CORVALLIS — Oregon State wide receiver Trent Walker is standing by former head coach Trent Bray after his firing earlier this week.
“To be completely honest, I’m pretty pissed about it,” Walker said on Tuesday. “Coach Bray is a good friend of mine, even greater mentor and coach. It’s definitely upsetting.”
Walker is among the chorus of current and former OSU players to voice their disagreement with the move on social media in recent days, including teammate Kai Wallin, who posted a gif with the caption “wrong person.”
Walker has a deep personal connection to Bray; the senior and former walk-on said Bray was the coach who visited him at Beaverton High School. And after Jonathan Smith left OSU for Michigan State, it was Bray who put Walker on scholarship.
The Beavers are 0-7 this season, but Walker has been a bright spot. Still, Walker said blame should fall on the players for OSU’s struggles.
“I’m disappointed in a lot of things this season,” Walker said. “I’m disappointed in how we played. I’m disappointed on where dudes are pointing fingers at. I’m disappointed in the decision because I feel Coach Bray has done a good job with us, and if you really look at the tape and look at it as a football point of view, it’s us as players that’s messing up, it’s not them.”
A breakout 2024 saw Walker emerge as one of the Beavers’ best players: 81 catches, 901 yards and two touchdowns. This season, Walker is No. 5 in the country with 598 receiving yards through seven games.
“He believed in me the whole way,” Walker said of Bray. “Coach (Robb) Akey said it in his interview that the way he has with players and how people respond to him is something special, and second to none. Coach Bray has had a big impact on me.”
Walker is a lifelong Beavers fan who became one of the faces of the program, but his future in Corvallis isn’t clear and could depend on who is hired as the next OSU coach.
Walker claimed earlier this season that he had one more year of eligibility, but whether he has to apply for or has already been granted a waiver is unknown.
Whatever the future holds, Walker reiterated his commitment to the Beavers on Tuesday despite the coaching change and its emotional impact on him.
“I’ll stay committed no matter what,” Walker said. “It’s Oregon State over everything, even though one of my favorite guys is gone now. I was telling the guys in the locker room that you train your whole life for 12 games in the season, and we’ve still got five more. We’ve still got plenty of opportunities. I’m excited for it still.”
Oregon State (0-7) vs. Lafayette (5-2, FCS)
- When: Saturday, Oct. 18
- Time: 7 p.m. PT
- Where: Reser Stadium
- TV Channel: The CW (Channel 32 in Portland)
- Stream: DirecTV (free trial) or Fubo (promotional offers). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.
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