When Oregon State wide receivers coach James Finley first evaluated Jesse Legree, he envisioned a solid freshman season for a talented, uber-athletic player who had been overlooked by the rest of the country.

“Maybe 400 [receiving] yards, maybe 500,” Finley told The Post.

Just seven games into the Beavers’ season, Legree has more than doubled those numbers, racking up 1,040 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns while establishing himself as one of the best pass-catchers in college football and putting together a fringe Heisman Trophy candidacy.

Even head coach JaMarcus Shephard, who brought Legree to Corvallis shortly after taking the Oregon State job last November, couldn’t have imagined this kind of immediate success.

“Did I think he was going to be doing what he’s doing right now as a true freshman? No, I didn’t,” Shephard told The Post. 

Legree, who spent last December’s signing day watching his St. Frances teammates celebrate their college commitments, is now putting up video-game numbers at Oregon State.

He leads the FBS in receiving yards heading into this weekend’s action, putting up seven straight 100-yard games. 

Legree is averaging a staggering 22.6 yards per reception, and he’s put up some of his biggest numbers against ranked competition.

Just a few months removed from high school, Legree opened his college career with 136 yards and a touchdown against then-No. 23 Houston before torching Texas Tech for 240 yards and two scores the following week.

He spent much of high school playing defensive back and returning kicks while also starring as a point guard on the basketball court. 

It wasn’t until his senior season, after transferring to Saint Frances Academy, that he made the switch to receiver full-time.

Legree, a Baltimore native, wasn’t completely unknown to college recruiters. Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Buffalo all showed interest, but concerns about his 5-foot-10 frame and position prevented any big scholarship offers.

“I had offers, but they were for being a defensive back,” Legree told BeaverBlitz in an interview conducted shortly after his commitment to Oregon State.

By the time signing day arrived last December, Legree was still searching for where he’d start his college career.

That’s when the newly hired Oregon State general manager Eron Hodges and Shephard stepped in.

Hodges, who previously served as Alabama’s associate director of player personnel, saw Legree as the kind of versatile athlete Oregon State needed as Shephard, a former receiver’s coach,  began rebuilding the program.

Legree was just a three-star recruit, ranked No. 1,631 nationally in the 2026 class by Rivals and No. 97 by 247Sports. But Hodges believes too many programs put too much stock in those evaluations, leading them to miss players Legree.

“Everybody’s worried about stars and 247Sports and On3 and what your competitors are doing,” Hodges told The Post. “Nobody really trusts their own evaluations. We just trust our own evaluations.”

The new regime has turned it around quickly after the Beavers finished 2-10 last season, going 5-2 under Shephard heading into Saturday’s game against Fresno State, with losses only to Houston and Texas Tech, riding a five-game winning streak and sitting at 3-0 in the newly reconstructed Pac-12.

“We need somebody fast, somebody who is an athlete who can play multiple positions,” Hodges said, comparing Legree’s potential to explosive playmakers Percy Harvin and Devin Hester.

Shephard agreed, telling The Post that Legree could be the Beavers’ kick returner, “worst case scenario.”

Legree quickly proved to be much more than that.

Within weeks of arriving on campus, Legree was selected No. 1 overall by upperclassmen drafting teams for Oregon State’s winter workout competition, during which Beavers players compete with each other in workouts, academics and attendance, among other things.

During a spring practice, Finley moved Legree from second-string slot receiver to third-string Z receiver to get him more opportunities on the field. Legree seemed frustrated by the move, but his response impressed the coach.

“He didn’t take it as a demotion,” Finley said. “He took it as like, OK, I’m gonna show you how I can play Z too.”

Oregon State freshman WR Jesse Legree holds mid-season decision day to announce he won't be transferring next season.

It's certainly a new era of college sports. pic.twitter.com/KcmifOljJT

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) October 23, 2026

By the season opener against Houston, Legree was making impressive plays in real games, including a reception between three defenders that pleasantly surprised his head coach.

“It was like a routine play to him,” Shephard said.

Now, Oregon State brass isn’t putting a cap on his potential.

Shephard, who developed several future NFL receivers during his time at Purdue, Washington and Alabama, said he can’t envision Legree failing to reach the next level.

“He’s going to play on Sundays,” he said during an interview this week.

Legree’s newfound stardom has brought plenty of attention off the field as well.

Once overlooked by virtually every major college football program, Legree has since signed with Klutch Sports Group, while former Oregon State star Chad Johnson offered to contribute $2 million in NIL money to help keep him in Corvallis beyond this season.

Legree ultimately announced his return for the 2027 season during a press conference at his high school, ensuring a program that was stuck in a two-team Pac-12 just a year ago will keep its biggest star.

“I just got the opportunity from Coach Shep,” Legree said during his announcement. “… I was going to be loyal to them.”