Jesse Legree chases history as Oregon State freshman WR trails only Jeremiah Smith
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Oregon State true freshman Jesse Legree switched to wide receiver as a high school senior and drew little recruiting interest, yet five games into his college football career, he trails only Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith in receiving yards nationally.
Legree caught five passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday’s 56-26 win at Colorado State, pushing his season totals to 28 receptions, 744 yards and nine touchdowns. It marked his fifth straight 100-yard game to open his career. For comparison, Smith has 44 catches for 823 yards and nine touchdowns.
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Who is Jesse Legree?
Legree is a 5-foot-10, 172-pound Baltimore native who earned all-conference honors at wide receiver and defensive back for St. Frances Academy.
“I switched to receiving my senior year, so I didn’t have any offers,” Legree said per KVAL.
He committed to Oregon State in early December after the Beavers hired head coach JaMarcus Shephard. Offensive coordinator Mitch Dahlen noticed his composure right away.
“You kind of have a feeling on some kids, and he was one of them where the moment’s never been too big for him,” Dahlen said. “I mean, he doesn’t act like he’s a freshman.”
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Jesse Legree’s Oregon State record chase
Legree posted 136 yards and a touchdown in his debut at Houston. He then caught eight passes for 240 yards and two scores in a 35-24 loss to No. 13 Texas Tech, and that game earned him the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Week award.
His five-game 100-yard streak matches the longest in program history, set by Mike Hass in 2005 and Brandin Cooks in 2013. He also became the first true freshman to record 100 yards and a touchdown in each of his first four career starts, and he extended that run in Fort Collins.
Legree’s nine touchdown catches already rank seventh on Oregon State’s single-season list. He’s won Pac-12 Freshman of the Week four straight times, a first in conference history. One more would tie Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita’s single-season record of five, set in 2023.
“When I go to catch a ball, they talk about 50/50. I know it’s 100/0 going to come down with me,” Legree said.
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Where does Legree rank nationally?
Legree’s 744 receiving yards rank second in the country behind Smith, and his nine touchdown catches match the Buckeyes star’s total. He’s averaging 26.6 yards per reception compared to 18.7 for Smith.
Sophomore quarterback Braden Atkinson threw for 413 yards and five touchdowns against Colorado State. Legree praised Atkinson’s confidence in his receivers.
“It’s a blessing just to have somebody with that amount of trust in us,” Legree said.
Oregon State (3-2, 1-0 Pac-12) hosts San Diego State at Reser Stadium on Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. ET. A sixth straight 100-yard game would make Legree the first Beaver to reach that mark.
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