Copyright The Oregonian
It is a jam-packed Oregon State mailbag this week after a newsy few days in Corvallis. Athletic department turmoil and a coaching search will do that. Fans are on edge, and Saturday’s football game against Washington State feels like small potatoes in the grand scheme. But hey, look, basketball season is starting! Have a question about football, basketball, the coaching search, athletic department, or anything else OSU-related? Email me: RClarke@Oregonian.com. On to this week’s burning questions: How much will it cost Oregon State to terminate its NIL management deal with Blueprint Sports? —Bill O. Thanks for the question, Bill O.! The Oregonian/OregonLive obtained OSU’s NIL management deal with Blueprint Sports, signed back in August, and the numbers look like this: OSU had to pay a $280,000 annual management fee up front, according to the contract, along with a 1.25% fee on any student-athlete NIL contracts administered by Blueprint since the contract was signed. We don’t know the value of the deals executed since then, so that latter number is a question mark. What happens next, and whether OSU can get some of that sizable annual management fee back from Blueprint, depends on how the split occurs in the coming weeks. It could involve some lawyering. According to the contract, if OSU is forced to terminate the deal without cause, Blueprint keeps the full $280,000. If there is cause for OSU to terminate the agreement, the athletic department will get a pro-rated portion of that annual fee back. That could be more than $200,000 back in their pockets, depending on the effective date of termination. Here is the portion of the contract that could be the kicker: either party can terminate the deal “if the other Party acts in a manner that injures the reputation, name, image, and likeness of the other Party, in the reasonable opinion of the terminating Party.” While I’m no legal expert, one could argue that both OSU and Blueprint have an argument for termination based on this language, which could make for a messy court battle that would end up costing OSU even more in legal fees. OSU could definitely argue its reputation was damaged by outside criticism of the Blueprint deal. But the same could be said from Blueprint’s perspective, whatever is left of that organization as schools keep dropping their services. We don’t know either party’s position yet. Is there a single person on that OSU search committee who has a clue what recruiting looks like and requires in 2025? I couldn’t be more beyond disappointed with the crew that was selected to go choose our next coach. Two of our big donors, a former coach who never coached in the NIL era, a former player who’s 12 years removed from college football, a former real estate executive, and a sports apparel executive. —Justin L. For those just catching up, the full search committee for OSU’s next football coach is listed here. It’s not for me to say what I think of their credentials to pick a coach in the modern college football landscape, which is a complete minefield even for those in the know. But it stands to reason that even if those on the search committee don’t have first-hand knowledge of the NIL era they will be factoring in those dynamics as they look at what the program needs. And I will say this: the decision comes down to athletic director Scott Barnes in the end. While the committee will certainly have its input, this is Barnes’ hire. And arguably the biggest hire in program history no less. Are most Beavers fans OK with that set of circumstances? I’m not so sure. For the love of the fees for my new Beaver license plates, please tell me Oregon State isn’t going to seriously consider Robb Akey as a candidate for the head coaching position! I mean a 20-50 record at Idaho clearly isn’t a ringing endorsement, is it?! -Josh S. I don’t view Akey as a serious candidate for this job, as friendly and positive of a presence as he’s been since taking over. Even if the Beavers win every game down the stretch in a much easier portion of their schedule, there are better candidates out there. How do you see the apparent controversy and instability(?) with Barnes and Blaylock impacting the coaching search? I have real concerns this will potentially hinder the process. —Matt Larson on X This is definitely something to think about. Could athletic department upheaval and a lack of a full-time general manager dissuade a potential coach from coming to Corvallis? Talk to folks in the know around college football, and the answer is undoubtedly yes. OSU this week announced it is parting ways with deputy athletic director Brent Blaylock, who helped negotiate the Blueprint deal. The program is going to need to provide evidence of a strong NIL operation and stable athletic department if it wants