Oregon State’s Ben Gulbranson has ‘trust’ of coaches, love of competition as Beavers’ high-profile quarterback battle gets underway

By Joe Freeman
As more than a century of Pac-12 Conference history cratered toward extinction Friday, the Oregon State Beavers doggedly pressed forward with fall camp, insisting they were singularly focused on a season of enormous expectations.
And in Corvallis, that means the focus remained fixed on the Beavers’ intriguing battle at quarterback, where incumbent Ben Gulbranson, star transfer DJ Uiagalelei and freshman Aidan Chiles are angling for the starting job.
To the outside world, the competition was settled the moment Uiagalelei transferred to Oregon State sight unseen, bringing star power, five-star pedigree, big-game experience and an even bigger arm to Corvallis. But inside the lines at newly remodeled Reser Stadium, the competition wages on, and it likely won’t end until the final week of fall camp.
“I’ve got a great group of guys,” OSU offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said.” The talent level with DJ, the experience he’s got. Ben, doing some good things for us, winning a bunch of games for us last year. And then Aidan Chiles. Aidan is a special talent, did a lot of really good things in spring.”
Uiagalelei won the first day of camp Thursday, moving the Beavers’ offense with accuracy and command. But when Friday’s practice wrapped up with 11-on-11 competition, it was Gulbranson guiding the first-team offense. Lindgren said the battle remained a three-way dead heat, and you can bet that Gulbranson — despite Uiagalelei’s pedigree and Chiles’ potential — will keep it close until the bitter end.
In the transfer portal era, when players eagerly depart for a larger pot of NIL money and/or a guaranteed starting role in a new town — and sometimes simply to run away from competition — Gulbranson is an anomaly. After waiting his turn in Corvallis and working his way through the system, he made the unusual decision to stay and fight.
“I think competition is great,” he said Friday. “It brings out the best in everybody. I think at the end of the day, you’ve just got to understand that everybody’s trying to prove themselves, and then you’re all trying to mesh together for the team and the offense. So I’m just focusing on what I can improve on in my game and whatever happens, happens.”
One thing Gulbranson has proven is that he can win. He started the final eight games of 2022, guiding Oregon State to an impressive 7-1 record. Along the way, he helped the Beavers stun the rival Oregon Ducks in the regular-season finale, punk the Florida Gators in the Las Vegas Bowl and toss a memorable, last-second 56-yard game-winning touchdown to steal a road win at Stanford. Oregon State finished with a 10-win season for just the third time in school history.
But Gulbranson passed for just 1,455 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions, and was tagged with the dreaded “game manager” label after eclipsing 200 passing yards in just two games and attempting more than 24 passes only once. Ask any critic and they’ll tell you it was the Beavers’ prolific rushing attack that carried them to those seven wins, not their quarterback.
But folks at Oregon State have a different take.
“There’s just a trust factor between myself, him, coach (Jonathan) Smith,” Lindgren said. “This guy has been in the system now for three years. He’s like a coach on the field. You just know that he’s going do what you’re coaching him to do. … I thought he really kind of came on in the bowl game there. He’s just got to continue that momentum.”
Gulbranson increased his arm strength over the summer, Lindgren said, after wowing OSU strength coaches with his offseason work in the weight room. He used the summer to build chemistry with OSU receivers, spending weekends — and many weekdays — working on route trees in voluntary throwing sessions. And he long ago mastered Smith’s playbook.
But if Gulbranson is going to win the quarterback battle everyone long ago handed to Uiagalelei, he will have to improve in multiple areas, most notably with his in-game improvisation.
When plays went according to plan last season, when Gulbranson identified through pre-snap reads who would be open and where, he excelled. But when plays fell apart, when he faced pressure, when he had to ad-lib, Gulbranson struggled.
“I think the thing for him is being able to make some of those plays that are maybe off schedule,” Lindgren said. “Maybe the protection’s not perfect, (the play) breaks down a little bit. Now can I extend? Can I go make a play and can we keep the chains moving? And then, challenging him in the pass game to make some of those throws down the field in some of those situations.”
Gulbranson showed hints of improvisational growth Friday during 11-on-11 work. During one rep, he escaped pressure and, instead of throwing into tight coverage, sprinted up field for a short gain. During another rep, he obviously wanted to throw deep — into triple coverage — to a receiver streaking down the right sideline. But instead, he tossed short to an open outlet receiver, completing a modest pass.
It was a subtle sign of progress that will only help his pursuit for the starting job this month.
“As I’ve worked on my pre-snap in the offseason, I’ve kind of had it in the back of my head, ‘All right, here’s my outlet,’” Gulbranson said, when asked how he’s working to improve that part of his game. “So when things do break down, I know I can just snap there instinctually. I feel like I’ve had a couple of reps like that already in camp so far. And that’s just something I’ve kind of added to my pre-snap routine to help out when things do break down to have an answer.”
Will it be enough of an answer to hold off Uiagalelei, his more athletic and accomplished teammate?
The next month will determine that. And Gulbranson — who said in the spring that won’t transfer no matter how the quarterback battle unfolds — is eager for the fight.
“I’ll just say I’m a gritty competitor,” Gulbranson said, when asked to give a scouting report of himself. “I’m a smart player. I’m pro-style type of player that can beat you from the pocket. But I also think I can make plays with my legs and I think I’m deceptively able to make plays with my legs and make plays outside the pocket. I think you’re going to get a great dude, a great character that’s going to positively benefit your team whatever role that may be.”