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#10 Fred Lauina - OG/RT
Fred Lauina is a 6-foot-4. 315-pound offensive lineman from Nuuuli, American Samoa. The senior has played in 33 career games (20 starts) for the Beavs and is the most experienced Oregon State offensive lineman on the roster.
Lauina has been a mainstay at guard during fall camp, especially while Gus Lavaka was dealing with a bicep injury and Kammy Delp was filling in. For awhile it looked like the O-line was set in stone with Blake Brendel (LT), Gus Lavaka (LG), Sumner Houston (C), Fred Lauina (RG) and Trent Moore (RT), but recently in practice the coaching staff switched Lauina and Moore, putting Fred Lauina in a critical tackle position.
The offensive and defensive line for Oregon State might be the biggest question marks heading into the 2017 season. If they can’t make plays and control the line of scrimmage it will be impossible for the rest of the play makers to really shine. It’s probably not a good sign that the coaching staff is tinkering with offensive line combinations less than two weeks until the big Colorado State game, but hopefully this group comes together and gels quickly. Kammy Delp still appears to be the first offensive lineman off the bench in case of injury or shaky line play and I would expect Delp to see a lot of playing time this year, even if he’s not an opening day starter. Keli’l Montibon and Yanni Demogerontas will also be prime candidates for playing time if the offensive line struggles early in the season.
The Beavers recruited a couple of standout junior college offensive tackles in Justin Sattelmaier and Clay Cordasco, but they haven’t challenged for a starting spot like many outsiders expected. Offensive line coach, T.J. Woods, recently talked about Justin and Clay telling Danny Moran of OregonLive “There's times where they look like they're merging on the freeway at 25 miles an hour. They're just not going fast enough. That's part of the process. That's not anything negative toward any one of those kids. It's just a process.”
Oregon State has the potential to have a very good offensive line in 2017. They have talented offensive lineman, even if they aren’t yet battle-tested. The Beavers will need to rely on Lauina’s experience and leadership, if they want to have a successful year though.
The List So Far:
#10: Fred Lauina - OG/RT