Oregon State senior Jake Luton plans to return and compete for the Beavers’ starting quarterback job in 2019 after the NCAA granted him a sixth year of eligibility Thursday.
Luton, who signed with Oregon State in December of 2016 as a JC transfer from Ventura College, missed large chunks of the 2017 and 2018 seasons because of injury. He applied for a medical redshirt to the NCAA in December.
During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Luton started nine games, passing for 2,513 yards and 14 touchdowns. Last October, Luton came off the bench and engineered a 41-34 overtime win over Colorado, rallying the Beavers from a 28-point deficit to tie the school record for largest comeback victory.
The 6-foot-7 Luton graduated from Oregon State in December, with a degree in sociology. Luton is enrolling in graduate school for winter quarter.
Luton qualified for a sixth year under a recently modified NCAA rule that allows a player to get a sixth-year extension if they redshirt their first year, then miss an entire year later in their career. Because Luton played only four games in 2017 after sustaining a season-ending spinal injury at Washington State, he is considered to have missed an entire year.
Luton started his career at Idaho, where he spent two years before transferring to Ventura College, where he was a JC All-American. This past season, Luton missed all or part of seven games with an ankle injury.
I want to thank Beaver Nation for their support the last two years – it’s that support that helped make my decision to seek a sixth year,” Luton said in a statement. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with Coach (Jonathan) Smith, Coach (Brian) Lindgren, the entire coaching staff and my teammates as we continue to build this program. Go Beavs!”
Luton’s presence on the roster makes for an interesting battle at quarterback heading into spring practice. Luton will be in the mix with rising sophomore Tristan Gebbia, a Nebraska transfer. Gebbia was a four-star prospect and record-setting high school quarterback from California who signed at Nebraska in 2017.
“We’re excited to have Jake for another year,” Smith said in a statement. “This offense did great things in 2018 and we look forward to building on that production this coming season.
