Eddie Freauff came into spring practice with a wake-up call he didn’t expect to need. He was away from the field, and that absence hit him harder than he anticipated.
“I was taking all this for granted,” Freauff said. “Coming into spring, I was very loose about this; I wasn’t attacking this the way I should have. Losing what I love made me realize how much I love it.”
That lesson showed up quickly once fall camp opened. Oregon State coach JaMarcus Shephard said Freauff “looked like the Alpha in the room” on the first day, and the receiver backed it up by holding himself accountable after a missed play before answering with several more.
“I’m showing up every day working, trying to show that I could be that guy - that I am that guy,” Freauff said.
That kind of production matters more now than ever for the Beavers. Oregon State lost its three leading receivers from last season, and Freauff is the one returning wideout the staff is counting on to help drive the offense.
At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, he’s the biggest receiver on the roster. His 12 catches for 144 yards and one touchdown make up more than half of the production among OSU’s four returning receivers, and the Beavers need him to use that frame as their primary X receiver. They also need the explosive plays coach Shephard has been stressing, the kind that have been too scarce in recent seasons.
“He just looks the part,” offensive coordinator Mitch Dahlen said. “The physical element he brings, he’s going to be hard to cover one-on-one. You’re going to need to put a safety over the top.”
Freauff also sees his role in a receiver group that has been turned over almost completely. Eight players transferred out, five came in and four freshmen joined the mix, leaving what he described as a reset room. In that setting, he sees himself as “a more mature figure” for the younger players.
Still, he isn’t leaning on last year’s numbers for anything.
“It’s back to zero; we’ve got to prove ourselves again (during) fall camp,” Freauff said. “It doesn’t matter what you did, where you came from, we’re all here. Take advantage of it and take advantage of every opportunity.”
In Other News...
Oklahoma States New Defensive Tackle Faces A Big Offseason Test
Fatafehi Vailea II arrives in Stillwater with a bit of a fresh start and a built-in relationship, following coach Eric Morris over from North Texas as he begins the process of settling into Oklahoma States defense. The defensive tackle showed he can make an impact before the setback, putting together a 10-tackle effort in North Texas overtime win against Army, and now the focus has shifted to getting him comfortable in a new system while he continues his recovery.
For Oklahoma State, the challenge is less about rushing Vailea onto the field than making sure the next step is the right one. Defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity has made clear the staff is taking a measured approach, easing him back into live work so the knee holds up and the confidence follows. Its a familiar offseason balancing act for a player trying to turn a transfer into an opportunity without letting the rehab timeline get ahead of the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]
Eddie Freauff Has A Chance Oregon State Receivers Desperately Need
Oregon States offseason roster picture is still taking shape, and a couple of names remain worth watching as the Beavers sort through who will be available when things get moving again. JaMarcus Shephard recently offered an update on the status of safety Jaheim Patterson and center Van Wells, giving the clearest read yet on where those situations stand from the staffs point of view.
For a team trying to stabilize key spots on both sides of the ball, those are the kinds of decisions that matter well beyond August. Pattersons potential return would affect the back end of the defense, while Wells status could shape the line of scrimmage and the way the offense settles in up front. For now, the uncertainty remains, with Shephard stopping short of anything definitive even as both players stay in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Landon Robideau Is Giving Oregon State Fans Even Bigger Expectations
Landon Robideaus rise has already given Oregon State plenty to be excited about, and the redshirt freshman is adding another major stop to his young resume. After winning a national championship as a true freshman, he is now headed to the U20 World Championships in Slovakia, where he will compete in the 70-kilogram weight class. He earned the trip by winning both the U20 U.S. Open and the U20 World Team Trials, while also getting valuable mat time at the Senior World Team event.
That level of exposure has only sharpened the sense that Robideau is ahead of schedule, and coach David Taylor has been encouraged by the way he has handled each new challenge. Robideau collected notable wins at the senior level and pushed Zain Retherford in a close loss, the kind of performance that tends to change expectations as much as results do. For Oregon State, the next question is not whether he belongs in bigger spots, but how quickly he keeps turning those opportunities into something even more substantial. [Read more 🡒]