Oregon State fires Wayne Tinkle: Beavers overhaul basketball, football programs ahead of Pac-12 relaunch
Tinkle led the Beavers to the 2021 Elite Eight but also oversaw two of the worst seasons in program history
Oregon State men's basketball coach Wayne Tinkle will not return after the 2025-26 season, the school announced Thursday. Tinkle has the option to finish the campaign before departing from his post, but has not yet decided whether to see the season out, according to John Canzano. The Beavers are 16-14 this season and 9-8 in West Coast Conference play.
Tinkle's exit comes after a 12-year run with the Beavers that featured some of the program's highest highs and lowest lows. It also coincides with Oregon State's move from the WCC back into the Pac-12, which debuts as a reconstructed conference beginning next season.
Oregon State never finished higher than fourth in the Pac-12 during Tinkle's decade in the conference and concluded its first year in the WCC with a fifth-place finish. Tinkle has a 175-204 overall record for his tenure, with an 82-141 mark in conference games
"We are grateful to Wayne for his dedication to Oregon State and for the leadership he has provided our men's basketball program," athletic director Scott Barnes said in a statement. "He has represented Beaver Nation with integrity and commitment. As we approach the dawn of the new Pac-12 era, we believe it is in the best interest of our men's basketball program to transition to its next chapter. These decisions are never easy, but we are focused on positioning our program for sustained success in a rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape."
The Tinkle era at Oregon State will be most remembered for the program's miraculous run to the 2021 Elite Eight. The Beavers entered the NCAA Tournament that season as a No. 12 seed and pulled off upsets of No. 5 Tennessee, No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 8 Loyola Chicago before falling to eventual national runner-up No. 2 Houston. It was one of two NCAA Tournament appearances for the Beavers during Tinkle's 12 years at the helm.
While the Beavers reached the postseason three times, including a trip to the College Basketball Crown last season, they also logged two of the worst seasons in program history under Tinkle's leadership. The year directly following the Elite Eight run, Oregon State went 3-28 and posted the worst winning percentage (.097) of any Beavers squad in 125 years. Tinkle also oversaw a 5-27 team in 2016-17.
Oregon State making changes ahead of Pac-12 relaunch
When the Pac-12 returns as a full conference this summer, Oregon State will be under new leadership in both football and men's basketball. The Beavers fired football coach Trent Bray midway through the 2025 season and hired Alabama co-offensive coordinator JaMarcus Shephard as his replacement.
The overhaul is part of the Beavers' efforts to establish themselves as top-tier contenders in the new-look league. Oregon State was long a bottom-half athletic department in the old Pac-12, but it enters the conference's new era as a potential leader across the board given its status as a recent Power Five member.
The Pac-12 has the opportunity to thrive as a top-six basketball conference with the addition of Gonzaga as a basketball-only member, as well as prominent former Mountain West schools. For the 2026-27 basketball season, the Pac-12 will operate as a nine-member league featuring Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas State, Utah State and Washington State.
It also projects as a potential Group of Six leader in football and could see its champion clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff on a regular basis.
