McNary linebacker Junior Walling commits to Oregon State

Oregon State has been hot recruiting trail recently, securing the pledges of six recruits since May 20th.

On Thursday night, Jonathan Smith and Co. added a another in the form of in-state linebacker Jason Walling Jr. who committed to the Beavers over the likes of Utah, Utah State, and others.

Oregon State was Walling's first offer and the Beavers' early efforts clearly paid off as they got a linebacker with great size at 6-foot-1, 204, and a high IQ as he boasted offers from the likes of Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, Yale, and Brown.

In Walling, the Beavers received a legacy commit as his father, Jason Walling Sr., played for Oregon State from 1991-92 during the Jerry Pettibone era.

Following his initial offer in early April, Walling told BeaversEdge.com that grew up a die-hard Oregon State fan and that the idea of being a legacy was exciting to him.

"I have been a life-long Beaver Fan and have many great memories of going to Beaver games with my family and watching many of my favorite players, including the Rodgers brothers, Michael Doctor, DJ Alexander, and Ryan Nall. The fact that my dad played there just makes this so much more exciting, not only for me, but for my entire family."

With Walling Jr. now in the fold, Oregon State now has eight 2020 pledges and will look to continue its momentum on the recruiting trail into the summer. Keeping in-state talent in-state has been a high priority for Smith and local recruiter Jake Cookus and securing Walling Jr. will go a long ways in further building a strong in-state pipeline.