Oregon State lands in-state QB

Kallen Gutridge

By BRANDON HUFFMAN

Dec 20th, 2023, 5:30 AM

Wilsonville (Ore.) quarterback Kallen Gutridge thought he'd be playing D-I sports, he just thought it would be on the hardwood.

With offers to play basketball, a late offer from Oregon State for football has him switching his college sports future from the basketball court to the football field.

New Beaver offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson, like Gutridge, an Oregon high school football product, watched him throw and extended an offer after a visit.

And the coaching staff, with Gunderson and new head coach Trent Bray, quickly won Gutridge over, though it was much easier considering his lifelong affinity for the Beavers.

"I picked Oregon State because of the coaching staff and close distance to family," said Gutridge.  "I also grew up a Beaver fan as well."

The visit sealed the deal for Gutridge.

"After my visit, I knew that Oregon State was the place for me," said Gutridge.

So Gutridge let Gunderson know he wanted in.

"I told coach Gunderson about my commitment and he was excited about my decision," said Gutridge.

And the Beav coaching staff had a big impact on his decision.

"The coaching staff was a big factor," said Gutridge. "Everything, from the relationships to their knowledge for the game, was big in my decision."

Gutridge said his family was fully behind the decision.

"My family was just super proud and excited for the opportunity in Corvallis," said Gutridge.

As for basketball, he's not quite ready to hang up the sneakers - he had a game on Tuesday night after announcing his decision and if the opportunity presented itself at Oregon State, he would explore it.

"That would for sure be a cool opportunity if it could work out without interfering with football," said Gutridge.

Regardless of what he does on the hardwood, Gutridge is thrilled for his opportunity to play less than 70 miles from his high school and his family nearby.

"I am definitely happy to have my family close," said Gutridge.  "I have a lot of family in Eastern Oregon that will support my career in Corvallis and make the trip to watch me play."

And after leading Wilsonville to a state title in 2023 with no football offers coming in and thinking his career was going to take him to basketball, he's now set to play for Oregon State and in football, bringing him tremendous relief.

"It is for sure a relief to finally seal the deal on my recruitment," said Gutridge. "I am super excited to join the Beaver family and it feels like home in Corvallis."

A three-star by 247Sports, Gutridge is the No. 20 prospect in the state of Oregon in 2024 and is one of three in-state products that will sign with the Beavers on Wednesday in Bray's first class.

As a senior, Gutridge led Wilsonville to the 5A state title with a 12-1 record, throwing for 3,773 yards and 57 touchdown passes, both top ten single-season numbers for Oregon.  He finished 226-for-350 with a 65% completion rate to 11 interceptions.  He ran for 670 yards on 76 carries and rushed for six touchdowns.

"We are very proud of Kallen, and excited he will be competing at Oregon State, close to him, a place he loves," said Wilsonville basketball coach Chris Roche. "He had many opportunities to play basketball on scholarship, too, but the chance to play for his home-state favorite school trumped those.  In my mind, there is no question he can play Division 1 basketball, and he may get the opportunity to do that at Oregon State. I think that is something he might explore. It's a tough thing to do in college, playing two sports, and it would need to work with football obviously... but if he gets the opportunity, I would not bet against him to make a contribution in basketball as well. He's very talented, he's very good, and he's a winner, too."

Gutridge is on pace to become the second leading scorer and all-time steals leader in Wildcat Basketball history.  Wilsonville has won back-to-back state championships (2022 & 2023) with the 6'4 lefty guard in the lineup.

"If they had a Gatorade All-Around Athlete of the Year for the State of Oregon, like they do for individual sports, Kallen would get my vote 100%," said Roche. "He's had a phenomenal high school career, and he's not done yet.  We are very excited for him."