Oregon State WR Taz Reddicks helping set the tone in 2025

Published 6:27 pm Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Oregon State wide receiver Taz Reddicks isn’t afraid to get hit, he proved as much Tuesday.

The Beavers’ offense and defense got into an 11-on-11 drill early in the practice flow. On one play, Reddicks ran across the middle of the field and caught the eye of quarterback Maalik Murphy. Three defenders surrounded Reddicks as the ball came in, flattening the redshirt-sophomore receiver and knocking the ball into the air.

Miraculously, senior running back Anthony Hankerson plucked pigskin from the air and dashed some 50 yards to the end zone. The circus-act touchdown demanded celebration, and the Beavers’ offense obliged. Reddicks stood up quietly as the cheers ensued. He clapped his hands together in disapproval of his own drop and jogged back to the huddle.

The hit rung Reddicks’ bell, but he didn’t miss a play.

He said the Oregon State coaching staff is challenging him to get up quicker after collisions. To him, meeting those expectations is a part of his development as a player on the field and growth as a leader off of it.

“I’m a veteran in the room now, so I’ve got to set the tone for the younger guys,” Reddicks said after practice. “If I hit the ground, go down and stay down there too long… its a bad (example) to show them.”

Reddicks’ wide receivers coach Pat McCann — who is taking over Kefense Hynson’s former job after Hynson was hired by the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers — beamed when talking about the effort he saw from Reddicks on the play.

“I want to see that from him all the time,” McCann said. “I want to see him pop up all the time, but he is tough. It helps the group when guys get hit like that. (When) they get up and they go play the next play, it just creates a standard.”

Reddicks, a Fort Lauderdale native, is entering year three at Oregon State. His redshirt-sophomore season comes with changes, namely a new quarterback in Maalik Murphy, a new jersey number (he’s switched from No. 10 to No. 3, the latter is his mom’s favorite number) and a new role as the projected starting slot receiver.

He played 11 of Oregon State’s 12 games a season ago, starting the first six while injury sidelined teammate Darrius Clemons. Despite seeing the field consistently, Reddicks logged just 17 catches for 222 yards and didn’t score a touchdown.

With Murphy under center and another year of growth under his belt, Reddicks believes he and his fellow receivers are in for a breakout season.

“We’re gonna have a big year,” Reddicks said. “I feel like the sky is the limit for us, especially with (Murphy) back there. He’s got the arm to throw anywhere on the field at any given time. 
And we have the receivers to get the job done.”

Reddicks said that he, as well as Clemons and Trent Walker, worked with Murphy “day and night” over the summer. Their goal was to ensure they were all on the same page come week one. The chemistry and trust is evident through the early goings of fall camp, with Murphy connecting with the trio for a number of big plays in various drills.

Reddicks’ projected role as the team’s slot receiver may uniquely equip him for a big season, too.

According to himself, Reddicks’ success in the slot comes from his ability to find and exploit creases in zone coverages. He said playing over the middle allows him to bring a savviness that he’s proud of to the field. He isn’t the only one who thinks it, either.

“
(Reddicks is) really smart,” McCann said. “One of the things that I’ve been really pleased with is his grasp of football and concepts and understanding (them)… He asks higher level questions, he thinks at a higher level (and) he really wants to understand the “why?” behind things.”

The talent for finding soft spots and savviness on the field pairs nicely with Murphy, who targeted receivers between the hashes over 200 times at Duke. And while playing across the middle opens Reddicks up to more hits like the one he took Tuesday, the receiver said the name of his position is all that needs to be said.

“My job is to catch the ball,” Reddicks said. “Iif a hit comes, a hit comes. If I can stay up and score, that’s the end goal.”