Oregon State Beavers defensive coordinator Trent Bray, who turned one of the Pac-12′s worst defenses into one of the best in the span of a year, was rewarded Monday with a contract extension through the 2024 season.
Bray, 40, took over OSU’s defense on an interim basis last November, when then-defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar was fired following a loss at Colorado. Bray was later promoted to full-time defensive coordinator before the Beavers’ bowl game last December.
Terms of Bray’s new contract weren’t immediately released. His current contract — which paid $550,000 this season and was slated to pay $600,000 next season — runs through the 2023 season.
Bray was hired by coach Jonathan Smith in 2018 to coach inside linebackers. Since becoming defensive coordinator, Bray expanded his duties to coach inside and outside linebackers.
There are at least three Pac-12 defensive coordinators who make more than $1 million per season: USC’s Alex Grinch, Oregon’s Tosh Lupoi ($1.7 million) and Utah’s Morgan Scalley ($1.4 million). Grinch’s salary is thought to be in the $2 million range, but because USC is a private school, it does not release salary information. Other Pac-12 defensive coordinators who make close to $1 million per year are UCLA’s Bill McGovern ($900,000) and California’s Peter Sirmon ($875,000).
Oregon State made a pre-emptive strike to reward Bray, in part, because he figures to be a hot coaching prospect this offseason.
In his first full year as defensive coordinator, Bray’s defense ranks second in scoring, rushing and total defense and third against the pass in the Pac-12. Ten of OSU’s 12 opponents finished with fewer than 400 total yards in games this season, and Oregon State had a program-record three players selected as Pac-12 defensive players of the week.
Bray was nominated for the 2022 Broyles Award, which honors the nation’s top assistant coach.
This is Bray’s second coaching stint at Oregon State. He coached linebackers from 2012-14 under then-coach Mike Riley. Bray then followed Riley to Nebraska to coach three years before returning to OSU in 2018.
–Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
