There are a number of new faces around Corvallis, Oregon and that will make the upcoming game between the Oregon State Beavers and the Oregon Ducks football team a rather interesting one. The Ducks will head to Corvallis for their third game of the 2024 Oregon football season and there are certainly some folks that Oregon fans need to be aware of.
It’s still the summer, and there’s going to be several things that evolve and change between now and the third week of the season, but this is as good a time as any for Oregon football fans to brush up on their knowledge of the Beavers.
So, as the Oregon Ducks prepare for this coming season (and for facing their in-state rivals), here are three key Oregon State Beavers players that are worth keeping an eye on:
No. 1: Gevani McCoy - Quarterback
While I’m not totally certain that he’s destined to be the starting quarterback for the Oregon State Beavers in 2024 and there’s still plenty of uncertainty surrounding this position, Gevani McCoy brings a fascinating resume to Corvallis and Reser Stadium.
The redshirt junior from Baldwin Hills, California boasts a ton of experience as he transferred to the Beavers from the Idaho Vandals. While with the Vandals, McCoy was a 2023 Walter Payton Award finalist and the 2022 Jerry Rice Award winner for FCS National Freshman of the Year.
He was really good at the FCS level.
Throughout his time playing for Idaho, McCoy managed to throw for 5,834 yards and he tossed a total of 43 touchdowns while completing 65 percent of his passes across 26 games.
If he does win the starting role, that experience will certainly benefit him (and the Beavers) this coming season. While playing at the FCS level is very different from the FBS, it’s still worth noting that Oregon State added an accomplished D-1 quarterback when they got McCoy to transfer in.
No. 2: Jam Griffin - Running back
Jam Griffin has played in a few different conferences. He started his career in Atlanta with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets all the way back in 2019. He spent his first three seasons with Georgia Tech before he ultimately transferred to Oregon State in 2022.
While with the Beavers during the 2022 season, Griffin had a bit of a breakthrough season and ran for 488 yards and four touchdowns on 86 carries (good for a pretty impressive 5.7 yards per carry). Griffin then made his way to Oxford where he didn’t really have much of a great 2023 season with the Ole Miss Rebels.
And now he’s back in Corvallis.
There’s a lot that has changed with the Oregon State football program and Griffin’s experience should help out considerably. He’s seasoned and has seen a number of different types of defenses and opponents throughout his career. It’ll be fascinating to see how the Beavers use him this season.
No. 3: Darrius Clemons - Wide receiver
The Beavers are going to need someone to throw the ball to and it might as well be the young receiver from Portland, Oregon. Darrius Clemons is heading into the 2024 Oregon State football season with a lot of intrigue as he left the Michigan Wolverines to play closer to home.
Clemons was part of a national title winning team and was rated as a four-star recruit when he was coming out of high school. He’s a pretty big target at 6-foot-3 and that’s certainly a possible mismatch for opposing defensive backs.
Obviously there is a lot of potential for Clemons to thrive as he moves forward in his career. That said, he hasn’t really played a ton just yet and his college stats reflect that. When compared to the other players listed above, Clemons doesn’t quite have that same amount of experience just yet.
Still, there’s plenty of reasons for Oregon State fans to be excited about his potential and he’s worth keeping an eye on this season.