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Oregon State Football: 2020 Position Preview - Wide Receivers

Losing Hodgins is big, but the Beavs have depth coming back

By Hayden Tharp
Oregon State v. UCLA

The Situation

With leading receiver Isaiah Hodgins forgoing his senior year to leave for the NFL, the Beavers will be looking for other receivers to make big strides in production going into next season. It’s no secret that Hodgins was the focal point OSU’s passing game, so those targets that would have been his, will likely be spread out to a multitude of returning receivers next season. But that leaves us with a question: who is going to get those extra targets?

The Wide Receivers

Oregon State v. UCLA
  • #1 - Tyjon Lindsey (RS JR / 5’ 9”, 189 lbs)
  • #5 - Kolby Taylor (RS JR / 5’ 11”, 210 lbs)
  • #8 - Trevon Bradford (RS SR / 6’ 0” 183 lbs)
  • #9 - Tre’Shaun Harrison (JR / 6’ 1” 193 lbs)
  • #13 - Jesiah Irish (RS SO / 5’ 11” 163 lbs)
  • #14 - I’Shawn Stewart (RS SO / 5’ 10” 160 lbs)
  • #15 - Anthony Gould (RS FR / 5’ 8” 168 lbs)
  • #16 - Champ Flemings (RS JR / 5’ 5” 142 lbs)
  • #18 - Zeriah Beason (FR / 6’ 0” 193 lbs)
  • #27 - Rweha Munyagi Jr. (RS SO / 6’ 1” 196 lbs)
  • #82 - Job Dockery (RS JR / 5’ 11” 195 lbs)

The Skinny

I don’t see one receiver stepping up to the production we saw from Hodgins himself last year. With a new QB (probably Gebbia), I think there will be more emphasis on spreading out the attack. Trevon Bradford, the fifth-year-senior, has the best chance to be the main option next season — It was clear from last year’s civil war performance that Bradford was one of Gebbia’s favorite targets, so with more practice, those two can create more chemistry. In terms of other receivers, we saw flashes from Tyjon Lindsey, Kolby Taylor, and Champ Flemings last season, but consistency was a problem for them (and the rest of the receiving core). I think they all will improve with another year of experience under their belt, and the increased targets to different receivers, should lead to increased production across the board.

The receiver I’m most intrigued with going into next season however, is Jesiah Irish. During spring and fall camp, coaches were raving about Irish’ ability, which made me think we’d see a lot more of him. But, Irish had a hard time getting on the field for most of last season. He had a couple nice punt returns and did show off his speed, but the only time we got a good glimpse of his receiving skill was against Arizona State where he caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Jake Luton. Sadly, Irish would leave that game with a foot injury and we would not see him the rest of the season.

I’m very curious to see if Irish can help fill some of the production that is leaving with Hodgins gone to the NFL. He seems like he’s next in line to fill that outside receiver spot, but we could see true freshman Zeriah Beason also get a shot out there if he impresses in fall camp (if we get a fall camp).

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