JaMarcus Shephard announces vision for Oregon State football

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CORVALLIS — After a tumultuous 2-10 Oregon State football season that featured the firing of former head coach Trent Bray, a new chapter has begun for the Beavers.

JaMarcus Shephard, a 42-year-old highly-touted assistant from the University of Alabama, has taken the helm as the Beavers’ new head coach. Shephard spoke to the press for the first time as head coach on Dec. 2 to discuss a fresh start for the Beavers, as well as his philosophies and plans.

“This is an opportunity to reset,” Shephard said. “Our players are super excited about the new direction of the football team.”

Shephard, who was hired by OSU on Nov. 28, delivered a motivated message in his press conference. He discussed hitting the reset button on OSU football and providing the Beavers with the chance to find new value in themselves, the program and the school.

These characteristics were exactly what OSU wanted in a new coach, athletic director Scott Barnes said.

Shephard’s introduction, which was preceded by statements from OSU President Jayathi Y. Murthy and Barnes, offered the Indiana native a chance to share his values, ideas and championship-level goals with Oregon State staff, boosters, coaches and media.

“We’re going to be a group that earns what we’re given,” Shephard said. “We’re going to be excited about earning what we’re given because in my experience, the best things that you have earned in life are because you earned them, not because someone gave them to you. Our players will be engaged in that thinking.”

Here’s what Shephard discussed in his first press conference as head coach in Corvallis.

JaMarcus Shephard looks to instill his philosophy at OSU

Shephard said prior to the press conference he had a conversation with Pat Reser about the job and the school.

Reser, the wife of Al Reser and a prominent donor to the university, shared thoughts about the school, the future of the football program, what it means to be a Beaver and more.

“Everyone else across the county looks at Oregon State University as this blue-collar program,” Shephard said he and Reser discussed.

But the two didn’t quite agree with that, he said. Shephard wants the football program to emit more than just a hard-working persona.

Reser and Shephard said it can be one of excellence and standards.

“We want to achieve excellence in everything that we do,” Shephard said. “How you do anything, is how you do everything … we’re all a part of creating the culture here at Oregon State University.”

Shephard said he’s already met with several players on the current OSU roster to talk about this.

“There’s an overwhelming theme in terms of what this programs need and desires,” Shephard said. “And that is a level of discipline.”

The new Oregon State coach made clear that discipline is near the top of his ideology not only on the football field, but through all facets of life. Shephard said that without being disciplined in his past and throughout his life, he wouldn’t be in Corvallis today.

“We have a chance to build,” Shephard said. “And each one of us has to take our different blocks and set them next to each other. I want all of our building blocks put next to each other … I want all of those building blocks put together so we can build a new foundation and continue rising.”

Transitioning with recruiting, OSU football coaching staff

Shephard has a major task at hand with National Signing Day on Dec. 3 and a nearly full coaching staff to hire.

On top of that, the college football transfer portal opens on Jan. 2 — a date Oregon State will be keeping tabs on as the roster begins to mold.

But before that, Shephard is returning to Alabama to continue coaching with the Crimson Tide for an undisclosed amount of time. He’s currently Alabama’s assistant head coach, co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach as the Tide eye the College Football Playoff.

Bama’s not a complete distraction from Oregon State, though. Shephard has his eyes on the future and believes he has the support system through the university to get the athletes he wants to Corvallis.

“We are set up perfectly to compete in this NIL world,” Shephard said. “We’re set up right where we need to be. When looking at this opportunity I felt like we were going to be at the top of our conference in terms with how we were going to be able to compete within our league.”

Shephard talked about the value in recruiting and how he plans to compete for athletes locally, but also in hot-bed football recruiting hubs such as the Bay Area, Southern California and Las Vegas.

And whether that’s high school recruits or veteran collegiate athletes from the transfer portal, Shephard said he plans to compete for them all.

“These are really my goals as a football program. We will win the Pac-12 championship and a bowl game with class, integrity and academic excellence,” Shephard said. “That is what we will do here.”

Who is JaMarcus Shephard?

Shephard is a long-time assistant coach with esteem and prowess in numerous corners of the country.  

He started out as a high school coach in his home state of Indiana in the mid-2000s before taking the leap to the college level for the first time with Western Kentucky University. At WKU he served in numerous roles such as defensive assistant, offensive quality control and wide receivers coach.

Since his first role with Western Kentucky, his name’s been called by some of the biggest schools and coaches in the country. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama’s head coach, brought Shephard along with him to Alabama from Washington after the 2023 season. He has acted as assistant head coach, pass game coordinator, co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach with multiple schools.

Washington State, Purdue, Washington and Alabama have all reaped the benefits of having Shephard on staff. He brings high-quality recruiting and motivation, but notably a strong offensive mind that develops and produces NFL-level talent.

At Washington, Shephard worked with now-NFL stars and former collegiate all-Americans Michael Penix, Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk. At Alabama, Shephard was heavily credited with the recruiting commitment of five-star wide receiver Ryan Williams, who has excelled in his young career with the Crimson Tide.

But despite the experience he brings to the table, the job in Corvallis is different.

“I feel like obviously this is a new beginning for me,” Shephard said. “As a first time head football coach, this is my opportunity to learn and engage in this process.”

Shephard said he shares that characteristic with Oregon State itself; a new beginning. He compared his own transition to that of the Beavers with the new Pac-12 and handling of the Name, Image and Likeness era of college football.

“We’re going to be able to do this side by side, and I look forward to that experience,” Shephard said.

Landon Bartlett covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at lbartlett@salem.gannett.com or on X or Instagram @bartlelo.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: JaMarcus Shephard talks vision for Oregon State football

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