OSU football: McCoy named starter for season opener (2024)

Gevani McCoy has been named the starting quarterback for Oregon State’s season opener Saturday against Idaho.

This was the first big decision for first-year head coach Trent Bray and he said the competition went down to the last week of training camp.

“It was real close all fall camp and just kind of the last week Gevani was on a big uptick, kind of separated himself a little bit and so that’s kind of what led to the decision to go with him,” Bray said.

When asked what made the difference, Bray said McCoy, a senior transfer from Idaho, “started making the plays we need him to make.”

“The comfort with the offense and then doing stuff with his legs, which is what we like about him in the first place … not only his ability with his arm but the ability to make plays running the ball when things break down. That’s kind of what we saw that last week,” Bray said.

While McCoy will start the opener, Bray said the plan is to give both Ben Gulbranson and Gabarri Johnson an opportunity during the Idaho State game. Bray said offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson is working out those details.

Gulbranson, a former starter for Oregon State, started strong in training camp. Johnson, a redshirt freshman who transferred to OSU from Missouri, got off to a slow start but gained momentum midway through camp, earning a mention from Bray following the first scrimmage.

But it was McCoy, a first-team all-Big Sky selection last year, who closed the deal.

“It was tough because it was close. It was a good battle all fall camp and then when we looked back at the whole body of work and kind of who was trending up, that’s … what eventually made that decision for us,” Bray said.

Quarterback was not the only position where there was a spirited battle for a starting spot. Redshirt junior Tyler Voltin will get the nod on the offensive line as he held off redshirt sophom*ore Jacob Strand for a starting spot.

Voltin will start at right guard next to tackle Grant Starck, with Van Wells at center, Gerad “Tank” Christian-Lichtenhan at left tackle and veteran Josh Gray at left guard. Wells and Christian-Lichtenhan are both transfers from Colorado.

“When we looked at what’s that best group of five that’s kind of what separated guys is consistently operating in the scheme that we need to operate in,” Bray said.

On defense, redshirt freshman Andre Jordan Jr. earned the starting spot at cornerback opposite Jaden Robinson. Liberty transfer Kobe Singleton was also a contender for that spot, but missed the first part of training camp due to injury.

“It’s consistency throughout. That’s what we’re looking for at all positions. There were a lot of really good position battles, corner being one of them,” Bray said.

Team captains announced

Oregon State will have six team captains, who were voted on by the players. Robinson, Gray and Gulbranson were elected along with defensive lineman Semisi Saluni, linebacker Melvin Jordan IV and safety Skyler Thomas. Gray was also voted a team captain last season.

Griffis not on roster

Athletic director Scott Barnes issued the following statement Monday regarding edge rusher Josh Griffis.

“Josh Griffis is not currently participating in Oregon State football team activities. Student privacy laws prevent OSU from disclosing additional information related to any individual student athlete’s protected educational information. The OSU Department of Athletics reaffirms that all student athletes have a responsibility to adhere to team, department, and university standards, expectations and policies.”

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