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The Beavers used to send a guy down to Brighton High School every year, Joe Seumalo. He was a nice guy, Bengals coach Ryan Bullett said, but Oregon State always had a tough time competing with the in-state schools for the recruits they wanted.
The difference now is instead of one Oregon State coach, there's four — including Gary Andersen.
"They've definitely made it a priority," said Bullett, a former Ute himself. "And you know they've done their homework, because a lot of those guys started recruiting the kids at Brighton when they were up at Utah."
Kalani Sitake and Ilaisa Tuiaki were great in-state recruiters for Utah, so it's no surprise they've been popping up on the sidelines of local high schools now that they are donning orange and black. And Andersen, who recruited the state heavily at both Utah State and Wisconsin, never left. The Beavers temporarily relocated to Sandy in June, holding a satellite camp at Alta High School.
The budding Oregon State-Utah rivalry might be seen as a congenial one, since many of the coaches on each side have worked with one another over the years. But if there's animosity, it's bubbling up from fans frustrated by recruiting crossover. More than a few passionate observers have used social media to point fingers at the new Beaver staff, accusing them of offering every Utah recruit — as if the practice was against some unspoken, unwritten code.
Several one-time Utah commits switched to OSU late last year after the coaching turnover. One of the Beavers, tight end Noah Togiai, is slated to start on Saturday night. There's no special grudge, Utah's coaches say, but they're well aware of that competition.
"We're mad at anybody that comes in and tries to take guys out of our territory, but those guys also have Utah ties and relationships with Utah high schools are a little stronger and tighter than other schools," tight ends coach Lewis Powell said. "So we need to win this week, and point out, 'Hey, why go to Corvallis to play good football when you can play good football here?'"
While many of the players are the same — Rivals indicates both Utah and Oregon State have offered four of the top six uncommitted in-state prospects — the pitch is very different.
Andersen offers a roster in rebuild mode, which means early playing opportunities at a lot of positions. At the moment, he's starting several younger players, including at quarterback. The Beavers will open new facilities next year to compete with programs such as Utah that already have higher-level facilities. And then there's Corvallis, in Andersen's mind a "true college town."
The Utes have played up successful in-state commitments: Star Lotulelei, Paul Kruger, Nate Orchard, Matt Asiata and others who went from Utah high schools to the NFL. A No. 13 ranking this week and a chance at a division title offer recruits a chance to win sooner in front of their families.
Morgan Scalley took over in-state recruiting for Tuiaki, and in Bullett's esteem, he's the right man for the job. Aside from connecting well with recruits, he also asks for feedback when Utah doesn't get its man.
"He just wanted to know the things he can do better, what kids are looking for and how he can get these kids," Bullett said. "Definitely Morgan Scalley is blue-chip and one of the best out there. You don't get a lot of coaches who do that."
Aside from in-state recruiting — which to this point BYU and Stanford have gotten more recruits than Oregon State — there aren't a ton of battlegrounds where the Utes and OSU cross yet. Of Utah's commits, only three had an OSU offer, according to Scout. Of Oregon State's commits, only one got a scholarship offer from the Utes.
While it's clear Oregon State will continue to work its Utah ties in the coming years, The Oregonian's Andrew Nemic observes that the Beaver staff is still building relationships in the Pacific Northwest and California. Once those are better established, there could be less reliance on Utah recruits to round out the roster.
"Any time a new staff comes into a state that they're not familiar and don't have deep, deep roots, you go to what you know," he said. "I think last year, they were in a bit of a scramble mode to get some guys, so it was more, 'Let's go where we know.' There could be less emphasis on Utah going forward. That said, once you have those ties, there's no point in wasting it."
So OSU coaches will be out there this fall, watching, chatting, coaxing prospects to come out west to play against the Utes in a few years. To Utah's staff, it's just like any other recruiting trail foe.
Some Utah targets may choose to be Beavers. It's not personal.
"We worry about the guys who sign here," Scalley said. "Every year you have guys that you wanted that go elsewhere, and that's no different from last year. We worry about the guys that we signed, and we're happy with them."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Change of heart
Oregon State got a few Utah commits to change their minds last year after Gary Andersen took over and Kalani Sitake and Ilaisa Tuiaki went to Corvallis.
• Thor Katoa, defensive tackle, Pine View (St George)
• Noah Togiai, tight end, Hunter (West Valley)
• Wily Tuli-Matagi, tight end, Kahuku (Laie, Hawai'i)