Mike Riley is an offensive kind of guy, but in a good way. The Oregon State football coach has been known for developing quarterbacks for the NFL in recent years and finding ways for the Beavers to light up scoreboards.

When it comes to recruiting, he takes special care to find the right quarterback.

His latest recruit Sean Mannion of Pleasanton, Calif., drew high praise from Riley after he signed with the Beavers on Wednesday. Mannion is a four-star athlete who committed early back in June before his senior season at Foothill High.

“I’m relieved I made my choice, and it’s nice I know where I’m going to go so I don’t have to think about it,” Mannion said in June. “Oregon State has been my favorite school for a while. Their offense is very similar to what I run in high school.”

The Beavers evaluated 30 quarterbacks on campus last spring and summer, and the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Mannion came out on top. Riley offered the scholarship and Mannion quickly accepted.

If Mannion wanted to wait to see his options, the Beavers would have kept recruiting down the list. He accepted so they were done with that position.

“I loved the process with Sean Mannion,” Riley said. “We go through an in-depth process with the quarterbacks. We saw a lot of good quarterbacks.”

Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf watched video on several quarterbacks. Then Langsdorf visited them during the spring when high school teams practice.

Invites are sent out for unofficial visits, more video is watched and then they are ranked by the coaches. And if OSU is lucky, players will attend a summer camp like Mannion did.

“We felt great about this kid watching him throw and play,” Riley said. “It was a perfect Oregon State fit as a person and player. He’s a coach’s kid. From the time we met him and talked to him, he came across as a sponge.”

Mannion proved OSU’s evaluation was a good one. He had thrown for 2,608 yards and 23 touchdowns as a junior, and was considered a three-star prospect and 37th best pro-style passer in the nation by recruiting services.

Then he made a leap in development. Mannion threw for 3,493 yards and 27 TDs last season. His ranking went up a star and to the 12th best passer.

During one game he threw for a Northern California record 582 yards — three quarters really. He threw for nearly 400 yards in a nationally televised game on ESPNU.

So recruiters took notice of him, and he had options other than the Beavers. Arizona, California, UCLA and others courted him.

“I appreciate the loyalty through the commitment,” Riley said. “It happens once in a while that you make an offer and that’s an attention grabber for other people to take a look at. As the year went on he got a lot more attention.”

Mannion comes into a program with no set starter for next season, but sophomore Ryan Katz and junior Peter Lalich are expected to play with one taking control. Then there are two redshirt freshmen Cody Vaz and Jack Lomax waiting in the wings.

There’s a long way to go to the top of the depth chart, but Mannion isn’t shy about competition. Motivation comes from seeing two recent OSU quarterbacks in the NFL, and the latest one, Sean Canfield, is expected to be a draft pick in April.

“Both times I went up there I got to talk with the coaches, saw the school and I really liked looking around,” Mannion said. “The team is a good fit. The school sold itself. The campus is nice and the program is really good.”

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