Beavers: Big holes are left after departures.

Byline: Bob Rodman The Register-Guard

CORVALLIS - It was a couple of years ago, the start of what would be Dennis Erickson's fourth and final season as the Oregon State football coach.

An inquiring mind wanted to know, as the Beavers prepared for the 2002 season, if OSU had any concerns about its running game.

"You saw Steven Jackson play," Erickson reacted. "Would you be worried?"

Next question.

But now the Beavers are staring at life without Jackson, the junior who became the first player in OSU history to opt for the National Football League with college eligibility remaining.

Leaving with the two-time Pac-10 Conference rushing leader are some monster numbers and milestones - 3,625 yards rushing, second-best on the Oregon State career list; 1,690 yards rushing, an OSU single-season record; 132 points, a Beaver single-season scoring record; and he scored five touchdowns in a game, something no player in the 107-season history of OSU football has done.

The Beavers also are looking down the barrel of a program that will start next season without the most prolific receiver in school history - James Newson.

They are without the place-kicker, Kirk Yliniemi, and punter, Carl Tobey. Gone are all-world linebacker Richard Seigler, defensive tackle Dwan Edwards, offensive linemen Brian Kilkenny and David Lose, and tight end Tim Euhus.

No wonder coach Mike Riley's 2004 recruiting class - expected to number at least 25 and scheduled to be officially announced today - is considered by many to be so critical to the Beavers' continued push onto the national stage.

If the verbal commitments issued by more than 20 of Oregon State's recruits conclude with signatures on national letters of intent, and those signees are paired with 13 returning starters and 25 players who redshirted last season, the Beavers should have a collective smile from one end of campus to the other.

Two junior college players - offensive lineman Chris Miller (Butte College) and wide receiver Kevin Swanigan (City College of San Francisco) - already have signed with OSU.

Three other JC players - wide receiver Marcel Love (City College of San Francisco), punter Sam Paulescu (Fullerton) and safety Keith Ellison (El Camino) - are expected to sign with the Beavers.

The high school haul of athletes for OSU is expected to include five offensive linemen, four quarterbacks, four linebackers, three running backs and two defensive backs.

All but one of those quarterbacks likely will take their talents to wide receiver or defensive back positions, in part because Derek Anderson (a senior who owns the OSU single-season passing record of 4,058 yards) and redshirt freshman Ryan Gunderson will be 1-2, respectively, on the QB depth chart when spring practice begins on April 1.

Paulescu's reported talent for hang time and a strong leg should give a lift to OSU special teams. The securing of Swanigan and hopeful addition of Love give a big boost to the receiving corps.

Some of the offensive linemen might surface on the defensive line, but Miller and Ellison are likely to compete from the get-go for starting jobs on the offensive front.

Lamar Herron, considered a four-star recruit and listed 12th on the national rankings of safeties, may be good enough to play as a true freshman.

While this year's OSU recruiting probably will not be ranked among the heavyweight classes around the nation or in the Pac-10, there is speculation among those with an Oregon State persuasion that Riley's first bunch since returning for his second stint with the Beavers could be impressive and impacting.

Only time will tell.