Oregon State will be facing two difficult matchups to open their 2026 campaign, going up against a lot of players who have been named to the Big-12 Preseason All-Conference team. While Houston and Texas Tech consist of a lot of the defensive strength Oregon State will see this year, there are also other guys to take note of for later-season matchups.
5: Jo’Laison Landry – DL, Texas State Bobcats
The 6’3″, 260-pounder is explosive off the line of scrimmage and consistently finds ways to disrupt the offensive backfield. Last year as a junior, Landry finished with 4.5 sacks and a couple of forced fumbles on the season. Even when he isn’t the first to get to the ball-carrier, Landry is strong on the line and gives a huge boost to the Bobcat front’s penetration on a lot of plays. Look for him to be a real difference-maker in his senior season.
4: Simeon Harris – Corner, Fresno State
Beaver fans might recognize this name, as a fair chunk of Harris’ highlight reel from 2025 came in the Bulldogs’ road victory over Oregon State in week 2. A ball-hawk with great defensive instincts, Harris recorded 6.5 TFLs last season and was also effective in pass-coverage with five interceptions on the year. In Fresno State’s big win over Boise State last November, Harris had a performance of three TFLs and a pick, and was named Mountain West defensive player of the week. Now in his redshirt senior season, Simeon Harris should be one of the better defensive backs in the PAC-12 in 2026.
3: Adam Trick – DL, Texas Tech Red Raiders
A four-star transfer from Miami Ohio, Trick is an absolute force in the defensive front. In his junior year last season with the Redhawks, Trick had 8.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. This included a two-sack performance in their opening game against Wisconsin, proving that he’s more than capable of dealing with power four offensive lines. In 2026 with the playoff-hopeful Red Raiders, Trick has been named to the Big-12 preseason all-conference team.
2: Brice Pollock – Corner, Texas Tech Red Raiders
One of the best defensive backs in the talented Big-12 conference, Brice Pollock will be looking to build off a strong junior campaign where he was named first-team all-conference. He came away with five interceptions last season, including two in the September route of Oregon State. This year, Pollock should be one of the secondary anchors for a Red Raider team that has a very strong defense. It will be a big early test for Beaver quarterback Braden Atkinson on September 12th against this secondary.
1: Jayden Virgin-Morgan – EDGE, Boise State
A senior in this 2026 season, Virgin-Morgan will be looking to finish off what has been a fantastic collegiate career with the Broncos, and he might have desires to play at the next level as well. He has started all 28 games for Boise State over the past two years, putting up excellent defensive numbers with 18.5 tackles for loss over those two seasons. In 2024 as a sophomore, Virgin-Morgan put together a monster year with ten sacks, ranking second in the Mountain West for that category. Going into this season, he’s been named to Athlon Sport’s Preseason All-American Fourth Team, and has also been added to the Lombardi Award watchlist.
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