Oregon
Takeaways from Oregon State football’s first day of fall camp 2024
CORVALLIS — Plenty has changed about the Oregon State football program over the past eight months; both on and off the field.
But, as the Beavers kicked off the 2024 season with their first day of fall camp Wednesday at Prothro Field, first-year head coach Trent Bray was adamant that the expectations for his program haven’t changed despite a tumultuous offseason that featured a mass exodus of player and coaching talent.
“The physical talent is here. From a size, strength, speed standpoint, it’s here — we can win the games we need to win with the talent we have here,” Bray said. “Now, it’s just gonna be about how fast we can come together. How fast can these guys play?”
Bray was elevated as OSU’s head coach in November following Jonathan Smith’s departure to Michigan State. He served as the Beavers’ defensive coordinator for three years under Smith and now will be tasked with sustaining one of the more successful stints in program history. The Beavers went 8-5 last season, 10-3 in 2022 and ended both seasons inside the top 25 of the College Football Playoff year-end rankings.
With the Aug. 31 season-opener against Idaho State exactly one month away, Bray and the Beavers began fall practices under sunny Corvallis skies on Wednesday.
Fall practices will be open to reporters and photographers throughout camp, but reporting on injuries, formations and players who missed practice is prohibited by OSU officials. With that in mind, here are some notes and takeaways from the Beavers’ first practice of the 2024 season.
Oregon State quarterback battle takes shape
It’s no secret that the Beavers are in search of a new starting signal-caller following the offseason departures of DJ Uiagalelei and Aidan Chiles.
If Wednesday’s practice was any indicator, a name that is familiar to many Oregon State fans might be the early frontrunner to lock down the job.
Ben Gulbranson, a fifth-year junior who started eight games for OSU in 2022, looked the sharpest of the Beavers’ quarterbacks by a wide margin on the first day of camp. Gulbranson completed several deep, explosive throws — including a long touchdown to Trent Walker and a well-placed shot to Jhae Drummer in triple coverage.
“We know who (Gulbranson) is; he’s a great leader, a great teammate,” Bray said. “He just does everything you ask. Looking forward to seeing how he continues to progress.”
Gulbranson is competing for the starting job with Idaho transfer Gevani McCoy and Missouri transfer Gabarri Johnson, among others.
“It’s really going to be the consistency of running the offense and making good decisions,” Bray said of what he will be looking for from his quarterbacks throughout fall camp. “Who can do that on a day in and day out basis is really what we’re looking for.”
OSU revamps receiver room
For all the departures Oregon State saw up and down its roster throughout the offseason, it scored a few notable victories in the receiver department. Bray retained a respected assistant in longtime receivers coach Kefense Hynson and bolstered the position by adding former Michigan standout Darrius Clemons and four-star signee Jordan Anderson.
But the four receivers from last year’s squad who saw the most playing time (Silas Bolden, Anthony Gould, Jesiah Irish and Rweha Munyagi Jr.) have departed the program. In that sense, there will be plenty of playing time up for grabs in 2024.
Clemons, a 6-foot-3 wideout, failed to carve out a consistent role during his two seasons with the Wolverines. But he was a highly touted prospect coming out of Westview High School in Portland as a senior in the 2022 class and has the chance to be a go-to deep threat during his debut season with the Beavers.
“From a teammates standpoint, he’s just a natural leader,” Bray said. “He just brings that. The football part has yet to be seen because he’s only practiced today; he didn’t practice all spring. But, from a leadership standpoint, his work ethic, how much he studies — he’s always in the building — he brings a ton.”
Joshua Gray’s position switch for Beavers
Joshua Gray, arguably Oregon State’s top returning player from last year’s squad, was full-go during Wednesday’s practice and is in the midst of a position transition.
Gray has started at left tackle for the Beavers each of the last four seasons and is a three-time second-team all-conference selection. Despite generating plenty of NFL buzz last offseason, he put his professional career on hold and opted to return to Corvallis for a fifth year.
But, he has made the move to the interior offensive line and will spend fall camp repping at left guard and center.
“He wants to move inside, especially for his opportunity at the next level,” Bray said. “He’ll play guard and center for us and work that to make him more valuable at that next level. That will be learning a lot of new things about the inside position as we go through fall camp.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Gray allowed just seven quarterback hurries last season — the fourth-fewest in the Pac-12 among offensive linemen who played regularly. On Wednesday he was the last Oregon State offensive lineman to leave the practice field and was seen putting in extra work on the blocking sleds as Bray spoke with reporters.
“It will be easy for him,” Bray said of Gray making the move to the interior. “Coach (Jim Michalczik) did a great job all the time of teaching those guys all five (offensive line) spots. Coach (Kyle DeVan) does the same thing. So, that transition is not that tough. But it will take a little work physically.”
Jarrid Denney covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at JDenney@salem.gannett.com or on X @jarrid_denney
WEST LINN, Ore. (KOIN) — For some 30 years, locals and boaters along a popular spot on Oregon’s Willamette River have been staring at a 50,000-plus-square-foot home, unsure of what to think.
It’s unfinished, fenced in, and the open-air structure towers over 31 acres that include 2,700 feet of prime riverfront in an area affectionately called “Peach Cove.”
“Being a kid, I would drive the boat and look at it from the river,” said Jason Mendell.
The high-profile realtor never thought he’d actually list the home, yet now he’s fielding calls from all kinds of folks trying to figure out the property’s potential.
