Oregon State’s 2026 schedule opens with a gauntlet, and the first stretch is loaded with defensive talent that can wreck a game plan fast. Houston and Texas Tech headline the early test, but there are other names on the slate that should have Beaver fans paying attention, especially once the season gets deeper.
One of the most disruptive defenders Oregon State will see is the 6-foot-3, 260-pound Landry. He gets off the ball in a hurry and spends a lot of time living in the offensive backfield.
As a junior last season, he finished with 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Even when he’s not the first defender to the ball, he brings real power at the line and helps the Bobcats create pressure on plenty of snaps.
He enters his senior season expected to be a major difference-maker.
Simeon Harris is another name Oregon State fans may already know well. A good portion of his 2025 highlight reel came in Fresno State’s road win over the Beavers in Week 2.
Harris plays with strong instincts and a true ball-hawk mentality, and last season he posted 6.5 TFLs while adding five interceptions in coverage. He also turned in one of his best performances in Fresno State’s big win over Boise State last November, when he had three TFLs and a pick and was named Mountain West defensive player of the week.
Now in his redshirt senior season, Harris looks like one of the better defensive backs in the PAC-12 in 2026.
Texas Tech’s defensive front also brings serious trouble, and four-star transfer Trick is right in the middle of it. He arrives from Miami Ohio after a junior season in which he piled up 8.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss with the Redhawks.
That production included a two-sack game against Wisconsin in the opener, a strong sign he can handle power four offensive lines. With the playoff-hopeful Red Raiders, he’s already been named to the Big-12 preseason all-conference team.
Another Red Raider to watch is Brice Pollock, one of the better defensive backs in the Big-12. After earning first-team all-conference honors as a junior, he’s coming off a season with five interceptions, including two in September against Oregon State. Pollock figures to be one of the anchors in Texas Tech’s secondary again this year, and that makes September 12th a major early challenge for Beaver quarterback Braden Atkinson.
Boise State’s Virgin-Morgan rounds out the list, and his résumé is just as imposing. The senior has started all 28 games for the Broncos over the past two seasons and has racked up 18.5 tackles for loss in that span.
Back in 2024, he posted a huge sophomore year with 10 sacks, which ranked second in the Mountain West. Heading into 2026, he’s been named to Athlon Sport’s Preseason All-American Fourth Team and added to the Lombardi Award watchlist.
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The memory from last season gives the Beavers a useful blueprint, but not much room for comfort. Oregon State was able to keep Weigman from finding much traction as a runner in that meeting, and the hope this time is to squeeze the pocket, stay disciplined in the rush lanes and force him into tougher throws. If they can do that again, the matchup tilts in their favor, but Weigman has enough versatility to make even a well-prepared defense pay for a few mistakes. [Read more 🡒]
Tulsas Portal Overhaul Puts Early Pressure On Oklahoma States New Offense
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The secondary has been part of the same makeover, even if the safety net is thinner than Tulsa would like. Elijah Green is out because of injury, leaving the cornerback group to lean more heavily on experienced names such as JD Drew, Tyson Williams, Zach Williams and Ashton Williams as the team tries to sort out what this new version of the offense and defense will look like once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon States 2026 Bowl Path Just Got More Complicated
The Pac-12s newly announced 2026 bowl structure gives Oregon State a clearer but still complicated postseason map, with the conference sorting teams into separate pathways for legacy members and newer additions. For the Beavers, that means most of their bowl access will still be tied to the legacy group, a setup that reflects how the league is trying to manage an expanded and changing membership picture.
The wrinkle comes with the SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl, where Oregon State and Washington State are grouped with the new members instead of the legacy schools. Before that point, the legacy-member order runs through some familiar destinations, including the Valero Alamo Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, Holiday Bowl and Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, which leaves the Beavers 2026 path more layered than it first appears. [Read more 🡒]