Oregon State names Gevani McCoy starting quarterback

The Oregon State quarterback competition is officially over. During his Monday press conference, head coach Trent Bray announced Gevani McCoy was the starter ahead of the season opener against Idaho State. McCoy is a fourth-year player but transferred into the program this year after previously being at Idaho.

“It was real close in fall camp,” Bray said. “Just kind of the last week, Gevani was on a big uptick. Separated himself a little bit and that’s what led to the decision.”

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Ben Gulbranson and Gabarri Johnson were the other two competing for the job. Oregon State did release a depth chart, listing Gulbranson as the backup while Johnson is the third-string. Gulbranson has been in Corvallis since the 2020 season while Johnson is a second-year player, spending the 2023 season with the Missouri Tigers.

Focusing back on McCoy, he has 26 games of experience under his belt. The 2022 season was likely his best, throwing for 2,719 yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions as the Vandals finished with a 7-5 record. McCoy saw his yardage increase in 2023 with 2,910 but only threw 15 touchdowns and coughed up an extra interception.

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Maybe most importantly for McCoy, Idaho won nine games and won a playoff game for the first time since 1993. McCoy’s overall performance was enough to attract FBS interest after entering the NCAA transfer portal, ultimately landing at Oregon State.

Oregon State counting on Gevani McCoy after offseason quarterback turnover

Oregon State underwent a lot of changes this offseason, headlined by Jonathan Smith leaving to take the Michigan State job. With that meant two quarterbacks also departed, with DJ Uiagalelei and Aidan Chiles entering the transfer portal.

Uiagalelei is back in the ACC playing for the Florida State Seminoles. His season is already underway, playing Georgia Tech in Dublin this past Saturday.

As for Chiles, he decided to follow Smith to East Lansing and is expected to be their starter. This time last season, Chiles was thought to be Oregon State’s future after being highly-touted coming out of high school.

McCoy steps into a big role for the Beavers as they enter the post-Pac-12 era. Getting things started with a win against Idaho would be a great start.