CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Oregon State’s fall camp has brought a simple message for two players who already know what they are: keep building.
For Josiah Timoteo, that means no dramatic overhaul on the offensive line. He handled both tackle spots last season, then spent the winter and summer adding to that base while adjusting to another new position coach. This time, the fit has been smoother with Kirk Barron, who played recently at Purdue.
"He understands us kind of a little more," Timoteo said. "He always tells us every day, day in, day out before practice that it's just about effort, and even after practice he says effort. He can fix the technical stuff, but it's up to us to bring the effort and the energy every day."
That message has taken hold across the line room, Timoteo said, with the group building its identity through the winter conditioning grind and into the summer. He said the repetition has made the depth chart feel more dependable from top to bottom.
"Even if you're a two or three, whenever it's your time to step up, it's nothing new because we already practice day in, day out and we know what the standard is," he said. "If say I go down at the left tackle spot, the guy behind me, I know we're good because it's just a natural thing that we created throughout the whole winter and summer -- a standard that we've built, and I know we can trust our guys throughout the whole depth chart."
Eddie Freauff’s offseason took a different turn, but the theme was the same: raise the standard. Oregon State’s leading returning pass-catcher said the biggest changes for him were less about scheme and more about how he handles the job day to day.
"I think I've matured in terms of how serious I take my nutrition, my health, and my recovery," Freauff said.
With a receiver room that has added several new faces, Freauff said he’s also stepped into a bigger leadership role.
"I just became an older guy in the room," he said. "It's pushed me to be a more mature figure in the room to help the younger guys, and it's taught me to be more of a professional in this and not as much as a kid as I was last year."
Freauff is also adjusting to a new offense under coordinator Mitch Dahlen, while head coach JaMarcus Shephard has brought the kind of energy and demands Freauff says the receivers have to match.
"He's brought energy and an intensity that I haven't really played with," Freauff said of Shephard. "That comes with a level of expectation for us receivers. It's just pushing our whole room to be better every day, in and out: playbook, film, and then just how we treat our bodies, nutrition and all that."
Even with Freauff back as the most proven option in the passing game, he made it clear nobody is carrying anything over from last season. The offense, in his words, is starting fresh.
"We're back down to zero, you feel me? Last year is last year, that's in the past," he said.
"We're looking forward, we're not looking backwards. We've got to prove ourselves again."
Timoteo said the same standard applies up front, where daily work against Oregon State defenders such as Takari Hickle is part of the process of setting the tone.
In Other News...
Former Cowboy DeZhaun Stribling Is Making Oklahoma State Fans Wonder
A former Oklahoma State receiver who wrapped up his college career at Ole Miss, DeZhaun Stribling has turned up in an unfamiliar spotlight this summer with the San Francisco 49ers. He was taken in the second round of the NFL Draft and has already drawn favorable reviews during training camp, with early reports pointing to a player whose ability has been obvious and whose confidence appears to be growing.
For Oklahoma State fans, it is the kind of update that brings a little extra sting, because Striblings path through college football always suggested there was more production waiting somewhere. He spent two seasons in Stillwater before transferring and putting together a productive final year in Oxford, and now the early buzz in San Francisco is making people wonder just how quickly he can force his way into the league conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Van Wells Could Change Oregon State Up Front If One Ruling Holds
Van Wells was back around Oregon States practice this week as his path back to college football remains tied up in the courts. The former linemans eligibility situation sits in a broader case out of Colorado, where an injunction has opened the door for players with similar circumstances to pursue one more season, giving the Beavers at least a reason to keep an eye on how this plays out.
The NCAA is fighting the ruling, with briefing set and a decision expected soon, so the timeline is still very much in motion. For Oregon State, the stakes are obvious up front, where Wells could be part of the answer if the legal ruling is ultimately left intact, and Jaheim Patterson is in the same position as the Beavers wait to see whether either player is cleared for another year. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Finally Has The Defensive Line Help Fans Wanted
Oregon State spent the summer trying to reinforce a defensive front that needed more size, and two junior college additions have quickly become part of that conversation. Lolani Finau and Cameron Hewitt arrived with the kind of build and experience the Beavers were looking for, with Finau set to work inside at defensive tackle and Hewitt projected as a nose tackle, giving the line more options in the middle.
Through fall camp, both transfers have drawn praise from the coaching staff for their strength and the way they have shown up physically. For a defense that has been looking to get tougher up front, the early returns on Finau and Hewitt suggest Oregon State may finally have added the kind of interior help fans have been waiting to see. [Read more 🡒]