Questions aplenty at Pac-12 media day about Oregon State’s quarterback dilemma

Oregon State is coming off a 10-win season, a bona fide Pac-12 title contender and likely to be ranked among the top 20 teams when AP and coaches polls are released in August.
When the microphones and recorders came out Friday during Pac-12 football media day in Las Vegas, it largely wasn’t about what might be in front of the Beavers this upcoming season.
Rather: Who is going to play quarterback?
How’s D.J. (Uiagalelei) looking this summer?
Aidan Chiles have a chance to start?
That (Ben) Gulbranson guy still on the roster?
In football, it’s always about the quarterback, right? No team in the Pac-12 in 2023 appears to have more at stake at quarterback than Oregon State. If that position takes a step forward, the Beavers have a legitimate chance to win their first conference title since 2000.
The quarterback questions won’t subside until Smith announces a starter. Smith smiled when asked if he’ll get tired of the queries.
“It’s what we signed up for,” he said.
Uiagalelei, the former five-star recruit who transferred from Clemson after two years, is the outsiders’ favorite. But Gulbranson, who started eight games and won seven times in 2022, won’t make it easy. And Chiles? The supremely talented freshman is a wild card.
“I know D.J. gets all this hype, and he’s a good player. But Ben isn’t bad. In my mind, we got to throw it a little better, and Ben can improve,” Smith said. “Aidan is interesting. He’s good. Yeah, he’s young. But what he showed in spring ball, man.
“When you’ve got three like that, getting them enough reps will be tough. We’re going to have to narrow it down maybe earlier than we normally would.”
Receiver Anthony Gould and safety Kitan Oladapo, players who represented Oregon State at media day, appreciate Uiagalelei’s approach since joining the program in January.
Gould said Uiagalelei has a no-nonsense attitude during workouts. He’s inclusive, a no big-man-on-campus act. Oladapo has noticed that Uiagalelei often extends his workouts.
“When you see your quarterback putting in extra work, it makes me want to put in extra work,” Oladapo said.
Uiagalelei’s physical talent, which includes a presence in the running game, has caught their attention, too.
“What he’s able to do outside of the pocket will translate a lot more,” Gould said. “He’s going to help bring this offense to another level.”
It wouldn’t be a Smith camp if it didn’t take the starting quarterback job down to the final days. Each of Smith’s first five Oregon State camps has involved a quarterback battle of two or three players.
Smith says he’s unlikely to name a starter until the end of camp.
Now for the twist. What if the battle between Uiagalelei and Gulbranson is a dead heat? Is it possible that both play in the season opener at San Jose State, and perhaps the following week, to extend the competition?
“I’m not going to eliminate any option,” Smith said. “I don’t know if that’s ideal, but we could.”
Other notable Oregon State-related items from media day:
Oladapo said Oregon State is doing “a good job” when it comes to getting involved in the name, image and likeness (NIL) race. He said Dam Nation Collective is working hard with connecting players with business opportunities and promotions.
“I would like to see donors tap in with players. You see a lot of those things in the SEC, that their donors are coming back and getting involved,” Oladapo said.
The senior safety didn’t reveal how much he’s making through NIL.
“I definitely make enough money not to complain,” Oladapo said.
Oregon State was picked fifth in the Pac-12 preseason media poll. While it’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of the Beavers’ championship candidacy, the vote totals were close between second and fifth.
Gould feels like OSU has shed the underdog tag it’s had for the past five years.
“We definitely feel like we’re on the radar,” Gould said. “We’ve been trying to prove to ourselves that it’s been a long time coming, but we finally have a good opportunity to turn things around and compete for a Pac-12 title.”
Coming off a historic season, it’s legitimate to wonder if the Beavers can muster the hunger to repeat last year’s 10-win season, or better. This isn’t a program that routinely makes a run for conference championships in consecutive years.
The proof comes in September and October, but the word from Pac-12 media day is that the Beavers haven’t backed off.
Oladapo said players are showing up and extending their offseason workouts.
“We didn’t win a Pac-12 championship, so the job’s not finished,” Gould said. “It’s nice to win a bowl game, but the ones that matter are the title games. That’s what we want. If anything, it’s made us more hungry.”
Gould, on outsiders’ criticism that Oregon State’s receiving corps lack size:
“I take it with a grain of salt. I’m not a prototypical 6-4 receiver, but I know who I am, and I’d like to put me up against any 6-4 receiver I know,” the 5-foot-9 Gould said. “We’re speed. We’re fast. That’s something a lot of teams might not have. If you can’t move, you’re going to have a hard time at receiver.”