Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano

Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano

Canzano: What happens next at Oregon State

Drilling into the search process in Corvallis.

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John Canzano
Oct 14, 2025
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Oregon State is searching for its next football coach. (Photo: Naji Saker)

The best football hire that Oregon State ever made didn’t come with a search firm recommendation or the blessing of a committee.

Dennis Erickson called the Beavers.

Not the other way around.

When Mike Riley bolted to the NFL after the 1998 season, Erickson picked up the phone and called Mitch Barnhart. Erickson had just been fired by the Seahawks and wanted the job in Corvallis.

The Oregon State athletic director was on a cruise and had to do one of those ship-to-shore calls. Barnhardt spoke with Erickson, then scrambled to get in touch with Paul Risser, the president at OSU.

Erickson’s annual salary: $300,000.

That’s how the deal got done.

OSU AD Scott Barnes is looking for a new head football coach after firing Trent Bray. He told me on Sunday in an exclusive interview that he’s going to hire a search firm and form a hiring committee. What happens in the next two months will determine the trajectory of an athletic department facing a critical pivot point.

Here’s what’s going to happen…

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