How Two Former Alabama Staffers Helped Shape Oregon State's Budding Program
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A season eventually ends. What a coach builds within a program can last much longer.
Current Oregon State head coach JaMarcus Shephard paid his dues, and then some.
Before landing in Corvallis, Shephard spent two seasons as Alabama's wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator, following DeBoer from Washington to Tuscaloosa.
Shephard was one of DeBoer's first hires at Alabama, and DeBoer credited him with playing an integral role in building the program's culture.
“He's a guy that pours everything into this program. He's poured everything into me. Something that our players know and feel. Known Shep since 2014. You can't help but be excited for someone that gets to run their own program.”
Oregon State has been in the doldrums of college football for a few years, so the Beavers were hardly on anyone’s radar. But Shephard has had his players buy in from the get-go.
After the loss to Texas Tech, in which the Beavers competed until the very end, linebacker Dylan Layne took issue with fans applauding the team despite the defeat.
“We’re changing the culture here,” Layne said. “It’s no longer good enough — moral victories. (It’s) not good enough that we competed with a top-25 team. Like, BS, man. We want to win these games. … It’s the little things, like clapping after (a loss). I’m challenging Beaver Nation: show up, show out and expect us to win.”
Statements like that are a testament to how Shephard has built the culture in Corvallis.
The response on the field was immediate. The Beavers won five games in a row and became one of college football’s most devastating teams, led by quarterback Braden Atkinson and wide receiver Jesse Legree, who has taken the game by storm.
Legree, a true freshman, leads the FBS in receiving yards and touchdowns. And fans are wondering, where did this guy come from?
The talented receiver was recruited by Eron Hodges, another former Alabama staffer, who served as the Crimson Tide’s Associate Director of Player Personnel. And when Shephard was hired to Oregon State, he hired Hodges to be the program’s General Manager.
While still at Alabama, Hodges was studying film of players from the Baltimore area. Legree wasn't generating much fanfare, but he continued to stand out to Hodges.
“When (Shephard) flew out for his news conference, I had a kid in my back pocket and I’m like, this kid is a good player, we’re going into a situation where we don’t know exactly what we need as a team but this kid solves three problems,” Hodges told Rivals’ Adam Gorney.
“He solves the receiver aspect of it, he solves the DB aspect of it and at the very worst, if we’re wrong, he’s going to be an elite punt returner.”
And Legree, along with Atkinson have been the two catalysts that show other recruits just what they can do if they come to Oregon State.
“We pride ourselves when we recruit you. We're going to help you create value for yourself,” Shephard said. “Obviously our passing game has been outstanding, leading the country. But then we are able to run the ball effectively. It’s a well-rounded offense.”
Shephard has helped transform the perception of Oregon State, turning a program that struggled to command attention into one that is attracting recruits eager to play for him.
The early success that Shephard has built at Oregon State is another reminder of the coaching talent DeBoer brought to Tuscaloosa.
From Hodges identifying Legree to Shephard building a program around players like him, the Alabama connections are now helping reshape the future of Oregon State football.
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