Oregon State head coach Trent Bray announced Tuesday that Mike Cavanaugh will return to the Beavers as the program’s offensive line coach.
Cavanaugh returns to the same position he held for 10 seasons from 2005-14.
“I know Beaver Nation and myself are excited to have Coach Cav back in Corvallis,” Bray said. “He knows what it takes to be successful in the Orange and Black after a fantastic 10-year stretch under Mike Riley. He will make an immediate impact on our offensive line.”
Cavanaugh, a nearly 40-year veteran at the collegiate level, spent the past two seasons as an offensive analyst at Oregon after three seasons as the offensive line coach at Arizona State. That came after three seasons on the East Coast leading the offensive line at Syracuse.
The Orange ranked 11th nationally for scoring, averaging 40.2 yards per game behind Cavanaugh’s line. The 2018 season saw Syracuse surpass 50 points five times and eclipse 40 in eight of 13 games. The team surpassed 6,000 yards of total offense for just the second time in program history.
Syracuse added nearly 40 more yards per game on the ground in his first season, scoring a school-record 38 touchdowns. Cavanaugh saw two All-Conference selections in Cody Conway and Koda Martin, who also signed as undrafted free agents after the season.
Cavanaugh mentored right tackle Matthew Bergeron in 2019. He was the first true freshman to start a game at tackle for Syracuse in nearly 20 years and he was named a Freshman All-American after the season.
He spent three seasons coaching the offensive line at Nebraska from 2015-17, serving on the same staff as Bray. The Cornhuskers ranked in the top 15 nationally for the fewest sacks allowed in two of his three seasons. Nebraska’s front five helped the Cornhuskers finish in the top three in the Big Ten in scoring offense, passing offense, total defense and third-down percentage.
Cavanaugh and the Beavers reached a bowl game in six of his 10 seasons during his first stint in Corvallis. His offensive lines blocked for 1,000-yard rushers Yvenson Bernard and Jacquizz Rodgers, and protected Sean Mannion, who the set the single-season and career Pac-12 Conference records for passing yards.
His offensive linemen earned all-conference honors 23 times during his tenure, while Andy Levitre, Jeremy Perry and Isaac Seumalo were named All-Americans.
Cavanaugh directed the offensive line at Hawai’i from 1999-2004. The Warriors ranked in the top-10 nationally in total offense three times over six seasons, and his lines featured future pros Samson Satele, Adrian Klemm, Kynan Forney and Wayne Hunter, among others.
He’s also coached at Ferris State, Sacred Heart, Murray State, Alma College and Wesleyan College. Cavanaugh also coached the offensive line for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers in 1997 and 1998.
He opened his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Albany College after playing at New Haven in 1981 and 1982. He is a graduate of Southern Connecticut State.
The appointment is contingent on the completion of all university hiring processes.
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