The loss of Dexter Foster to Nebraska is going to hurt, as the Central Catholic grad was very durable in the middle of Oregon State’s defense last season. This being said, the Beavers are returning a lot of production at inside linebacker from 2025, and they have a nice room of players with solid college experience.
This is probably one of the better position groups on the team. Something to note is that with a lot of quality in the mix, certain guys who aren’t starting will still likely play a lot of snaps, as was the case with Tyree Blake and Kord Shaw last season.
Raesjon Davis – Redshirt Senior
The former four-star recruit suffered an injury early last season, leading to a medical redshirt. But Davis looked promising in his short stint from 2025, posting nine tackles and a TFL through three games. Raesjon is a veteran college football player who saw action in 36 games during his time at USC. If he stays healthy, he could be one of the top guys in the ILB rotation.
Kord Shaw – Redshirt Senior
After seeing very little action in his first two years, the Ogden, Utah native came onto the scene for the Beavers in 2025 after the injury to Davis. Shaw was important in OSU’s home win over WSU, putting up a season-high eight tackles in that game. While he may not get the starting nod, it wouldn’t at all be surprising if Kord finds his way into the mix this fall after gaining experience last season.
Aiden Sullivan – Redshirt Senior
It was a giant win for the coaching staff to get the rising senior to stick around at Oregon State for his final year of eligibility. Moving up the depth chart early last year, Sullivan was probably the biggest bright spot in a season that otherwise was one to forget. Aiden(along with Foster, who transferred) was the backbone of the Beaver defense, leading the squad in tackles for loss and also forcing three fumbles. Don’t be surprised if Sullivan is selected for preseason all-conference.
Tyree Blake – Redshirt Senior
Listed in last week’s piece about OLBs as well, Blake is a hybrid type of player who can line up in multiple areas in the front seven. Tyree had a lot of quality playing time towards the end of last year, finishing with 11 total tackles against Tulsa. Blake is a good option to have available, adding to Oregon State’s already solid linebacker depth.
Dylan Layne – Redshirt Senior
The Lake Oswego grad is back in the state of Oregon after a successful stint at Idaho. Layne tallied 137 tackles and 10.5 TFLs over two years for the Vandals, being named Big Sky honorable mention in 2025. It’s hard to know where Layne stands on the depth chart given that we are still in May, but I would imagine that he is in good shape to land in the two-deep rotation.
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