Troy Wayrynen

Senior offensive lineman Billy Lutui will be a key component for the Vikings in 2024.

Football 7/31/2024 9:05:00 AM by Mike Lund

Camp Preview: Vikings Begin Practice Thursday, Add Six Signees Over Summer, And A Look At The Offense

Portland State will open preseason football camp on Thursday morning at Stott Community Field. The Vikings will practice in the mornings daily, except for Sundays, in the lead up to an Aug. 31 opener at Washington State.

Portland State Football Practice Schedule (times tentative)
Thurs, Aug. 1   10:15 a.m.-11:15 p.m.
Fri, Aug. 2        10:15 a.m.-11:45 p.m.
Sat, Aug. 3       10:15 a.m.-Noon
Sun, Aug. 4      Off Day

Mon, Aug. 5    10:15 a.m.-Noon
Tues, Aug. 6    10:15 a.m.-Noon
Wed, Aug. 7    10:15 a.m.-Noon
Thurs, Aug. 8   10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Fri, Aug. 9        10:15 a.m.-11:45 p.m.
Sat, Aug. 10     10 a.m.-Noon (Scrimmage)

SUMMER NEWCOMERS: Portland State signed six student-athletes over the course of the summer to bolster the roster. Five are Division I transfers. The Vikings will also add a number of walk-ons to be added to the roster after the report date. The summer signees are:

Jakob Belton, OL, 6-6, 275, JR, TR, Long Beach, CA (Wilson HS/Long Beach CC/Colorado State)
Signed with Colorado State last year out of Long Beach City College... redshirted the season... spent two seasons at LBCC.

Terence Loville, WR, 6-0, 185, JR, TR, San Mateo, CA (Serra HS/San Jose State)
Spent three seasons at San Jose State... had one redshirt season and combined to play in five games in 2021 and 2022... Attended Junipero Serra High School where he was a two-time All-Metro and West Catholic Athletic League selection... also named to the first-team Bay Area Preps HS squad... made 48 receptions for 1,061 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior.

Jamal McMurrin, CB, 5-11, 191, SR, TR, West Salem, OR (West Salem HS/Butte College/Missouri State)
Competed for two seasons at Missouri State of the Missouri Valley Football Conference... played in all 11 games with one start in 2023... racked up 10 total tackles and a pair of pass break-ups for the season... played in 10 games in his first season at Missouri State... posted 14 total tackles, two tackles for loss, an interception, four pass break-ups and a forced fumble... a standout two-sport athlete at West Salem High School... named All-Greater Valley Conference second team as a senior.

Sosefo Moeaki, DL, 6-1, 290, JR, TR, Portland, OR (Parkrose HS/DeAnza JC/Nevada)
Played in 11 games with six starts at Nevada in 2023... played at DeAnza College in 2022... made 64 tackles, 6 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, forced a fumble and had a fumble recovery in 10 games.

Cyrus Moss, DE, 6-5, 215, SO, TR, Las Vegas, NV (Bishop Gorman HS/Miami)
Spent the past two seasons at the University of Miami... played in three games as a redshirt in 2022, then two games as a freshman in 2023... was a consensus four-star prospect by every major scouting service at Bishop Gorman High School… ranked No. 75 overall player nationwide in ESPN300… rated No. 9 defensive end and No. 1 player in state of Nevada by ESPN.

Mathias Uribe, K, 5-9, 200, JR, JC, San Dimas, CA (San Dimas HS/Mt. Sac)
Played at Mount San Antonio College last season... was 2-4 on field goals and 6-6 on extra points while handling the majority of kickoffs for a 10-1 program.

Portland State Football opens camp on Thursday morning at Stott Community Field. The Vikings have 42 returning letterwinners and 14 returning starters from the 2023 season. Twenty-five redshirts also return, including 23 who saw game action last season. That gives the Vikings over 60 players with game experience.