to make a serious coaching hire. Otherwise, it’ll be their pick of whoever is left over on the market. And that won’t exactly energize the fanbase or show signs of upward momentum for the program. Why has Murthy not taken action regarding the clear gross incompetence that is infecting our athletic department? From tone deaf, self-righteous interviews and statements to hiring incompetent decision makers and losing donor and fan trust. —@MrBeavv on X University president Jayathi Murthy has yet to make a statement on the current state of OSU athletics, though she has provided ringing endorsements of Barnes in the past. Until I start hearing otherwise, I’m inclined to believe she’s placed her full trust in Barnes. At least OSU doesn’t have to worry about the governor meddling in athletic department affairs, unlike the folks down in Louisiana. You have to play one drive for Oregon State this weekend vs. Wazzu. Are you playing offense or defense, and at what position? —Isaac Streeter on X Neither. Give me one play at long snapper. Can you plz make a short list of current players the Beavers should focus on retaining through an NIL program as the program reboots? Thx —Anonymous This is a tough task for OSU considering the upheaval that is on the way with a coaching change. I’ll just focus on players who have contributed this season. Everyone else is a crapshoot. Offense: RB Cornell Hatcher Jr., RB Salahadin Allah, WR Taz Reddicks, WR David Wells Jr., WR Trent Walker (who claims he has one year of eligibility left), QB Gabarri Johnson Defense: DB Trey Glasper, DB Jaheim Patterson, DB Sai Vadrawale, LB Dexter Foster, LB Aiden Sullivan, DL Jojo Johnson, EDGE Shamar Meikle, EDGE Zakaih Saez Special teams: P AJ Winsor What is your updated projection for the Beavers’ Win-Loss record this year? —Anonymous I think OSU finishes 3-9 (hilariously, the inverse of my preseason prediction of 9-3). I don’t see them beating Washington State in either matchup. The Beavers should win their other two games against Tulsa and Sam Houston State, especially that home date with the winless Bearkats. As this is your first year as the Beavers’ beat writer, has there been anything that has surprised you thus far? Understood that you’re not even one third of the way through your first year on this assignment. —Sid L. I am surprised by very little in this business. For someone who is just about to turn 30 in December (don’t remind me), I feel like I’ve covered more moments of controversy, uncertainty and outright scandal than many sportswriters do in their entire careers. Everywhere I go, crazy stuff is happening. It’d be cool to just cover games and practices for a change. One of my first jobs out of college was working for the Newberg Graphic for three years covering news, education and sports. In that time, the local school board made national headlines for banning Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ Pride symbols in schools. A special education assistant wore black face paint to work, saying she was dressed as Rosa Parks in protest of vaccine mandates. And students made a Snapchat group pretending to sell their classmates. To be clear: Newberg is a great place filled with welcoming and community-oriented people, and the school district is still climbing its way out of that mess. It is not defined by its most headline-worthy moments. But my goodness, what a job for a newsroom of two to handle. Shoutout to my former editor, Gary Allen, a proud OSU alum. When I got to The Oregonian/OregonLive in 2021, I started out on high school sports alongside my pal Nik Streng. We covered various stories on alleged racist language and chants at local high school football and basketball games. My first assignment after moving to the Portland Timbers and Thorns beat four months later? Domestic violence accusations against former Timbers player Andy Polo. That kicked off two years that included a tidal wave of off-field turmoil for both clubs, which culminated with the Yates Report on abuse in women’s soccer. That led to the firing of PTFC’s general manager and president of business, along with the sale of the Thorns. I then covered the Ducks for a year. While it was likely the calmest stretch of my career and very fun to cover the No. 1 team in the country, including a trip to the Rose Bowl, it did start out with an investigative story on alleged verbal abuse of players from the UO women’s soccer coach. Now, I’m covering the Beavers. And things are just super normal and not at all stressful right now. But at least I didn’t show up surprised. Oregon State (1-7) vs. Washington State (4-4) When: Saturday, Nov. 1 Time: 4:30 pm PT Where: Reser Stadium TV Channel: CBS Stream: DirecTV (free trial) or Fubo (promotional offers). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.
