Sources: Oregon State has named Mercer transfer Braden Atkinson the starting quarterback, and he’ll debut at No. 23 Houston on Sept. 5. He won the Jerry Rice Award for the top player in the FCS in 2025, and he beat out Maalik Murphy and Brady Jones for the starting job.
Atkinson, a 6-1 sophomore, will be the first starting quarterback in new coach JaMarcus Shephard’s tenure, which opens against ranked teams in Houston and hosting No. 12 Texas Tech.
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Aug 24, 2026, 03:25 PM
