Countdown to Oregon State 2023 football camp: Breakout defensive player

Counting down the days to the start of Oregon State’s 2023 preseason football camp on Aug. 3.
Here is the eighth of 10 countdown topics: Breakout defensive player
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Who is Oregon State’s breakout star on defense in 2023?
First, a guideline. Breakout implies a player who previously hasn’t held a prominent role. There’s plenty of opportunity for a breakout player on defense, given the leadership losses from a year ago.
We know what veterans like defensive linemen James Rawls and Isaac Hodgins, safety Kitan Oladapo and nickel Ryan Cooper Jr. can do. Up front, defensive end Oluwaseyi Omotosho wears an Oregon State uniform for the first time, but after his 6½-sack, 46-tackle performance a year ago at Wyoming, would he really be a surprise? There’s a chance Ryan Franke is a breakout performer in 2023, but the junior outside linebacker is coming back from a second serious leg injury. He might play a lot, or a little. It’s unknown.
Two players appear on the verge of breakout: inside linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and cornerback Jaden Robinson. Since we can only pick one, we’ll focus on Robinson.
Robinson is hardly an unknown in the Oregon State program. Robinson was among coach Jonathan Smith’s first recruiting class in 2018, and begins his sixth season in Corvallis. The 6-foot, 185-pound Robinson has ability, but a combination of injuries and NFL-level talent ahead of him has limited his opportunities.
That won’t be an issue in 2023.
With last year’s starting corners Rejzohn Wright and Alex Austin off to the NFL, Robinson is expected to earn a starting berth in camp. Two years ago, Robinson was on the verge of a breakout campaign with a stellar preseason camp when a shoulder injury knocked him out for the season.
Robinson returned last season, and was a solid backup in each of the 12 regular season games. His break came in the Las Vegas Bowl, when Wright bowed out due to hand surgery. Robinson made his OSU starting debut against Florida, recording seven tackles and a sack in the 30-3 win.
With five years of experience, Robinson knows Oregon State’s defense as well as anyone. We’re expecting some of the things we’ve seen in previous camps to play out during the 2023 season as Robinson looks to become the Beavers’ breakout defender.