Jesse Legree announced from his home gym in Baltimore on Friday that he will return to Oregon State for his sophomore season, confirming a decision many had awaited amid swirling transfer rumours. The nation’s leading receiver, Legree told CBS Sports HQ that he would be signing again with the Beavers for the 2027-28 campaign, putting to rest speculation about his next move.
Legree’s freshman year numbers turned heads across college football. He topped the nation with 1,040 receiving yards on 46 catches and found the end zone 14 times. His performance earned him seven consecutive Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honours, with the only break coming because Oregon State was on a bye in Week 8. The Beavers’ offence, powered by Legree’s contributions, ranks among the nation’s most productive, sitting sixth in yards per play, fifth in yards per game, and fourth in points scored.
The announcement came during Oregon State’s bye week, a moment Legree used to clear doubts about his future and silence whispers that he might enter the transfer portal. The 5-foot-9 receiver’s rise from a relatively unknown high school player to one of college football’s top freshmen was swift. Last December, while his St. Frances Academy teammates signed with programs like Alabama and Auburn, Legree remained unsigned, lacking a moment on national signing day.
“I, here, will be signing to Oregon State Beavers for the 2027 to 2028 season,” Legree said. “It's always some kids' dream to live out on signing day, and unfortunately, I wasn’t able to have mine last year. And to be able to have one this year for this contract is great.”
Legree’s path to Corvallis was unconventional. He played basketball and defensive back in high school, only switching to wide receiver late in his prep career. Even he admitted earlier this season that he “barely knew Oregon was a state” before his recruitment.
Oregon State’s interest began when new general manager Eron Hodges, working alongside coach JaMarcus Shephard, spotted Legree while scouting Alabama during the 2025 season. Hodges’s connection to Legree came through Jireh Edwards, an Alabama signee and former St. Frances teammate.
“The day I got the job, Eron called me and said, ‘Hey, watch this kid right now,’” Shephard recalled. “I watched him right away, knowing that Eron was gonna come out here and be the GM with me. And I was like, ‘Yeah, we need to go get him. Let’s get him.’ We started that process the day I got the job, and he was the first kid I watched as head coach here at Oregon State, the first person I knew for sure we wanted on our team.”
Shephard admitted uncertainty about Legree’s skills as a receiver at first. “His highlight tape has him doing a lot of returns,” he said. “But I also watched some of his basketball stuff. You can see his quickness, change of direction, explosiveness, ability to track the ball, and all that stuff. You’re really just hoping that all that would translate into a receiver.”
The Beavers’ offer came late on the opening day of the Early Signing Period, long after Legree’s high school teammates had committed. His high school coach, Messay Hailemariam, remembers interrupting a film session to share the news after Hodges reached out with a message saying, “he has a home with us if he wants it. We want to take him.”
Oregon State’s rise in the Pac-12 has coincided with Legree’s emergence. The Beavers are 5-2 as they head into the toughest stretch of their conference schedule. Transfer quarterback Braden Atkinson has also been performing strongly, and his future with the team remains unconfirmed.
Legree’s decision to stay bucks the current trend of star players at Group of Six level programs moving on to bigger schools or professional opportunities. The relationship between Legree and Oregon State appears more than a transactional arrangement. The Beavers took a chance on an unheralded prospect, and he has rewarded them with production and loyalty.
This week’s news confirms that Oregon State is determined to build on the momentum Legree helped create. The Beavers’ effort to retain their leading receiver reinforces their intent to compete at a higher level within college football’s shifting landscape.
According to CBS.
