Oregon State’s season is going from bad to worse after a demoralizing 23-27 loss against App State last week. After this loss, the Beavers have an 0-6 record for the season. Trent Bray and his team’s struggle to find consistency is clearly visible. But with the team’s terrible condition, there came in another off-field struggle, and that’s GM Kyle Bjornstad‘s resignation after the NIL controversy despite spending two decades with the program. His latest social media activity would indicate that Bjornstad is already planning his next move!

It all started when the NIL consulting company Blue Print got involved. Bjornstad is the co-founder of Dam Nation, the official NIL collective for the Beavers. It was acquired by Blue Print for over $100,000. The contract with includes an annual management fee of about $284,000 and a profit-sharing arrangement tied to meeting a first-year fundraising target of $750,000, which increases by 3% each year. The backlash was quick and swift. Fans were against the idea of taking money away from the athletes. Oregon State’s COO Brent Blaylock defended the partnership saying, “BluePrint only receives a cut after the program meets its fundraising goals, and Dam Nation memberships aren’t included in those totals. The partnership is designed to support student-athletes and maximize their success.”

After this controversy, Kyle Bjornstad’s move adds another layer of speculation to it. Nothing has been explicitly stated for now. But one thing’s pretty evident. Bjornstad is far from done. As he makes a bold X post, leaving fans in total confusion and anticipation. His caption says it all: “The next chapter will be EPIC.” With the #neveryield hashtag. Looks like there’s something interesting brewing for his future destination. Yet losing a guy like Kyle is a major blow for Oregon State.

While he played a crucial part in Dam Nation’s success, his work goes beyond it. He played a key role in fundraising even in the pre-NIL era and then got promoted as AD and chief of staff in 2017. As a result of his constant efforts, Oregon State was able to grab talented players in the transfer portal like D.J. Uiagalelei and Maalik Murphy, which required heavy financial investment.

On top of that, Bjornstad also played for the OSU men’s basketball team from 2006 to 2009, coming in after spending two years at Northwest Christian University. He wasn’t just an employee for the Beavers. During his senior year he helped the Beavers win the College Basketball Invitational. Then in 2009 he graduated from Oregon State with a degree in speech communication. He also earned a master’s in athletic administration from Concordia University Irvine in 2019. For now, all we can do is wait for Bjornstad’s next move, but it looks like he’s not the only one Oregon State is parting ways with.

Beavers part ways with special teams coach

A 0-6 start shows how bad the situation is with Oregon State, and that’s exactly why Trent Bray isn’t taking any more chances with his team. His move? Firing his special teams coordinator Jamie Christian. Just after a year of taking the reins. Christian was let go due to poor production. The Beavers were averaging a mere 33.9 yards on punts. This is not something that screams excellence.

The Beavers’ special team is nothing but a mess right now. It is one of the many reasons for what keeps the team from winning games. Remember how they let Fresno State score a TD on a punt return? That could have been the turning point of the game. Then, 2 of their field goals were blocked by the Houston Cougars. It’s pretty evident why Trent Bray is taking this bold step.

He even gave out a statement on it and said, “Now is the right time to make a change in our football program, and I have relieved Coach Jamie Christian of his duties at Oregon State. All of us appreciate Coach Christian’s commitment to helping us build the program and wish him the best moving forward.” Now, with those Oregon State fans on watch for possible replacements for Christian, let’s wait and see who finally steps up.