Brenden Slaughter sees plenty to like about Oregon State’s new era under JaMarcus Shepard, even if he isn’t ready to project an immediate turnaround.
In his view, Shepard has come in with the kind of presence a rebuilding program needs. “He’s certainly brought the energy… For a first-time head coach taking on the challenge of rebuilding Oregon State, I think he’s pushing all the right buttons early.
He’s surrounded himself with a great staff, and he himself has been around some high-level coaches. There’s plenty of work to be done to get to where the Beavers ultimately want to be, but I think he’s been a refreshing hire for the program and somebody who is a very charismatic person.
Very excited to see how he tackles his first season…”
That optimism extends to the staff’s handling of the quarterback job, where transfer Braden Atkinson emerged as the starter. Slaughter called Atkinson “an unflappable presence…” and said the fall camp buzz made him think Atkinson would be in the mix.
Still, he admitted the announcement came with some surprise. “As we approached fall camp, we heard that Atkinson was the most consistent quarterback, and that led me to believe he’d be right there in the mix, but with how close they kept it to the vest, it did surprise me a bit.
That being said, the coaches said they could have named him the starter almost immediately into camp, and that tells me how he separated himself from Maalik Murphy and Brady Jones shows me just how effectively he’s been playing in the Beavers’ new system. I’m excited to see how he makes the FCS-to-FBS jump after winning the Jerry Rice Award at Mercer last season.”
Asked which other transfers could make noise, Slaughter pointed first to the pass-catchers. At tight end, he named DC Temple and Eric Olsen as newcomers who should be involved heavily in the system. At receiver, he highlighted Aaron Butler, who arrived from Texas with speed, and Xavyion Noland, who transferred in from UTRGV after putting up 831 yards and seven scores.
On the other side of the ball, Slaughter said linebacker transfers Dylan Layne and Jabari Odoemenem are names to watch. Both are seniors with plenty of experience, and he noted that Shephard has described the linebacker group as the foundation of the Beaver defense.
Slaughter also pointed to players who stayed put through the coaching change and could benefit from that decision. He singled out linebacker Aiden Sullivan, calling him perhaps the best player on the defense and noting that he had opportunities elsewhere after last season but chose to remain once he spoke with Shephard. On offense, he mentioned running back Cornell Hatcher, who had a mini breakout behind Anthony Hankerson last season and is set to form a “1A, 1B punch” with AJ Newberry.
For the opener, Slaughter expects Oregon State to make Houston work for it before the Cougars pull away. His prediction: Houston 31, Oregon State 17.
He said the Beavers should outperform what the oddsmakers and Houston expect, especially after how hard they played the Cougars at home last season while sitting at 0-4. Still, he sees the top-25 home team finishing the job, with the game possibly staying close for a while before Houston secures a two-touchdown win.
In Other News...
Houston Fans Are Still Waiting On A Key Transfer Safety Decision
Houstons offseason roster movement keeps getting a little more interesting, and one of the newest additions is already on campus but not yet cleared to fully settle in. Former Arizona State safety Myles Rowser has reportedly transferred to the Cougars and is practicing with the team, giving Willie Fritz another defensive piece to evaluate as the staff continues sorting through its summer personnel picture.
The wait now centers on the paperwork and approvals that will determine whether Rowser can officially join the mix, with Fritz saying the process is complex and the staff is aiming to have those eligibility decisions wrapped up by the end of the week. It is the kind of late-summer administrative delay that can matter a lot to a team trying to get its depth chart in place, especially with Houston also welcoming back wide receiver Stephon Johnson for an extra year under the latest eligibility rules tied to the high school class of 2022. [Read more 🡒]
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One of the more interesting layers is how several familiar names on both sidelines shape the night, including senior transfer Trent Walker facing his former team in his first game as a Cougar. Houston will also be leaning on a secondary that should set the tone, with Kentrell Webb, Jordan Allen, Will James and Jalen Mayo among the key pieces tasked with handling Oregon State's receivers. If the Cougars are going to establish an early edge in September, this is the kind of matchup that will help show whether they are ready to do it. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Landed On A Big 12 List Fans Wont Like
The Big 12 preseason picture already has a few teams feeling the squeeze, and Houston is among the programs being watched closely as expectations rise around the conference. With a new look across the league and plenty of uncertainty still hanging over the season, the Cougars find themselves in a spot where the margin between meeting and missing the hype can be thin.
Houston has enough going for it to believe it can stay in the mix, but the broader projection is a reminder that not every team with upside turns it into a September-to-November climb. The leagues tougher paths, coaching changes elsewhere and the general unpredictability of college football all feed into that uneasy middle ground, where a promising roster can still wind up on the wrong side of the preseason conversation. [Read more 🡒]