Remmers, McAndrews vye for coveted starting position on O-line

Finding a regular offensive right tackle has been difficult.

The Oregon State football team has three candidates to start the season, and the leading two are walk-ons Mike Remmers and Wilder McAndrews.

Chances are one or both will be used a great deal at Stanford when the season opens Aug. 28, and beyond. They are more prepared to play than some of the scholarship players.

“I don’t care,” offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said of walk-ons as starters. “That doesn’t matter to me. I’ll use whoever is ready.”

The battle between McAndrews and Remmers began in the spring with little getting settled. Coach Mike Riley felt McAndrews had the edge before training camp began.

When camp started, Remmers was working with the first string. McAndrews took over days into camp, and then broke his thumb. That allowed Remmers to take over again. McAndrews is expected to return to practice any day with his thumb protected.

“It’s pretty tense,” Remmers said. “Everybody wants that spot — Wilder and all of them are all good athletes. I have a lot of competition. We’re all getting better each day. Sometimes I have a good day, sometimes a bad day.”

McAndrews and Remmers were part of last year’s group of walk-on linemen that included Grant Johnson, Ben Motter and Mike Lamb. They added depth, but McAndrews and Remmers have the potential to be breakout stars.

Remmers is a 6-foot-4, 286-pound Portland native who played for Jesuit High, where he was a second-team All-Metro League selection at tackle and defensive end.

He grew up a fan of the Beavers since his father Wally, who played for the Beavers from 1974-1976, and brothers attended OSU. When colleges showed interest in him, Remmers told them he was going to OSU if there was a scholarship offer or not.

“This has been a dream come true,” Remmers said of playing for the Beavers. “I can’t wait to be in the stadium when it’s full.”

As for who wins the starting job, he wants to be the one. And if it’s McAndrews or if he’s only holding the spot until junior college transfers Brent McNeil or Una Smiley get into the lineup, he’ll just keep working for the next opportunity.

“I’m trying to do my best,” Remmers said. “I’m not saying the spot is not mine, but it’s really anyone’s. I just want what’s best for the team. I just want a successful season.”

McAndrews is from Honolulu and attended Hawaii his first year out of Kamehameha High, but didn’t play football.

He was a track star with the hurdles as a specialty, but injured his leg and had to retire from that sport. The injury still bothers him now.

“I couldn’t run anymore, so I got way fat,” McAndrews said. “I didn’t think about football at all at Hawaii. After healing up for a while, my life was getting boring, so I decided to give football a go.”

As his leg healed, former Kamehameha teammate Ryan Pohl told him about the fun he was having playing football for OSU. Pohl convinced McAndrews to join the program and get back in shape with the Beavers.

Cavanaugh was impressed with the development of McAndrews and Remmers throughout last year in the weightlifting program and spring practice. McAndrews has lineman size with an athletic frame.

“He blossomed into his body and (has) gotten bigger and stronger,” Cavanaugh said of McAndrews. “From the athletic standpoint he’s very athletic. He can run, jump, change directions. He’s got great feet. With his added weight, he added strength to him.”

McAndrews is a 6-4, 290-pounder, however, he’s still adjusting to the physical nature of the Pac-10. He admits needing more strength and weight, and is working on technique.

With all those hurdles in front of him, he’s still one of OSU’s best options on the line. When his thumb heals he’ll reenter the competition, which may last all season.

“Yes, the pressure is on,” McAndrews said. “This is harder than I expected. It’s a tough camp, and I’m just trying to get through it. I got rotated out of the starting spot. I’m not worried about that. Maybe I’ll get put back in there.”