sign on the dotted-line.

The coaching staff have focused on rebuilding the offensive line (5 commits), wide receivers (7 commits) and the secondary (2 safety’s & 3 cornerbacks).

The Beavers are expected to sign at least 24 recruits for the 2017 class, but that number could climb up to 26 if the chips fall their way.

Check out the full list below with predictions on a few uncommitted guys:

Verbal Commits (+ 5 Early Signees)

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Isaiah Hodgins was one of the early enrollees and is Oregon State’s top ranked recruit. The 4 star recruit picked the Beavers over some of the top schools in the nation. He’s also been one of the Beavers best recruiters, helping to land Trajon Cotton and others.

David Morris has been committed to Oregon State since May. He’ll be a big part of Oregon State’s future and is a natural leader. He’s being recruited as a linebacker, but is talented enough to play on either side of the ball. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, but the similarities to Ryan Nall are striking.

Next up is another early enrollee, Kolby Taylor. The talented WR fractured his leg and missed his senior season, but should be fully healthy for the Beavs. Taylor’s injury is unfortunate, but could be a blessing in disguise for Oregon State because they picked up an absolute stud.

The record breaking quarterback from Ventura College comes to Corvallis with plenty of hype. He’ll join an intense competition to become the Oregon State’s opening day starter. The quarterback battle between Jake Luton, Marcus McMaryion and Darell Garretson will be one of the top storylines to watch throughout the summer.

Trajon Cotton just recently committed to Oregon State and was a huge addition to the Beavers secondary. With Devin Chappell and Treston Decoud moving on to bigger and better things; Cotton has the potential to compete for early playing time and could make an impact as a true freshman.

Craig Evans is a self-proclaimed savage and will help boost Oregon State’s defensive line immediately. The junior college transfer committed to the Beavers largely due to his relationship with Coach Andersen. The former Michigan State player has had an unconventional journey since graduating high school, but seems to have found a home in Corvallis and could become an impact player for the Beavs.

Justin Sattelmaier is a big and long offensive tackle. He could use more work on his technique but has the potential to earn a starting job at one of the tackle positions in his first year with the Beavers. If Sattelmaier continues to develop he could become a staple for Oregon State’s offensive line.

Dionte Sykes is another top-notch wide receiver. Sykes hails from the junior college ranks and can give the Beavers another big target on the outside. Grades could become an issue for Dionte Sykes, but the coaching staff as shown a willingness to work with guys in the classroom and stick with them through their ups and downs (see Christian Wallace/Isaac Garcia).

Charles Moku Watson is one of my favorite recruits in this class. The former Washington State commit is an excellent athlete and has great size as a safety prospect. He also tweeted out that he was going to bring Kesi Ah-Hoy (his high school teammate and 3-star RB/LB) to Oregon State.

Calvin Tyler Jr. is an explosive running back from California. The 5-foot-9 running back will be a perfect replacement for Paul Lucas, who decided to transfer and can add another dimension to Oregon State’s offense as a speed back/pass-catching threat out of the backfield.

Aaron Short is a talented WR and another junior college transfer. He’s less-heralded than a couple of the other receivers in this class, but could end up having the biggest impact his first year with the Beavs.

Jeffery Manning Jr. originally committed to UCLA, but since picking Oregon State has been all in. He’s been actively recruiting fellow recruits to Corvallis and was high school teammates with Arex Flemings and Jamire Calvin. He’s also a very talented defensive back that has a bright future.

Aidan Willard will likely redshirt his freshman season, but is poised to one day become Oregon State’s starting quarterback. Willard also quarterbacked the “TMP Mafia” team (an elite 7-on-7 training team in California), so he has instant connections with fellow Oregon State recruits and TMP teammates: Isaiah Hodgins, Trajon Cotton and Isaiah Dunn.

Quantino Allen has been committed to Oregon State for quite some time and has never wavered from his commitment despite the plethora of wide receiver recruits that have committed after him. The speedster from Florida could become an impact player with the Beavers quicker than fans expect.

Travis Mackay is a great offensive line prospect from Central Catholic high school. He’ll need to bulk up and learn the speed of the college game, but will be an excellent addition to the Beavers frontline.

