JaMarcus Shephard keeps coming back to the same idea this fall: Oregon State can’t afford to be two teams in one.
That’s the reality he sees as the Beavers head toward their inaugural season in the revamped PAC-12 Conference, with 39 new players arriving from the transfer portal and the high school ranks, plus a completely new coaching staff. In a sport defined by constant roster churn, Shephard is trying to make sure all those moving parts start pulling in the same direction.
“I just want to remind you all that we got a football team that is comprised of a bunch of guys who are coming back from last year. We got a bunch of transfers that came in, and they're contributing.
But we also have some freshmen that have come in, and they're going to contribute. And so I really don't care where you're coming from.
I don't care what the situation is. Many of them are saying that they feel like they did transfer because it's just a new program that they're a part of for the guys who were here before.”
He pointed to a familiar sports example to drive the message home: the 2008 Olympic Men’s Basketball team, better known as the Redeem Team.
“We need each and every one of them to gel in a way that's going to allow us to have success and win football games. We're watching the Redeem Team right now as a team.
And it was very clearly stated by LeBron, Carmelo, and D-Wade that when they went to go play before that Redeem Team, and they got their butt whipped, it felt like there were two separate teams: the old guard and the new guard. And our team heard that, and they said, no, we can't have that.
We are all here together, all right? And that's why everybody on this team is important.
Everyone has a role, and they have to be elite in the role that they're in.”
By Shephard’s read, the early signs are encouraging. The group is starting to settle in, and the chemistry is building the way he wants it to.
That chemistry matters, but so does getting young talent on the field early. Shephard has never shied away from trusting freshmen, and this fall he’s leaning into that again with a group he believes can become real difference-makers.
He pointed to the way he’s handled young receivers before, including Rondale Moore and David Bell at Purdue and Ryan Williams at Alabama. The lesson, in his view, is about repetition, memory, and making sure young players absorb the message while they’re still new enough to carry it forward.
“You're trying to make sure that you have those touch points with those young guys so that they're able to carry on the messaging that you're delivering. We as coaches, we forget sometimes everything that we said.
But those kids kind of remember everything. They remember it all.
They kind of remind you, coach, you said this or that. And I sure did.
And so certainly having some of those young guys around who, two, three years from now, will say, 'hey, coach, I remember we did this.' Is there any way we can try to take a look at this again?
That's really important.”
Two freshmen Shephard singled out were cornerback Kai Wheaton and wide receiver Jesse Legree.
On Kai: “The kid has just steadily ground himself to become a kid that we're getting more and more excited about at practice. So I'm really excited about how he's developing at a high rate. And I wouldn't expect anything else.”
On Legree: “He is another one who just shows up. And for some reason, he's an explosive play ready to happen. There are so many of these freshmen that have a chance to really contribute to this team.”
Shephard also wants the people who know the program best to be around it again. After speaking about the return of Gary Payton around Oregon State Men’s Basketball, he used the same energy to urge Beaver football alumni to reconnect with the team.
“Chad, get your butt back here. TJ, get your butt back here.
We'd love to have you guys here so we can spend some time with you. Derek, get your butt back here, okay?
You guys will be welcomed here with open arms on the field. Enjoy yourselves, and, you know, encourage our players.
Let them know why Oregon State is so important to you.”
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