Oregon State mailbag: Coaching search, transfer window, basketball begins

It’s been a couple weeks since we’ve had an Oregon State mailbag. Simply put: we need more questions in order to do this every week.

Ask away! If you have questions about the football coaching search, the start of basketball season, or anything else OSU-related, please email me: RClarke@Oregonian.com.

On to this week’s mailbag, with just two games to go in the 2025 football season:

When Coach Bray was fired, the news was that all football players had a 30 period to leave and go on the portal. Never heard if any did. Would love to see that answered in your weekly mailbag. —Chuck M.

That was a mistake on my part. The rule had actually been changed just days before Bray’s firing. Players can only enter the portal after the season is over. The window opens Jan. 2 and lasts until Jan. 16.

It will be up to OSU’s next coach to convince current players to stick around. I’d expect many of them to announce their intentions to enter the portal relatively quickly after the season ends, though.

With Bjornstad having resigned, and Blaylock/Blueprint being shown the door, who now manages our NIL program? Are there any conversations with Bjornstad now that the person who pushed him out is fired? —Evan G.

It is not clear how OSU is managing NIL right now, and what’s next for its partnership with Blueprint Sports. We do know that partnership is in the process of being ended, but how fast and how expensive it ends up being for OSU is unknown.

It’s important to understand that revenue share is a much bigger piece of the pie, however, and OSU athletics reported raising $11.6 million for athletics in the first quarter of the fiscal year. That is a lot more than Q1 of last year ($6 million).

You obviously have to factor the new rules into that equation: Dam Nation’s responsibility has diminished significantly now that revenue share is the primary method by which all schools pay their athletes. Outside NIL is more important for the schools pushing up against the $20.5 million revenue share cap, and it doesn’t look like OSU will be close to that.

Either way, OSU is going to want all of its fundraising and NIL ducks (forgive the idiom) in a row before the next head coach is hired. Uncertainty is not an attractive prospect.

As a 1975 OSU graduate and a Corvallis resident, Nick Rolovich may be football blue chip, but he’s an ornery human being. I think he’s a good fit at LSU or Auburn. —William L.

If Rolovich is a candidate for the OSU job — and he is interested — he is going to have to answer questions about his messy departure at Washington State. Rolovich refused the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds, was fired for not complying with the state mandate for public employees, and lost a lawsuit against the school in the aftermath.

Some fans (not all) view Rolovich’s politics and personality as non-starters. That is understandable, as the hope for any sports fan is that representatives of their favorite team will reflect their values.

But take a look around college football, and you’ll find quite a few head coaches (including some highly successful ones) with political opinions you disagree with, and values most Oregonians do not share.

Oregon State is only scheduled to play 10 games next year. Seven conference games and currently three non-conference games. Is Oregon State trying to schedule two more non-conference games for next year? If so, are there any hints on who they could be and would these games be home or away? —Michael T.

Yes. The Pac-12 is working behind the scenes on potential scheduling agreements with other conferences, and reports indicate a two-game series between conference members (like what OSU has with Washington State this season) is potentially on the table as well.

That would mean one conference game and one non-conference game between four different pairings of the Pac-12’s eight total teams. It’s weird to play a conference opponent twice in one regular season, let alone for only one of those games to count towards your conference record, but that is a real option for the new Pac-12.

What does the process look like to move off of someone who holds the titles/positions that Scott Barnes does? Do you think it’s even possible they make that move while in the middle of a Head Coach search for the football program? —Zach Morris on X

OSU is not firing Scott Barnes during this coaching search. It would throw the entire process out of wack and potentially jeopardize the football program even further, regardless of your opinion on whether Barnes should be the one to make this hire.

I wouldn’t expect OSU’s athletic director to go anywhere after the coaching hire, either. OSU president Jayathi Murthy has publicly expressed her support for and trust in Barnes, and his contract includes a lucrative buyout. It is expensive to hire a new athletic director, too, and doing so amid both a football coaching search and conference transition across all sports would be unwise.

Of note: Washington State fired its AD this week. While we don’t know the internal politics behind that decision, Barnes is in a different situation at OSU despite the public pressure he faces from frustrated fans. And without a general manager or a deputy athletic director, he is currently indispensable.

Are Stephen Olowoniyi and Ja’Quavis Williford on the basketball team and just not earning any playing time or something else? —Scott M. on X

Williford was in a large knee brace and street clothes on Wednesday, according to Isaac Streeter of the Portland Tribune. Not sure what the situation is with Olowoniyi, whether it’s playing time or injury, but I will monitor it in the coming weeks.

Oregon State (2-8) at Tulsa (2-7)

• When: Saturday, Nov. 15
• Time: 10:00 a.m. PT
• Where: H.A. Chapman Stadium — Tulsa, OK
• TV channel: ESPN+ (Now called ESPN Select. This game is not available on traditional broadcast TV, only streaming on ESPN’s live sports streaming platform with the “ESPN Select” or “ESPN Unlimited” subscription plans. Here’s a look at how you can watch ESPN+ live on your TV.)
• How to watch streaming live: You can watch this game streaming live for less than $12 on ESPN Select (It costs just $11.99/month or $119.99/year for a subscription, and you can cancel anytime). Here’s a look at the breakdown of the new ESPN streaming plans, what they cost and include.)