Oregon State names Trent Bray, former Arizona State assistant, next head football coach

Oregon State named Trent Bray, a former Arizona State assistant, its next head football coach on Tuesday evening.

Bray replaced Jonathan Smith, who led the program for six seasons and was hired at Michigan State. Under Smith, Bray spent two-and-a-half seasons as defensive coordinator after coming aboard as the linebackers coach ahead of the 2018 campaign.

The former Beavers linebacker started his coaching career at ASU as a graduate assistant for then-head coach Dennis Erickson. He was named linebackers coach in 2010 but departed for Oregon State after the 2011 season.

Bray coached at his alma mater for three years under Mike Riley and followed Riley to Nebraska as linebackers coach in 2015. Riley was fired in 2017, and Bray briefly took over as interim head coach. He found his way back to Corvallis following the 2017 campaign to work with Smith.

“After interviewing several qualified candidates, we realized our top choice, Trent, has already been a mainstay at the Valley Football Center and Reser Stadium,” vice president and director of athletics Scott Barnes said in a press release. “He’s been a part of Beaver Nation for a long time and love for this place is real. The connection and trust he has built with our student athletes is unmatched. His energy and determination as head coach will be a catalyst for continued program success.”

Oregon State finished the regular season 8-4 with the No. 34 scoring defense in the nation at 21.5 points per game allowed. It has a bowl game left to play.

The Beavers are in an uncertain spot while handling a coaching change. Oregon State and Washington State are the only two Pac-12 schools that have not committed to joining other conferences for next school year.

Bray was born in Flagstaff and is a native of Pullman, Wash.

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