Kitan Oladapo has been one of the standouts of fall camp for the Oregon State football team.

The 6-foot-1 defensive back from Happy Valley said having a full season under his belt has helped him better understand his role within defensive coordinator Trent Bray’s system. Oladapo also had a productive offseason tightening up some areas of his game.

“Taking coaching points, watching film from last year, working on the small mistakes I made, whether it’s breaks, eyes, just watching film and seeing what I can improve on,” Oladapo said.

Improving his coverage skills was a primary goal and his progress in that area has been evident throughout fall camp. The team has emphasized proper technique in pass coverage, using different drills which take away defenders’ ability to hold and demand good positioning. On Thursday, defensive backs wore boxing gloves for part of practice.

Oladapo said Bray’s system, which reduces complexity in favor of freeing players to make quick decisions and play aggressively, has been a positive change.

“We’ve shrunk down our play calls a little bit, but we’re sticking to the fundamentals, really getting down those play calls that we have. I think that is good,” Oladapo said.

The defense has performed well throughout camp and Bray said after Thursday’s practice at Prothro Field that he is pleased with the defensive players’ focus and execution.

“I feel great about where we’re at, the techniques we’ve taught and then the players’ buy-in and execution of those techniques,” Bray said. “I feel very good about where we’re at right now.”

Coaches will begin informing players about their roles next week. While the defense is a veteran group and there aren’t many starting roles truly up for grabs, the competition for playing time has been intense.

“There’s some really good position battles really across the whole defense,” Bray said. “There’s been some young guys, like Skyler Thomas, Easton (Mascaranas-Arnold), guys that have really had a good fall camp, these guys are really competing to get on the field a lot.”

Thomas is a sophomore defensive back and on Thursday he made one of the best plays of the day, undercutting a route by tight end Gabe Milbourn to intercept a pass from Ben Gulbranson.

Bray said Mascaranas-Arnold, a sophomore inside linebacker, has great physical tools and intelligence and has made progress this fall communicating with his teammates, which his position requires.

The Beavers lost defensive leader Avery Roberts to the NFL draft. Star linebacker Omar Speights will continue to fill one spot inside and Mascaranas-Arnold’s growth has made him a candidate for playing time at that other spot.

Notes

This will be the last full report from OSU’s fall camp. The remaining practices will be closed, including Saturday’s scrimmage at Reser Stadium. … Bray confirmed on Thursday that he will once again be on the sideline during games and not in the press box. Bray said the ability to interact with players on the field is the key part of that decision.