OFFENSIVE PREVIEW

DANTE'S DATA: SR QB Dante Chachere (6-3, 200) will begin his third season directing the Viking offense in 2024. Over the past two years, Chachere has compiled 4,767 yards of total offense and 52 total touchdowns. Chachere has rushed for more than 1,200 yards with 17 TDs, and passed for over 3,500 yards and 35 TDs. With 4,919 yards of total offense and 54 total touchdowns in his career, Chachere has proven to be the epitome of the pass/run quarterback... Chachere has twice been named Big Sky Conference Player of the Week and will be one of the league's top returning QBs... the real intrigue at quarterback is likely the battle for backup. Behind the incumbent signal caller is a group of four freshmen - two redshirts (Gabe Downing and Jazel Riley) and two true (Cru Newman and Tyrese Smith) - redshirt junior Keegan Stancato (6-4, 210) and walk-on juniors William Haskell (6-4, 200), Rieger Sayre (6-2, 225) and CJ Jordan (6-2, 210). It should be fascinating.
RUNNING GAME REBOOT: The Viking running game was dominant in 2023, averaging 224.0 yards per game to rank second in the Big Sky Conference and sixth in the nation. It was the best rushing performance by a Viking team in six seasons. In 2024, the backfield will need to feature old and new. SO RB Quincy Craig (5-9, 185) was named to the Jerry Rice Watch List for National Freshman of the Year honors early last year. He had 66 carries for 410 yards and three touchdowns, 19 receptions for 207 yards and three touchdowns, and six punt returns for 70 yards after six games. At that point he was leading the Big Sky Conference in all-purpose yards (124.0). Unfortunately, a knee injury knocked him out for the remainder of the season. Still, the 5-9, 185-pound back so impressed the league that he earned Big Sky all-purpose back honorable mention recognition. Craig will get carries and line up at receiver on occasion. His return to health and the return of SR RB Christian Grubb (5-9, 170; 53-282-1) give the backfield a dynamic presence. Grubb was an all-around back for the Vikings compiling 727 all-purpose yards. The incorporation of SR RB Jalynnee McGee (5-10, 195; 562 career rushing yards) and RS FR Delon Thompson (5-9, 200; leading HS rusher in southern California in 2022) will be vital to continued success in the Viking running game... fleet-of-foot FR WR Eric Denham will also line up in the backfield on occasion.
YOU CAN'T TELL THE PLAYERS WITHOUT A SCORECARD: The Vikings wide receiver corps will undergo a major makeover in 2024. A number of players who have been backups and redshirts will step forward, as will a number of newcomers at the position. PSU will need to identify big contributors as they will be the least experienced at wide receiver as they have been for some time. JR Chance Miller (6-0, 180) and SO Jaylen Lynch (6-2, 175) have seen limited field time as backups. SR Travis West (5-6, 160) is making the move over this year after three seasons as a DB... JR TR Branden Alvarez (5-11, 180) should step into a big role after transferring in from San Jose State. Eric Denham (5-11, 185) should be a top contributor among the redshirt freshmen, lining up on the outside and occasionally in the backfield. Other redshirt freshmen, Joaquin Johnson (5-11, 180) and Tini Tinitali (6-0, 180), will have an opportunity to get into the mix, as will walk-on Eddy Schultz (RS FR, 6-1, 195), a Cal Poly transfer. The Vikings got another addition from San Jose State when Terence Loville (JR, 6-0, 185) transferred over the summer... the Vikings signed three freshmen in the 2024 recruiting class: Daulton Beard (6-5, 195), Kenen Elder (6-0, 175) and Ben Stevens (6-4, 205).
REGROUPING THE BIGGEST GROUP: Speaking of injuries, PSU's offensive line had more than its share in 2023. The Vikings got through, but the depth was mostly gone by the end of the season. In 2024, the Vikings will be fully-staffed and experienced once again. The good news is three returning starters up front are led by fourth-year OL Richard Estrella (6-4, 305). Also back are SR OL Billy Lutui (6-1, 310) and SO OL Isaac Perez (6-3, 305), who moved into starting roles in 2023. After that, the Vikings welcome back Pedro Timoteo (6-4, 335), Braylon Cornell (6-6, 285) and Hezephaniah Po Ching (6-2, 300), all of whom were injured last year. Experienced backups Anthony Tena (6-4, 285), Christian Delacruz (6-3, 295) and Jake Cooper (6-5, 260) also return, while the RS FRs Tristan Lewis (6-5, 275) and Pryce Roberts (6-5, 290) - part of the top-ranked 2023 recruiting class - are also ready to go... PSU brought in SR TR Gavin Miller (6-6, 310) from Brown to compete for a starting role, and Colorado State transfer Jakob Belton (JR, 6-6, 275) joined over the summer... three other redshirts and three 2024 freshmen signees make the position the largest and deepest on the team.
TIGHT END TALENT: Another fascinating position battle will come from the tight end spot. The Vikings are deeper at that position than they have been in recent memory. SR Elias Spence (6-4, 225) has been a special teams leader, but also pitched in on the line last season. SO Tanner Beaman (6-3, 220) possesses size but can also go outside like a wide receiver. SOs Charlie White (6-2, 235) and Brooks Ferguson (6-5, 225) both gained experience in 2023. And, RS FR Kristian Ingman (6-5, 235) was an intriguing prospect last season before an early hand injury shut him down. Throw in JR TR Seth Lyon (6-3, 245) and JR walk-on Jahleel Heath (6-1, 235) and the Vikings have eight capable players battling for field time.