Life hasn’t been easy in Corvallis, Oregon, since most of the Pac-12 disbanded, leaving Oregon State and Washington State. While the conference is rebuilding, adding several teams currently in the Mountain West, OSU and the Cougars must brave the unknown of the 12-team College Football Playoff era as a two-team pseudo-conference.
While a ticket to the postseason dance was already going to be difficult for Wazzu and the Beavers, Oregon State has had a rougher go at it in 2025. After starting the season 0-7, the team has officially parted ways with head coach Trent Bray. Who might Oregon State hire as his replacement?
Who Might Oregon State Hire After Firing HC Trent Bray?
On Sunday, October 12, it was reported that Oregon State has decided to fire head coach Trent Bray, who has been leading the team since 2024.
Oregon State has fired head coach Trent Bray, a source tells @CBSSports.
The Beavers fell to 0-7 yesterday. (ESPN 1st). pic.twitter.com/6jozg1MWwn
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 12, 2025
While Bray only coached 19 games, in which his team went 5-14, he has been with the program since 2018. Additionally, he was with the Beavers from 2012 to 2014 as a linebackers coach.
Bronco Mendenhall, HC, Utah State
Bronco Mendenhall, the current coach of the Utah State Aggies, will almost always be in the conversation for Oregon State’s head coaching vacancy. He played football at OSU from 1986 to 1987 and took over as a grad assistant for the Beavers in 1989. He rejoined the team in 1995 before leaving for Louisiana Tech in 1997.
While he has plenty of reps in Corvallis, he got his head coaching chops at BYU (2005-15), Virginia (2016-21), and New Mexico (2024) before joining USU. Granted, he is on his third program in three years, so he might not want to move, but Oregon State is home and could serve as the second act of his long coaching career.
Brennan Marion, HC, Sacramento State (FCS)
Brenna Marion, the 38-year-old coach of the FCS Sacramento State Hornets, is an up-and-coming coach on the West Coast who could be a great option for Oregon State. The Hornets are his first head coaching gig, but he has been instrumental in the development of the “GoGo” offense, which combines a modern spread offense with a triple-option.
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Since entering college coaching in 2015 with Arizona State, he has implemented this offense in various forms and fashions at Howard (FCS), William & Mary (FCS), Hawaii, Pittsburgh, and Texas under Steve Sarkisian as the passing game coordinator and UNLV as the offensive coordinator.
Investing in a young coach like Marion could pay off in the long term.
Jason Eck, HC, New Mexico
Like the previous two options, Jason Eck is a coach who has found some success coaching out west. While he spent 20 years at various schools as the offensive line coach and running game coordinator, he first got his chance at being a head coach with the Idaho Vandals of the FCS.
With the Vandals, he secured a 26-13 record with an 18-6 mark in the competitive Big Sky Conference. In 2019, with FCS powerhouse South Dakota State, he received the AFCA Division I FCS Assistant Coach of the Year award. He might not have a ton of experience as a head coach in the FBS, but he knows how to win and how to implement a team culture.
Brent Vigen, HC, Montana State (FCS)
Like Marrion, Brent Vigen is an option currently in the FCS ranks. Before his current tenure as the leader of the FCS Montana State Bobcats — his first head-coaching job — he spent over a decade with North Dakota State amid its FCS dominance.
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He served in various roles, including position coach for tight ends, quarterbacks coach, running backs coach, passing game coordinator, and offensive coordinator. As far as FBS experience goes, Vigen was with Wyoming from 2014 to 2020. As a head coach, he is 51-12 and 8-3 in the FCS playoffs, with an impressive 31-3 record in conference play.
Blue Adams, Secondary Coach, Michigan State
Blue Adams might seem like an “out of the blue” option, but he served under HC Jonathan Smith from 2019 to 2023 in the same role as his current one with the Spartans. Oregon State likes to hire from within the program — even if that means he’s not currently in Corvallis.
Adams bounced around NFL rosters as a player from 2003 to 2009 following a college career at Cincinnati, but he first took a coaching gig at Purdue in 2010 as a grad assistant. Since then, he’s become a guru on defensive schemes, spending time at FCS Northern Iowa, the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, West Virginia, USF, and his first stint at OSU.
