Isiah Chala, late-rising edge-rusher, receives 'dream offer' from Oregon State Beavers

Under Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith, there have been several trends in the Beavers' recruiting efforts.

They land the nucleus of their recruiting class in the early summer, they target long, athletic defensive backs, they hit the transfer portal hard and they save a few spots for seniors who are late bloomers.

Sticking to the script, Oregon State has identified a player they love as a versatile front-seven defender and offered him a scholarship.

Archbishop Riordan High School (California) three-star edge-rusher Isiah Chala picked up an offer from the Beavers over the weekend and was ecstatic about the new opportunity:

"This means the world to me," he said. "Oregon State is my dream school and it’s a blessing that they offered me. I am very thankful." 

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound defender entered the year as a player to watch for much of the Pac-12 Conference after he registered 34 tackles, 4 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks as a junior. 

So far this fall, Chala has continued to build on that performance. 

And it has led to an offer sheet that includes Cal, Oregon State and others.

Part of the reason the offer from the Beavs stands out is Chala's belief that they are West Coast program on the rise.

"I believe that they have a great football team and they are coming up," he said. "I love the facilities and how (the campus) is around nature." 

Growing up a huge fan of Pac-12 football, the offer could turn into a future landing spot.

Chala said his favorite schools growing up were Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, USC and Washington, so he's likely to strongly consider both of his Pac-12 offers. 

He said he intends to visit Oregon State in December - possibly sooner - before making any type of decision.

Still, the Beavers have clearly made an impression on a California late-bloomer - and a childhood fan.

Junior season highlights