We are now 31 days from OSU football being back, which puts us officially within a month of Beaver football kicking off! As the march towards the season continues, so does our countdown of the 50 most important players on the Oregon State roster.

#29 - Noah Togiai - Tight End

Next on our list is our number one tight end, Noah Togiai. Togiai has had an up and down football career at Oregon State, largely due to his injury history. After a breakout sophomore season, Togiai required surgery on both of his ankles in the 2017 offseason to recover. Then, in an attempt to get back onto the field, the dynamic tight end rushed back to practice and injured his knee, setting him back even further. His stat sheet reflected the offseason injuries, as he only posted 10 catches for 77 yards. Part of that was due to not playing, but also on the fact that he was restricted by both the injuries and the coaching staff reigning him in.

What the stat sheet doesn’t tell you was that his development as a blocker was phenomenal. Since he was limited at the time by his injuries, he chose to hone his craft as a blocking tight end, and it showed by the year’s end. Togiai became one of the best, if not the best, blocking tight ends on the team. His development as a blocker and his potential as a receiver gives a lot of Oregon State fans optimism heading into the season. And rightfully so.

In his breakout sophomore year, Togiai amassed 34 catches for 461 yards. He saw his role on that Beaver team grow slowly but surely until he was a top target for the Beavers quarterbacks. Fast forward to 2019, in an offense that already features tremendous players such as Isaiah Hodgins, Trevon Bradford, Artavis Pierce and Jermar Jefferson, Togiai is faced with a crucial season to step up as a game-breaking tight end that could help put this squad over the top. Should Noah Togiai step up to the challenge, Beaver fans could be treated to one of the most dynamic offenses since the Brandin Cooks - Marcus Wheaton days.

Projected Stats

48 catches, 562 yards, 8 touchdowns