Oregon State Football Position Preview: Quarterbacks

Braden Atkinson- Mercer Transfer, Sophomore

One of the CFB transfer portal's best-kept secrets, the 2026 recipient of the Jerry Rice award might be the most significant of all offseason additions to Oregon State's roster. In his freshman season at Mercer last year, Atkinson threw 34 touchdown passes and become the first SoCon player to ever win the award for best freshman football player at the FCS level.

A native of North Carolina, Atkinson trained in high school with former Duke standout Anthony Boone, and became known for his accuracy and knowledge of the game. Despite flying under the radar on the recruiting trail, he showed out last season in the SoCon conference, completing 66% of his passes for over 3,600 yards. Atkinson has tremendous instincts in the pocket, and has proven his ability to find receivers while scrambling to evade pressure. Maalik Murphy might have a slight upper hand at the moment, but the young FCS transfer should be right on his tail in fall camp.

Maalik Murphy- Former Duke Transfer, Senior

Rated 93 by 247Sports in the 2025 transfer portal, the former Duke standout should have the necessary tools to bounce back at Oregon State this season. Praised by scout Greg Bivens for his pure arm strength and deep-ball touch, there seems to be a lot of upside for Murphy, and many consider him to be the front -runner for the starting role in 2026.

One thing Murphy will need to improve on is his ability to extend plays and make quality throws on the run, as Mercer transfer Braden Atkinson excels in this particular area. Murphy, on the other hand, is at his best when he can release the ball in rhythm with a clean pocket, and personnel from last year's squad didn't help Murphy in this regard. However, with the solid transfers they've brought in at this position, there is reason to expect an improved performance from the big guys up front.

Additionally, Coach Shephard has also brought in a couple of well-recruited transfers from Power Four schools at Wide Receiver, giving Murphy more quality targets. He threw for nearly 3,000 yards in 2024 in the ACC, so we know Murphy is capable of having a good season if the OSU offense comes together this fall.

Brady Jones- Western Michigan Transfer, Senior

The Marietta, CA native put up a strong performance during Spring camp, inserting himself into the starting QB competition. Jones put up video game-like numbers at Riverside City College(JUCO) in California, throwing for over 4,400 yards and 44 TDs as a sophomore in 2024.

Jones has minimal experience at the FBS level, seeing action in just five games for the Broncos last season. But he showed at Riverside that he has the ability to lead an offense, and should certainly not be counted out in a potential QB battle come fall camp.