Jaheim Patterson was back at Reser Stadium on Tuesday, but the question hanging over his Oregon State future is still unresolved.
The former Beavers safety attended practice as Oregon State opened fall camp in full pads, yet he did not take part while the school waits for the eligibility picture to become clearer. Coach JaMarcus Shephard said Patterson and center Van Wells have been cleared to return to the program for a fifth year, though both remain in limbo because of the judicial process.
“Is it a possibility that the NCAA says that they can’t play? We don’t want to create any infractions on ourself without knowing what the full scope of what it looks like,” Shephard said. “We’re going to take it slow but at the same time, they told us we can have him out there.”
Last week’s Colorado district court injunction opened the door for athletes who started college in 2022 to get a fifth year of eligibility, putting Patterson and Wells in position to rejoin the Beavers. On Monday, Colorado district court Judge Charlotte Sweeney denied the NCAA’s motion to stay the injunction, although the appeals process could move to the Tenth Circuit.
Around the country, fifth-year players who went undrafted have already been back with their teams, including at Indiana, Texas and Mississippi State.
For Oregon State, the appeal is obvious. Patterson and Wells would give the roster two more experienced players, and Shephard made it clear that matters.
“The more experience that you can gain, the better chance that you have of having success,” Shephard said. “They’ve been in those moments. It certainly helps this football team.”
Patterson, listed at 6-foot-5, started all 12 games last season and finished with 66 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups. Bringing that kind of size and production back into a secondary that lost three starters and several others from the two-deep would be a major boost.
“I had three or four coaches walk in eyes wide, ‘Shep you didn’t say he was that big,’” Shephard said. “Long story short, we’ll be excited to have him out there.”
In Other News...
Oregon States Frontcourt Plans May Depend On One Familiar Return
Oregon States frontcourt picture could get a little clearer, or a lot more complicated, depending on how one familiar name handles a new bit of eligibility news. The Colorado district court injunction affecting athletes who started in 2022 has opened the door for former Beaver forward Jorge Diaz Graham to return for a fifth season, and coach Justin Joyner is still exploring what that might mean for the roster.
Diaz Graham spent the summer with the Dallas Mavericks in NBA Summer League after going undrafted, so his next move could shape more than just the Beavers depth chart. If he comes back, he would be one of only two returning players from last season, which would give Oregon State a steadier foundation in the frontcourt while Joyner continues piecing together the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Fans May Need A New Definition Of Success
JaMarcus Shephard has spent the opening stretch of his Oregon State tenure setting a clear tone: the Beavers are going to run into adversity, and pretending otherwise would do nobody any favors. Coming off a recent stretch that has left the program searching for footing, the new head coach is already trying to reset the conversation around what progress looks like, especially with the college football world shifting underneath smaller programs that have to fight for every advantage.
The messaging is noticeably different from the one that came before it under Trent Bray, and that matters because Oregon States path forward is about more than just wins and losses in the usual sense. The Beavers are trying to compete in an environment where financial muscle and athletic resources shape nearly everything, which means fans may have to adjust their expectations while Shephard tries to build something sturdier than a quick bounce-back. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Freshmen Could Be Caught In A Pac-12 Debate
JaMarcus Shephard is hoping the Pac-12 takes a fresh look at how many players teams are allowed to bring on the road for league games, especially after the Big Ten raised its travel roster limit from 74 to 80. The conference is still operating with the lower number, but coaches and administrators have begun discussing whether that should change as rosters get more complicated and the margin for error gets tighter.
For Oregon State, the issue lands in a very real way. The Beavers have 16 true freshmen on the roster, along with other players affected by the NCAAs new age-based eligibility model that removes redshirts from the equation. If the Pac-12 does adjust, it could shape how Oregon State manages its youngest players and how much depth it can realistically take into conference games. [Read more 🡒]