For new Beavers’ head coach, Jarred Brookins, the role at Oregon State has been a long time coming.

“I feel like I’ve been preparing for it my whole career,” Brookins said to the media on Monday afternoon.

Brookins, an OSU assistant since 2023, was promoted to program head coach after former coach Greg Dalby’s surprise departure earlier this year.

“Every step I’ve made along the way has been with the lens of how this better prepares me to be a head coach,” Brookins said.

Despite this sudden change to the Beavers men’s soccer program, Brookins explains that, “It’s been a pretty seamless transition.”

The head coaching position isn’t the only area the Beavers have experienced turnover, as several key players such as last year’s two captains Nicklas Lund and Ellis Spikner have both graduated, and freshman leading scorer Sergi Solans has departed via the MLS SuperDraft. 

“I think the challenge with all the turnover we’ve had is how we use our individuals,” Brookins said.  

One of the major holes coming into 2025 is the player leadership, as both captains from 2024 have moved on, leaving the captaincy up in the air. 

However, this is positive for Brookins, saying, “There is a real opportunity for younger guys to step up into new leadership roles…I’m excited to see which guys grab that and take it.”

Along with the departure of the two Beavers captains and Solans, star versatile defender and winger Enzo Newman got drafted by FC Dallas in the MLS SuperDraft. This poses more questions and difficulties for Brookins and the Beavers in 2025.

“Enzo’s don’t grow on trees. I don’t know if we have an Enzo at the moment,” Brookins said. 

Losing Newman, along with several other key pieces from 2024’s roster will change the Beaver’s approach. 

“How we maintain our big picture principles when it comes to style of play and possession-based soccer will look a little bit different,” Brookins said.

Although there have been many key departures for the Beavers, Brookins believes there’s no need to worry, saying, “We are in a really good place.” 

Despite the threats of more departures due to the transfer portal or professional opportunities, Brookins emphasized that the roster for 2025 is in a great position to remain a top team in the country, with several key players returning for the upcoming season.

This retention of key players is partially due to the hiring of Brookins, as he said, “One of the benefits of an internal hire is that the roster is comfortable with you.”

While there are many similarities carrying into 2025 from the Dalby era, Brookins does expect change on and off the field.

Brookins explains, saying, “I’m not Greg, we have very different personalities. I’m probably louder when it comes to on-field personalities…(However) a lot of that stuff will stay the same,” Brookins said.

One area that will remain the same under Brookins is the program’s ambitions regardless of turnover, shooting for the stars within college soccer. 

“The goals remain consistent. We want to compete for conference championships. We want to be in the NCAA tournament every year, and we want to be producing a team every year that can compete for a national championship,” Brookins said.