By Cliff Kirkpatrick
Corvallis Gazette-Times | Posted: Sunday, June 21, 2009 12:00 am
CORVALLIS - Oregon State football coach Mike Riley has decided on his greyshirts for the coming season, and one big name is on the list.
Sophomore junior college transfer wide receiver Reggie Dunn is one of the five greyshirts, Riley said Saturday.
The others are first-year players offensive lineman Michael Beaton from Dallas High, receiver Kevin Cummings of Encino, Calif., receiver Obum Gwacham of Chino Hills, Calif., and defensive end Josh Kaiwi from Anchorage, Alaska.
"That's about final," Riley said of his roster. "That gets us to about the right number."
Greyshirts are incoming players who delay enrollment until after the season for various reasons - grades or a full roster usually. The Beavers are over the 85-scholarship limit, so they use this as a way to stay within the limit and have players already signed for the following season.
Dunn is being greyshirted because he won't be academically eligible until Aug. 22, Riley said. That's when he'll finish up the classes he needs at Los Angeles Compton College for an associate of arts degree.
"He would be ready (academically), but that would be too late to be ready (physically) for the season," Riley said because training camp begins Aug. 10 and the season opens Sept. 5.
Dunn has the ability to be an impact player. He was listed sixth on the SuperPrep Juco 100 list after one season at Compton College.
He was a four-star recruit when he originally signed with the Beavers in 2007 out of Los Angeles Verbum Dei High, and then sat out the following season.
Dunn has four years to complete three years of eligibility, so this season will use up one of those years. When he enrolls in the winter term he'll have three years to play three seasons.
One reason the roster is not complete is Riley needs to find out what incoming freshman Kyrell Hudson of Vancouver, Wash., plans to do.
He's a standout baseball player who was drafted in the third round of the major league draft earlier this month by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Hudson said in news reports he plans to sign a pro baseball contract, but Riley hasn't been in contact with him recently.