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.
In Other News...
LSU Just Took Texas Techs Place In College Footballs Villain Debate
Texas Tech had already spent time in the crosshairs after backing former quarterback Brendan Sorsby in his legal effort to preserve NCAA eligibility following a gambling suspension, a fight that stirred threats of boycotts and even legal action. The Red Raiders eventually reached an agreement to drop their lawsuit and not play in 2026, which quieted one front of the controversy, but it also left the larger argument over how schools handle eligibility, rules enforcement and public pressure very much alive.
Now LSU is occupying the louder end of the villain debate, and the backdrop looks familiar to anyone who watched the Texas Tech situation unfold. The Tigers are under fire for recruiting players who took part in NFL training camps, and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has pushed SEC commissioner Greg Sankey to weigh suspending or removing LSU from the league. Unlike Texas Tech, LSU has not backed down, which has only added to the political and public backlash surrounding the dispute. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Techs Brendan Sorsby Gamble Looks Different After NCAA Ruling
Brendan Sorsbys path through college football has already taken enough twists to make any team pause, and Texas Tech had a front-row seat for part of it. The former Cincinnati starting quarterback spent time with the Red Raiders after serving a two-game suspension tied to an NCAA investigation into gambling on college football games during his time at Indiana, then later declared for the NFL supplemental draft.
Now the NCAA has decided not to punish Cincinnati for playing Sorsby in 2024 and 2025, a ruling that removes one layer of uncertainty for the Bearcats while leaving the broader episode in sharper focus. The inquiry also looked into what Cincinnatis staff knew about his gambling history, which is the kind of detail that can matter just as much as the eligibility question itself. [Read more 🡒]
USC Attendance Backlash Just Got A Troubling Coliseum Reality Check
USCs season opener against San Jos State brought a familiar kind of Southern California scrutiny, only this time it came with a visible backdrop of empty seats. The school announced 51,114 in attendance at the Coliseum, but plenty of those seats were easy to spot on a day when the heat was punishing, with temperatures climbing to 94 degrees and the heat index topping 100.
The discomfort reached beyond the stands, too, with reports that some fans had trouble handling the conditions, including the wife of freshman receiver Ethan Feaster. The turnout only added fuel to an already active debate around USCs fan support under Lincoln Riley, a conversation that has drawn in media voices and coaches alike as the program tries to measure how much traction it can truly build at home. [Read more 🡒]