This week, it was reported that former USC quarterback Jack Sears would be visiting Oregon State this weekend. As it turns out, Sears will have some transfer company on the trip.
According to 247Sports.com, a pair of Pac-12 transfers, wide receiver Theo Howard (UCLA) and kicker Brandon Ruiz (Arizona State) will be on a visit to the OSU campus as well as taking in Friday night’s against Washington (a 19-7 loss to the Huskies). Both players left their former schools, or will be leaving their former schools, as graduate transfers, making themselves eligible if they land at another FBS school for the 2020 season.
Howard has been especially popular on the transfer circuit.
The receiver has been mentioned in connection to Arizona, Baylor, TCU and, coincidentally enough, Washington. He’s already set up official visits to Arizona and Baylor, and has previously stated that he would like to make a decision on a new school no later than “late, late November.”
Last season, Howard, a four-star 2016 signee, earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors after catching 51 passes for 677 yards and four touchdowns. Because of a pair of hand injuries that sidelined him for a sizable chunk of 2019, Moore didn’t record a catch this season for the Bruins.
Ruiz, who had originally committed to Alabama before flipping to ASU, served as the Sun Devils’ primary kicker in both 2017 and 2018. In those two seasons, the Arizona native connected on 37-of-49 field goal attempts (75.5 percent) and 94-of-95 point-afters.
A lower-body injury had sidelined Ruiz for the first month-plus of the 2019 season, with sophomore Cristian Zendejas taking over the job, permanently as it turned out, in his absence. This season, Zendejas has made all 20 of his extra-point attempts and 13-of-17 field-goal tries.