Oregon State tight end Luke Musgrave (88) had two catches for 13 yards in the Senior Bowl.

LOS ANGELES — Ever since he stepped on Oregon State’s campus in 2019 as an intriguing tight end prospect with Duck bloodlines, Luke Musgrave has been thought to be the Beavers’ next big thing.

Musgrave, a Bend High graduate, is 6-foot-6, 250 pounds and runs like a deer. His athletic skills are enviable.

During Pac-12 media day, Musgrave mentions that he loves golf, so much so that during the summer he’d play every day if he could. He talks about 290-yard drives, but says with a little swing adjustment, it’s 310 and beyond.

Musgrave is asked about his handicap. He pulls out his phone to look it up on an app. It’s 6.9, he reports, then Musgrave adds that he dreams of someday becoming a scratch (zero handicap) golfer.

Put in the time over the years, and you’ll get there, someone says. Then Musgrave is asked how long he’s been playing.

“Eight months,” Musgrave said.

During his first two years at OSU, Musgrave saw plenty of action, playing behind a pair of future NFL tight ends in Noah Togiai and Teagan Quitoriano. There was much reason to think OSU had itself a bit of a steal as Musgrave matured.

Flip the calendar back to a year ago, when Musgrave was tearing up Oregon State’s 2021 football camp.

The third-year sophomore, whose father Doug and uncle Bill played quarterback at Oregon, appeared ready for a career breakout. Musgrave was catching everything, and he was nearly impossible to cover. Some thought Musgrave might end up becoming OSU’s leading receiver in 2021.

But as the season unfolded, it wasn’t as if Musgrave became invisible, but the focus of Oregon State’s offense was clear. The Beavers were a run-first unit that thrived behind a powerful offensive line and tight ends Quitoriano and Musgrave.

During the first six games, Musgrave had a total of seven receptions. He didn’t record his first touchdown reception until the regular-season finale against Oregon. Musgrave ended up with 22 catches for 304 yards. Not bad, but hardly what anyone would call a breakout.

After the season, OSU coach Jonathan Smith and offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren all but admitted the Beavers missed an opportunity. Musgrave didn’t quite see it that way.

“My mindset was I’m going to do whatever I can do to win, and try to be unselfish and work on the thing that I had an opportunity to work on,” Musgrave said at Pac-12 media day.

Musgrave watched Quitoriano, hardly an elite receiver, blossom into a 2022 NFL draft pick. Quitoriano did it with grit, boosting his stock with tremendous blocking skills. OSU had one of the Pac-12’s best offensive lines, and what proved to be an all-conference running back in B.J. Baylor.

“I definitely improved a lot in the run game. It probably worked out as a blessing because it kind of helped improve on what I needed,” Musgrave said.

That’s not to say there weren’t frustrations. Musgrave says there were.

“But you kind of take that 10,000-foot perspective, it worked out great. We won a lot of games. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Musgrave said.

Nine months removed from the 2021 season, Musgrave continues to mean it. The Beavers plan to get Musgrave more involved in the passing game. That’s his hope, too.

It’s not Musgrave’s priority, though.

“I just want to win games. Whatever that takes, whether I’m getting the ball or I’m blocking for the person that’s got the ball,” Musgrave said.

Musgrave looks back at the past three years as a blessing in that he was able to learn from the no-nonsense Quitoriano. Musgrave said practice, games and video, he’d watch Quitoriano to pick up blocking technique clues.

“He was a student of the game,” Musgrave said. “He’s such an aggressive guy. I’m a hard-nosed football player. That’s what I want to be in the run game.”

Musgrave knows his strength, however, is running routes and making a difference as a receiver. Heading into his fourth year as a Beaver, Musgrave feels like he’s close to becoming a complete tight end package.

Oregon State has good depth at tight end, with sophomore Jake Overman and redshirt freshman J.T. Byrne as up-and-comers at the position. But OSU’s tight end focus for 2022 is Musgrave.

Which is what makes Musgrave’s humility so endearing as the Beavers head into Wednesday’s preseason camp opener.

“I expect to maybe stay on the field a little bit longer, but I’ve still got to win the starting job,” he said. “That’s not secured yet.”