BYU offensive lineman Brayden Kearsley will soon be playing closer to his Oregon hometown.
Kearsley announced via Twitter Wednesday afternoon that he plans on transferring to Oregon State. The Oregonian also confirmed the news.
"Excited to be an Oregon State Beaver and for this next chapter in my life," Kearsley said on Twitter. "Can't wait to play in front my hometown again."
Kearsley, a four-star recruit out of high school, grew up in Aloha, Oregon, about an hour and a half drive away from Corvallis and the Oregon State campus. He played in 17 games and, according to Kearsley, started three games during his Cougar career.
After sitting out a year, per NCAA rules, Kearsley will be a junior in 2016.
A new-look Oregon State has several Utah ties, with former Utah State head coach and Utah assistant Gary Andersen taking over as head coach. He left Wisconsin to replace Mike Riley, who took over head-coaching duties at Nebraska.
Also joining the Oregon State staff is former Utah defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake, former Ute defensive line coach Ilaisa Tuikai and former Utah State offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven. BYU's former director of football operations, Zach Nyborg, has also joined Andersen's staff. He previously worked with Andersen at Utah State and Wisconsin.
The Beavers went 5-7 last season, losing six of their final seven games to eliminate them from bowl eligibility.
Email: bjudd@deseretnews.com; Twitter: @brandonljudd