Oregon State Football Recruiting: A Look at the Beavers' 2012 Class

After a rough 3-9 season in 2011, which included a troubling loss to open the season against FCS Sacramento State, head coach Mike Riley and the Oregon State Beavers will look to get back into the upper echelon of the Pac-12 Conference in 2012.

Getting back to the top half of the conference won't happen overnight, but the 2012 recruiting class for Oregon State has a handful of players that could make an impact early.

Overall, 23 players signed letters of intent to play for the Beavers on February 1; 13 on offense, nine on defense and one specialist. Of the 23 new recruits, 12 hail from California, five from Washington and two from Oregon.

The most notable position impacted by graduation is the offensive line. Oregon State will lose three starters from their offensive line who only garnered 1,039 yards rushing and gave up 27 sacks.

Fortunately, the future looks bright up front; the Beavers signed seven new linemen on national signing day. The most notable is Issac Seumalo, a 6'3", 280-lb offensive guard from Oregon State's backyard in Corvallis. Seumalo is rated as a 4-star recruit by Rivals and is also ranked the third-highest guard nationally by Rivals.

Other solid additions to the offensive line include Grant Bays, a 6'3", 290-lb center from Oceanside, California, and Garrett Weinreich, a 6'6", 290-lb guard out of Arroyo Grande, California.

The most notable addition at tight end is Oregon State's other 4-star signee, Caleb Smith. Smith is from Renton, Washington. He has great size for his position at 6'7", 240 lbs, and he is rated as the 11th-best tight end in the country by Rivals.

Chris Brown, a 5'11", 200-lb running back from Fresno, California, will give depth to the Oregon State backfield.

Wide receivers Malik Gilmore (from Lakewood, California) and Zack Robinson (out of Tahlequah, Oklahoma) will help restock the cabinet at receiver. 

The lone signee at the quarterback position is Brent Vanderveen, a 6'3", 205-lb, dual-threat athlete with solid playmaking ability. Additionally, Vanderveen was a high school teammate with Weinreich at Arroyo Grande High School, so there is chemistry there already.

The Beavers also made some strong additions to the defense.  

The most notable addition is Joel Skotte, a 6'2", 225-lb inside linebacker from Bend, Oregon. Junior college transfer Cade Cowdin will add depth to the outside linebacker position.

Chris Miller, a 6'1", 195-lb safety from Pomona, California, leads the defensive backs in Oregon State's 2012 class.

Oregon State's entire 2012 class can be seen here.