Joel Klatt says to watch out for Oregon State in 2023 as 'Cinderella'

The Oregon State Beavers went 10-3 this season in Jonathan Smith’s fifth year at the helm, but not many talked about the Pac-12 team going into next fall.

With the way-too-early look ahead to the next college football season, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt said to watch out for the Beavers next year. The biggest reason? The wildness of the transfer portal.

The offseason just began in college football and coming off a double-digit win season means it’s time to watch out for Oregon State to come out of the Pac-12 and make some serious noise.

“Let’s not minimize the impact of what the transfer portal is meaning in college football,” Klatt said on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “It’s the reason TCU was in this position. It’s the reason that USC was able to turn it around, that Washington was able to turn it around. Watch out for a team, here’s a Cinderella for next year, and it’s maybe not as Cinderella because they just won 10 games, Oregon State might be really good next year. 

“So I think we’re going to continue to see now with the transfer portal Colin, we’re going to see teams jump up, but your point is accurate. The top will remain those four schools (Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State) are going to have the best teams next year.”

Oregon State finished No. 17 in the final AP Poll of the year following its 10 win season. The Beavers dominated the Florida Gators 30-3 in the Las Vegas Bowl to end with four straight wins.

Despite the 3-2 start, Oregon State picked up with three wins in a row before a tight 24-21 loss to Washington, another riser in the conference. The Beavers don’t quite have the recruiting prowess of a USC, UCLA, Oregon or Washington within their own conference.

Currently, Oregon State is No. 50 overall in the recruiting rankings, per the On3 Database. The team has 18 total commitments with two four-star prospects. 

Heck, another team to watch out for is Colorado as the Buffaloes rebuild under Deion Sanders. They already have the No. 39 overall recruiting class.

But there’s no mistaking Oregon State’s play on the field, which caught Klatt’s attention. One thing that could help? D.J. Uiagalelei, the former Clemson quarterback.

“DJU” transferred out west, giving the Beavers a former top prospect. While he had an up and down career at Clemson, he showed elite flashes and it could certainly give Oregon State a chance at the top.

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He threw for 5,681 yards, 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in his time while also contributing 913 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.