A seven-game losing streak to begin the 2025 season has prompted Oregon State to fire second-year head coach Trent Bray, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel’s report.
The former Beaver linebacker took over for current Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith following the 2023 campaign and compiled a 5-12 record over the past two years.
Bray’s tenure started out strong in 2024 with a 4-1 overall record and a win over Purdue, but Oregon State went on to lose six of its last seven game to miss out on a bowl game entirely.
And the 2025 season has followed a similar trend. Whether it was being lit up by a true-freshman quarterback to open the campaign against Cal, brutal special teams miscues dooming the team versus Fresno State or a heartbreaking overtime loss to Houston, the Beavers have experienced some crushing defeats this season.
Only such a start could lead a program to fire such a beloved former player. Bray was a star linebacker from 2002-2005, earning All-Pac-10 Honors as a junior and senior while compiling over 100 tackles each year. He currently ranks sixth-highest in program history when it comes to career tackles.
Bray returned to Corvallis as a graduate assistant and linebackers coach in 2012 before he eventually bounced around and found his way back to the program under Smith in 2018.
Oregon State next hosts the FCS’ Lafayette before a bye week. It closes the season with a home-and-home against Washington State sandwiching dates with Sam Houston (home) and Tulsa (road).
Parker is currently the sports editor with the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
