Oregon State has its quarterback.
After months of sorting through a three-man battle that stretched from spring camp into fall, head coach JaMarcus Shephard said Braden Atkinson has won the starting job for the Beavers. Shephard said the call could have come as early as two or three weeks ago, and that Maalik Murphy and Brady Jones had been “clawing back” into the mix before Atkinson ultimately came out on top.
“Braden just rose to the top, and that's just how it was. When the statistics all were laid out, his numbers were just a little bit better than some of the other ones.
I will tell you this. In the event that we have to turn to one of those other quarterbacks, for whatever reason it may be, I have full confidence that these guys will be able to go out there and perform to a point where they all were completing the ball right at about 78% equally across the board.
And so it was a tight race.”
Shephard said the staff leaned on the analytics, but turnover rate and the ability to protect the football carried real weight in the decision. Atkinson also earned the benefit of momentum after the weekend scrimmage, where he appeared to strengthen his case.
The Beavers are now shifting reps accordingly. Shephard said Atkinson will take the first-team snaps going forward, while Murphy and Jones will work with the twos and threes.
“The team was excited about him getting this opportunity. And we want to make this fun for him, but also give him the chance to right now get prepared mentally to be that starting quarterback.
We are splitting the reps up. Malik's getting reps with the twos and threes, and so is Brady as well.
But we're giving Braden the one reps going forward.”
Atkinson arrived in Corvallis earlier this year with a simple focus: learn the offense, fit into what Shephard and Coach Dahlen were building, and put his game to work. The 2025 Jerry Rice Award winner brings a strong resume from FCS Mercer, where he threw for 3,596 yards and 34 touchdowns last season.
At 6-foot-1, he may not fit the old-school mold of a prototype quarterback, but Shephard pushed back on that idea quickly, pointing to the way the position has evolved and citing Drew Brees as an example.
“There was a time when we always were looking for this exact measurable for every position on the football field. Times have changed.
And at that quarterback position, even when you start thinking about you didn't always want a runner at quarterback, now having a runner is a good thing. Right now in our offense, Braden brings all the tools that we need to go out there and be successful.”
For Atkinson, the job now is straightforward: keep taking those first-team reps and get ready to lead Oregon State out of the gate in the Beavers’ 2026 season opener against Houston.
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A big part of that optimism centers on Eric Olsen, whose arrival gives Oregon State a player who already proved he can be productive and versatile. He has also spent the offseason getting stronger to handle the demands of the run game, which matters in a room expected to do more than catch passes. The question now is how quickly that added size and the rest of the group translate once the season starts and the Beavers begin sorting out who can be leaned on most. [Read more 🡒]