OSU mostly pleased with recruiting haul.

Byline: Bob Rodman The Register-Guard

CORVALLIS - On Wednesday, the first day of a monthlong period in which football national letters of intent can be signed, the Beavers secured 22 signatures.

"We had specific goals," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said.

The Beavers met most of them.

They secured the services of the state's prep offensive player of the year, Lake Oswego High School's Kevin Maher, a wide receiver who helped lead the Lakers to the Class 4A state championship last fall.

Oregon State, whose 2005 recruiting class was ranked 47th in the nation by Rivals.com, also gathered two high-powered cornerbacks, a move necessitated by the departure of two of the Pac-10 Conference's best - Aric Williams and Brandon Browner.

The Beavers dipped into the junior college ranks for the shoring up of the corners, signing Edorian McCullough from City College of San Francisco and Aaron Miller, who spent the past two seasons at Fresno City College.

"We were hit hard," Riley said of Williams' graduation and Browner's decision to opt for the NFL after his sophomore season at OSU.

McCullough was originally signed by Texas; Miller by Oklahoma.

"They have played at a higher level of football," Riley said. "They will bring a special competitiveness to the positions. But they have big shoes to fill."

One letter arrived as Riley held court with the media on Wednesday. It was signed by Al Afalava, a highly regarded safety from Hawaii.

"He's tough, smart, instinctive and productive," said Riley, relieved that a potential replacement for four-year starting free safety Mitch Meeuwsen may have surfaced.

Oregon State signed two quarterbacks - Matt Moore, a former starter for UCLA, and Sean Canfield, a prep star from Carlsbad, Calif. - as the program attempts to replace record-setting passer Derek Anderson, who was the first quarterback to lead the Beavers to three bowl games and win two of them.

"Canfield may graduate early from high school and be here for spring practice," said Riley, whose team begins its spring workouts on April 1. "If he does, he will enter into the competition for the job early."

Moore, Riley said, "comes to us as a guy who has played in the Pac-10, and he brings to us athleticism. He is a guy who can run."

So can Jimtavis Walker, the likely heir to Steven Jackson, who left OSU a year ago as a junior and landed in the NFL as a St. Louis Rams running back.

Walker, a transfer from Florida last year, leads the tailback list that was lengthened with the signing of prep star Markel Devorce and junior college transfer Nate Wright as Oregon State attempts to jump start a rushing attack that produced a league-worst 70.7 yards a game last season.

"Wright's an exciting athlete," Riley said of the tailback from Charleston, W.Va., who originally signed with West Virginia.

"Devorce is a very, very good athlete. We had him rated near the top."

The Beavers collected some personnel to block for the tailbacks and quarterbacks - four offensive linemen, including 6-foot-5, 295-pound eight-man star guard Mike Marks from Joseph High, and a powerful tight end in Jason Vandiver from Fullerton College.

Marks, Riley said, "is big, strong and athletic but will have a lot to learn.

"His story is an interesting one. He travels 50 miles a day to get to school. Lo and behold, out there in the wilderness somewhere, there's a 300-pound, 6-foot-5 kid that we really liked."

"We also hit the mark on linebackers," said Riley, who signed four of them, including Bryant Cornell of The Dalles, a brother of former OSU offensive lineman Jared Cornell.

But the Beavers did not hit the jackpot when it came to defensive linemen, specifically defensive ends.

"We did not get done what we needed for the defensive line," said Riley, who must find a way to replace Bill Swancutt, OSU's all-time sacks leader. Oregon State signed two defensive linemen, but the search for defensive ends continues.

"We are thin in the defensive line," he said. "We will add to what we have. I'm just not sure when."

Riley said they lost some recruiting battles, in part the result of such programs as Boise State and Utah rising in the national rankings.

"We lost one guy to Michigan, another to Michigan State and two to Kansas State," he said.

"But there still are guys out there. It's still important to uncover the rocks. There are hungry football players with special qualities, guys like (former OSU tailback) Ken Simonton.

"He was a warrior with a little chip on his shoulder about proving it."

The Beavers, with five winning seasons in the past six years and three victories in five bowl appearances since 1999, open the 2005 season in what will be the newly renovated Reser Stadium against Portland State on Sept. 3.