Jaheim Patterson and Van Wells will be on the field for Oregon State at least a little longer.
A Benton County Circuit Court judge granted the two fifth-year seniors a preliminary injunction against the NCAA on Tuesday, clearing the way for them to keep playing for the Beavers for at least four more games and possibly the rest of the season.
The ruling matters immediately for Oregon State, which is 1-2 and has four games left before a status hearing on Oct. 27, with a trial date to be set after that. The Beavers open that stretch Saturday at UTEP.
Patterson and Wells are challenging the NCAA in a breach-of-contract case tied to the association’s recently passed aged-based eligibility model. The rule, known informally as the five-for-five rule, does not specifically exclude 2022 high school graduates who played four seasons of college sports - a group that has been pursuing eligibility this academic year.
During the hearing, judge Matthew Donohue said, “It appears at least on that claim they have - at this point what I’m looking at - a likelihood of prevailing on the merits,”
For Wells, the decision keeps alive a season that has already been loaded with emotion. He has started all three games at center and logged 216 snaps, making him the most experienced player on Oregon State’s roster.
“This is amazing to hear; this is what I wanted,” Wells said outside the courtroom. “Playing football, this is my life.
It’s what I love to do. Being able to be with my brothers, my teammates longer and not having to leave them means everything to me.”
Patterson, who started last season, has been Oregon State’s third deep safety this year and has totaled 13 tackles. He said he was “scared” the hearing might go the other way.
“The last time we came to court it was a little scary,” Patterson said after the hearing. “When I came back today I didn’t expect - I didn’t know what (would) happen. ... It means the world; I get to show what I can do, become a better man with Oregon State.”
Their presence is especially valuable for a team that needs help at center and lacks experience in the secondary. Defensive end Takari Hickle said the two veterans settled in quickly once they were back with the group.
“I feel like them coming back added to what we were already building,” Hickle said. “They meshed right in with new everything going on around here and they picked it up like it was nothing for them.”
Wells also said the month has been especially difficult after his grandmother died earlier this month following Oregon State’s season opener against Houston, where he is from.
“It has been a very stressful month for me, dealing with loss in my family, dealing with this, with everything I’ve been dealt with,” Wells said. “My teammates have helped me get through it. Being able to be with them for longer and them to keep having my back means everything to me.”
In Other News...
Beavers Finally Have This Over Oregon And Fans Cant Enjoy It
Oregon State may only be 1-2, but the Beavers have looked like the better team in the early going, and that has made the latest chapter of the rivalry feel a little upside-down. Oregon has the prettier record at 2-1, yet the Ducks have not matched the same level of play, while the Beavers have shown enough life under JaMarcus Shephard to keep the idea of a winning season on the table.
Kevin Griffin, Oregon States athletic director, framed the rivalry as something bigger than football, saying it matters to the culture of the state as the teams head toward a long gap before they meet again. The odd part for Beavers fans is that even with the satisfaction of seeing their side play better right now, there is not much immediate room to savor it, with the matchup not set to resume until several years from now. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State Special Teams Showed Promise But One Concern Still Lingers
Oregon States special teams gave the Beavers plenty to build on against Montana, with Xayvion Noland providing the kind of burst in the return game that can change field position in a hurry. Punter AJ Winsor and kicker Caleb Ojeda also did their jobs, while kickoff specialist Jaydn Oh consistently pushed the action deep enough to produce multiple touchbacks, a sign the unit looked more organized and more dangerous than it has at times.
Still, the day was not spotless, and the biggest concern was not hard to spot. Penalties on special teams remain a focus, and the Beavers also had a return sequence they would probably like back, the sort of mistake that keeps a promising performance from turning into a fully clean one. For a group trying to prove it can be a real asset, the challenge now is keeping the good field-position gains while tightening the details that can undo them. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State's O-Line Gets Relief As Bigger Fight Still Looms
Oregon State got a timely bit of good news for its offensive line on Tuesday, when the status of Van Wells and Jaheim Patterson was settled well enough to keep them on the field for this season. For a program trying to protect its depth up front, any clarity along the line matters, and this ruling gives the Beavers a little breathing room in a spot where continuity can be hard to find.
The broader issue, though, is still not fully done. The eligibility fight had already moved through one layer of approval with the NCAA, and the case was headed toward a fuller hearing before the latest court decision was made public, leaving the larger picture unresolved for now. For Oregon State, it is a useful reprieve, but not the final word on a situation that has been hanging over two key players. [Read more 🡒]