Oregon State is in a tough spot in the college football landscape.
When the Pac-12 broke up a couple years ago, Oregon State was one of two schools not to get invited to another power conference (along with Washington State). With money more important than ever in the NIL and revenue-sharing era of college sports, that was a critical setback for the Beavers.
Facing that reality, longtime head coach and alum Jonathan Smith, who got the program to 10 wins in 2022, bolted for Michigan State and the Big Ten.
Given all that, it made sense at the time for Oregon State to promote defensive coordinator Trent Bray to take over the program.
But less than two seasons into his tenure, Oregon State has seen enough, firing Bray on Sunday after an 0-7 start to the season. He finishes 5-14 overall.
“I want to thank Coach Bray for the energy and determination he brought to the role. A former student-athlete, proud graduate, and dedicated mentor, Trent’s connection to Oregon State runs deep — he will always be a Beaver,” athletic director Scott Barnes said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision, but the results on the field were not acceptable and after evaluating every aspect of the football program, I believe it is in the best interests of OSU football student-athletes, our fans and our university.”
Robb Akey, who was serving as a special assistant to Bray, was named interim head coach. He was previously the head coach at Idaho from 2007-12, going 20-50, and was previously the defensive coordinator at Central Michigan from 2019-24.
As noted at the top, Oregon State is a tough job, meaning it’s going to have to be creative in finding its next head coach — be it a standout head coach from a lower level, a current offensive/defensive coordinator with upside or a wildcard.
Five Coaching Candidates For Oregon State
Cal senior offensive assistant Nick Rolovich
Speaking of wildcards, Rolovich hasn’t landed a head coaching job since Washington State fired him in 2021 for failing to comply with the university’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for state employees, but he’s resurfaced on the Cal staff this year.
From a pure football standpoint, he’d be an intriguing hire. Rolovich led Hawaii to a 10-win season in 2019 and then took the Washington State job, but the Cougars played only four games in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and he was then fired during the 2021 season after a 4-3 start.
New Mexico head coach Jason Eck
Eck went 26-13 in three seasons at Idaho, getting the program to the FCS playoffs each season and winning 10 games in his final year there. Now in his first season at New Mexico, Eck has the Lobos off to a 3-3 start with a 35-10 win over UCLA and losses to power conference foes Michigan and Boise State.
Eck was previously the offensive coordinator at South Dakota State from 2019-21 and was named the FCS assistant coach of the year in 2019.
He’s a rising name in the sport and would be a nice hire for Oregon State. The bigger question is whether the Beavers are a big enough landing spot for his next move.
San Jose State head coach Ken Niumatalolo
Again, it’s hard to say how Niumatalolo would view the Oregon State job relative to his current position, but he’s a proven winner.
Niumatalolo went 109-83 as the head coach at Navy from 2008-22, including three seasons with at least 10 wins.
In two years at San Jose State, he’s 9-10, but he’s an experienced head coach who has proven he can win in tough situations.
Montana State head coach Brent Vigen
If Oregon State is going to look to poach from the FCS — like its Pac-12 partner Washington State did last year — Vigen is as intriguing as any option.
He’s 52-12 at Montana State, now in his fifth season, and led the Bobcats to FCS national runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2024.
Vigen previously spent a decade and a half on staff at his alma mater North Dakota State and seven years as the offensive coordinator at Wyoming.
UC Davis head coach Tim Plough
Plough’s stock is on the rise after a strong first two seasons at UC Davis, going 11-3 last year and reaching the FCS quarterfinals and off to a 5-1 start this year with the lone loss coming to FBS foe Washington.
Prior to UC Davis, Plough was the offensive coordinator at Boise State for two years and spent a year coaching the tight ends at Cal.
He’d be an intriguing hire for an Oregon State program that has bottomed out offensively, ranking 123rd out of 136 FBS teams in scoring at 17.7 points per game.