Ben Gulbranson Leaning Into Experience in Oregon State QB Battle
Trent Bray and his staff have a decision to make this fall with regards to their starting quarterback for 2024. Now in his fifth season (all at Oregon State), Ben Gulbranson has one major point on his resume compared to his younger counterparts: experience. Gulbranson has appeared in 13 games for the Beavers, including nine starts with a 7-2 record in those contests.
"I'd say my experience is definitely an asset," Gulbranson noted at Beavers' fall camp. "Going into my fifth season now. Just my knowledge of the game and stuff I've seen, I think that's pretty valuable."
Gulbranson expressed this week that it is that experience that has helped him pick up Ryan Gunderson's offense quickly after Gunderson was hired this past December.
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"I think just my overall football knowledge helped me a lot to kind of grasp this playbook pretty quickly," Gulbranson said.
Also grasping Gunderson's offense for the first time are Idaho transfer Gevani McCoy, Missouri transfer Gabarri Johnson, and several others. Through fall camp, Gulbranson wants to continue to be the example his younger teammates look to as they all push for the same job.
"I think going into my fifth season, I'm definitely a leader of this team and like an example that guys can look up to. Somebody that is a hard worker and goes out there and does it the right way. I'm confident that I bring that to this team."
Gulbranson also added that while all of OSU's quarterbacks are competing for one spot, that competition positively affects all of them by making them raise their game.
"I think we got a very talented room. We're all here trying to do our best, and in turn that makes all of us better."
Whoever ends up winning the starting quarterback job, Beaver fans will see them in action on August 31 when Bray's squad hosts the Idaho State Bengals.
Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.