“Entrepreneurs, pro-athletes, business owners, and people trying to figure out what you could do with this,” he told Nexstar’s KOIN on a recent summer day.
The home’s specs are massive, and Mendell said if it’s ever completed, it would be the largest mansion in Oregon by far.
The listing includes nine bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, multiple garages for dozens of show cars and other toys. There’s a massive gymnasium or event space, too, which could include a full-size basketball court. Original plans called for two pools.
“There’s obviously only a certain amount of people that can afford a home like this, and they’ve got to have the vision to be able to finish it off,” says Mendell.
Ask around, though, and it doesn’t take long to learn there’s much more to the larger story.
“He said, ‘Would you like to build a home for me?’” says Tom Avgerakis.
The longtime home builder is referring to Mark Wattles, the founder and one-time boss of Hollywood Video, which grew to be the second-biggest video store chain in the country in the 1990s and 2000s.
Avgerakis remembers when Wattles first showed him the architectural sketches.
“He rolled them out, and I went ‘Oh, okay.’ The challenge was thrown out, and we can do it,” he said.
At first, Avgerakis said construction moved swiftly, with 50-plus workers on site moving dirt and using high-grade Oregon lumber to erect the frame.
Then, as 1996 became 1997, construction stalled, and “We anticipated a short amount of time off, but it just grew and grew and grew.”
He said that as the owner moved on to other businesses and eventually moved away, they kept up general maintenance and even planted acres of berries.
The property was eventually unloaded at auction, and it has changed hands a couple of times over the years, but no one has ever fully built it out.
“It’s a diamond in the rough. It’s just incredible,” said Avgerakis.
He hopes to be involved if the project is ever completed, and said much of the original woodwork remains in good condition even if other elements have deteriorated over the years. The current owner recently installed a new roof.
Mendell said they’re talking to potential buyers about “what could be,” whether it’s a private estate, high-end senior living facility or even a vineyard.
“It’s 31 acres of prime real estate that’s unique,” he said.
The asking price is $4.7 million.
The property is deemed Exclusive Farm Use (EFU), according to Clackamas County records.
A spokesperson told Nexstar’s KOIN that it’s approved for the one home but that anything like a larger care facility wouldn’t be allowed unless there was a zoning change.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Multiple illicit massage businesses in Washington County were shut down on Friday following action by multiple law enforcement agencies.
The Office of Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said it worked alongside Sherwood police, Tigard police, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington County District Attorney’s Office to execute multiple warrants at illicit massage businesses.
Following months of surveillance into two of the illegal massage parlors in Sherwood, investigators conducted searches at four locations in total on Friday: a home in Southwest Portland, Goji Foot Spa and Aroma Spa in Sherwood, and Tigard’s Sunny Massage.
More than $45,000 of cash and evidence of prostitution was seized during the operation. Three people were also arrested for alleged prostitution-related charges and two were cited for operating a massage business without a license.
The investigation was carried out as part of the Oregon Department of Justice’s partnership with Washington County law enforcement agencies through the program Special Projects: Investigate, Respond, Enforce.
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Entertain This!
The Aviation American Gin Distillery and visitor center in Portland, Oregon, has closed its doors as the company behind the celebrity-backed spirits brand shifts its production strategy, according to multiple reports.
Diageo, the global spirits company that acquired Aviation American Gin in 2020, confirmed the closure to local TV stations KGW and KOIN, saying the decision was made because of changing business needs.
“This decision reflects evolving business needs, as we continue to support growth ambitions for our Aviation American Gin brand,” Diageo’s statement reads. “Aviation American Gin remains an important part of Diageo’s portfolio and we are committed to the brand, our customers and consumers.”
USA TODAY contacted Diageo on July 9 for comment and additional information regarding the closure.
The nearly 33,000-square-foot facility opened in September 2022 in northwest Portland, offering visitors a cocktail bar, tasting room, gift shop and tours highlighting the gin-making process, including distillation and bottling operations.
Portland’s House Spirits Distillery founded Aviation American Gin in the early 2000s and later became associated with Emmy Award-winning actor Ryan Reynolds, who acquired a stake in the company in 2018.
“A little over two years ago, I became an owner of Aviation Gin because I love the taste of Aviation more than any other spirit,” Reynoalds said in a statement in 2020 after Diageo acquired the company. “What I didn’t expect was the sheer creative joy learning a new industry would bring. Growing the brand with my company, Maximum Effort Marketing, has been among the most fulfilling projects I’ve ever been involved with.”
Is Ryan Reynolds still a co-owner of Aviation Gin?
As of July 9, Reynolds remains an owner of Aviation Gin, according to his social media accounts. His Instagram says he owns Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile, Maxixum Effort and the Wrexham A.F.C. soccer club.
When Diageo acquired Aviation Gin, the acquisition agreement valued the deal at up to $610 million, including an initial payment of $335 million and a potential additional payment of up to $275 million based on the company’s performance over a 10-year period, according to a 2020 news release.
Diageo, one of the world’s largest spirits companies, also owns other alcohol brands including Captain Morgan, Crown Royal and Smirnoff.
What’s next for Aviation, Diageo?
Diageo said it had already begun moving Aviation’s production from Portland to other facilities in 2025 as part of an effort to improve efficiency and strengthen its North American operations, KGW reported.
Diageo also said Aviation American Gin will remain part of its portfolio despite the closure of the Oregon visitor center and distillery.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT
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