Brock Wellsfry is in the same boat as Travis. Both are excellent offensive line prospects, but will need to refine their techniques as they spend time in Oregon State’s strength and conditioning program. Look for them to spend a year redshirting before they start opening holes for Nall and company.

Kaleb Hayes is a 3-star WR recruit and is a dynamic playmaker. This class is deep and stacked with playmakers and it will be interesting to watch the players who thrive under that competitive environment.

Isaiah Dunn committed to Oregon State recently while on his official visit. The defensive back joins his fellow TMP teammates and will provide excellent depth to the Beavers secondary. Which is something they desperately need.

Arex Flemings isn’t your typical WR recruit. At just 5-foot-5 and 137-pounds he won’t be winning a ton of jump balls, but Flemings is a baller. He’s quick as lightning and is deadly in open space. Also, Oregon State has a history of success utilizing smaller playmakers (Rodgers brothers, Brandin Cooks, Victor Bolden etc).

Justin Gardner is a talented defensive back from Georgia. At 6-foot-2 he has great size for a defensive back. It seems the past two seasons Oregon State has been in dire need for depth in the secondary, so these new recruits will be welcomed with open arms.

Onesimus Lutu-Clarke wasn’t as highly recruited as some of Oregon State’s other recruits, but he also held offers from Hawaii and BYU. Lutu-Clarke could develop into a very talented offensive lineman though. And the coaching staff seems higher on him than many recruiting services.

Josh Bowcut was high school teammates with David Morris (Sherwood). The 6-foot-5 defensive tackle has a nice frame and great potential. Bowcut will sign with Oregon State, but will leave on a 2 year church mission. So, look for him Bowcut to start his freshman season in 2019 and likely redshirt as he works his way back in shape.

BJ Baylor is another speedy running back from the state of Texas. Baylor was just a 2 star recruit, but was extremely productive in high school. BJ Baylor will likely redshirt, but anything can happen once they put the pads on.

Clay Cordasco is the last of the junior college transfers. Cordasco has an interesting story. After high school he figured his football career was over and was unaware of junior college football. Until a family member brought the Maine product to Los Angeles where he’s turned into a dominate junior college offensive tackle. Cordasco while not highly ranked could become a key cog on Oregon State’s offensive line and is in position to contribute immediately.

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Potential Commits

Kesi Ah-Hoy was high school teammates with Charles Moku Watson and is committed to the University of Hawaii. The linebacker/running back prospect has good size and speed and would be a great get for Oregon State. Ah-Hoy maybe verbally committed to Hawaii, but all signs point to him signing with the Beavers tomorrow on National Signing Day.

Prediction: Oregon State Beavers

George Moore is an absolute monster on the offensive line. The 4 star recruit recently picked up an offer from Oregon and has received a lot of attention from tons of different schools and his short list appears to be: Oregon, Oregon State, Baylor, Arizona State and Auburn. The Beavers have made him a priority in their recruiting efforts and have shown a willingness to be in these types of recruiting battles. He’s making his official announcement tonight so stay tuned.

Prediction: Oregon Ducks

Juliano Falaniko is currently committed to USC, but it is not likely to stay that way. The Beavers are making a hard push to land the linebacker, but so are other top schools.

Prediction: Oregon Ducks

This is admittedly a bit of a stretch since Jamire Calvin is currently verbally committed to Nebraska and the Cornhuskers have been the favorite to sign him for quite sometime. When he originally committed to Oregon State it was actually quite a surprise, but Jamire and Arex Flemings (see above) have a very good relationship and want to play together. Also, just check out these cryptic tweets that Jamire Calvin has been tweeting out lately.

Calvin’s final two schools after decommitting from Oregon State were Washington State and Nebraska, so it’s a little far-fetched to see him signing with the Beavers, but stranger things have happened on signing day. Stay tuned...

Prediction: Nebraska Cornhuskers

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Overall, the Beavers are looking at a very strong recruiting class. The class will likely be a top-50 recruiting class and could potentially be a top-40 recruiting class. The Beavers have lost a number of top recruits though (TJ Green, Jamire Calvin etc.), but the staff has shown a willingness to compete with top schools for these types of recruits and they’ve won a number of recruiting battles with some of the best schools in the nation. Beaver fans should be excited about Oregon State’s future moving forward.