Washington St Oregon St Football

Oregon State tight end Connor Hamlett (89) scores a touchdown on a pass reception as he runs past cornerback Charleston White (16) of Washington State during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Corvallis, Ore., Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Troy Wayrynen)

(Troy Wayrynen)

The Oregon State football program landed its second commitment this week with the announcement from 247Sports three-star athlete Tuli Wily-Matagi that he was flipping his commitment from Utah to Oregon State on Wednesday.

"I'm real excited. I'm kind of happy that the recruiting process is all said and done," he said. "I can't wait until February 4th to make it official. I'm happy it's over and I can't wait to be a Beav."

The three-star athlete, who informed the coaches of his change of heart Sunday, began building a relationship with defensive line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a last summer and was getting looks at Wisconsin by new Oregon State coach Gary Andersen during this recruiting cycle.

"He let me know they couldn't offer me, because they didn't have any spots," Wily-Matagi explained. "Once (Andersen) came over to Oregon State, he was one of the first people I heard from. I had a chance to talk to Coach Chad and he said they wanted to offer me. I already felt I had a good relationship with Coach Andersen and Coach Chad, so, to me, it wasn't brand new. That's kind of where it all started."

Although Wily-Matagi has played quarterback the past two seasons at Kahuku High and Intermediate School in Hawaii, the Beavers have recruited the 6-foot-3, 220-pound athlete as a pass-catching tight end. He was also receiving looks as a defensive lineman.

"I feel like tight end is more of a natural spot for me," he said. "I talked to Coach Baldwin and he told me that he wanted to use me. He said that we already had the big blocking tight ends, so he wants to use me more as a receiving tight end. That was exciting to hear."

Another major factor for Wily-Matagi is the chance to be close to his mother, step-father, grandmother and sister, who live in Seattle. With a one-year-old daughter, the future tight end said that support system will be key to balancing his life on and off the field.

"For me, knowing that I'd have that support from my mom was unreal," he explained. "I get to be close to them, but also have my distance, which is a great thing. We talked a lot about it."

Oregon State spent the past few weeks losing prospects to other schools, but the Beavers appear to be back on track with the addition of two three-star talents in the past few days.

-- Andrew Nemec | @AndrewNemec