The Oregon State football coaching search is underway, and several names have been floated as potential candidates for the job. It is early in the process as the coaching carousel continues to spin across college football.
As the search rolls on, barring a major announcement or change in the search dynamics, The Oregonian/OregonLive will examine some of the potential candidates for OSU’s next head coach.
We continue with a former Oregon State wide receiver:
Kevin Cummings
Current job: WRs coach, Washington
Age: 34
Head coaching record: N/A
Why it works
Cummings played wide receiver for the Beavers from 2010 to 2013 under Mike Riley, finishing with 52 catches, 627 yards and four touchdowns in his career. After brief stints in the Canadian Football League and in the Arena Football League, he got his start in coaching as a quality control assistant at OSU from 2014 to 2016.
Since then, the Los Angeles product has been among the top wide receivers coaches in the country, recruiting the likes of Tetairoa McMillan to Arizona and consistently nabbing four-star wideouts at Washington.
Cummings is young, relational, active on social media and has a deep connection to OSU. With the right staff around him, he is the kind of next generation coach who could drag the OSU football program into the new world of college football and bring serious energy to Corvallis.
Why it might not work
While Cummings has been in coaching for more than a decade now, and was a crucial piece of Jedd Fisch’s staff at both Arizona and now Washington, he hasn’t been a head coach or even a coordinator before.
The Beavers would have to buy into Cummings’ vision for the program, lean on his ability to recruit, and feel like they can build a robust and experienced staff around him before taking this kind of chance. With the other, more experienced candidates likely in the running for the OSU job, it would have to be a seriously compelling vision sold in the interview room.
Is he interested in Oregon State?
As any ambitious, young coach who graduated from OSU would be, signs point to yes. While Cummings hasn’t stated anything publicly and won’t as long as he’s at Washington, behind the scenes his name has been mentioned as a possible candidate at his alma mater. Whether he will get an interview is unknown at this stage in the process.
Know the other (possible) candidates:
Oregon State (2-8) at Tulsa (2-7)
When: Saturday, Nov. 15Time: 10:00 a.m. PTWhere: H.A. Chapman Stadium — Tulsa, OKTV Channel: NoneStream: ESPN+
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