Oregon State tabbed Inoke Breckterfield, an all-American defensive end for the Beavers in the Mike Riley-era, to coach the defensive line.
Oregon State football head coach JaMarcus Shephard went to the well of alums for his first hire on the defensive side of things. Shepherd hired Inoke Breckterfield, a Beavers defensive end in the Mike Riley-era, to coach Oregon State’s defensive line.
Breckterfield departs Baylor, where he held the same title, to return to Corvallis.
“It is an honor to return to my alma mater to coach young men who will work the right way to make Beaver Nation proud,” Breckterfield said in a press release. “I have a great deal of respect for Coach Shephard in the way he handles himself as a leader and mentor for student-athletes, alums, donors, and fans. My family and I are extremely excited to be back in Corvallis and cannot wait to see Reser Stadium packed with our loyal and enthusiastic fans who love Oregon State as much as I do.”
Breckterfield played for the Beavers from 1995 until 1998. In 1998, the Pac-10 named him a first-team all-conference selection and the Morris Trophy winner for the conference’s top defensive-lineman. The Associated Press named Breckterfield a third-team all-American the same season.
“I see it as an honor and a privilege to have Inoke Breckterfield join our staff at Oregon State University,” Shephard said. “He stands as the pillar of what success looks like in terms of how you play the game at this university, He has the ability to recruit, develop and inspire young men across college football and has been that pillar of success at the various programs he has been at in his career.”
Breckterfield’s coaching credentials
He finished his career in Corvallis as the Beavers’ all-time leader in tackles-for-loss (55.5) and sacks (19.5). Breckterfield, a native of Kaneohe, Hawaii, enjoyed a five-year professional career in Canada. He spent two seasons (1999-00) as a Toronto Argonaut and three (‘01-’03) with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. In 2006, then-head coach Mike Riley hired Breckterfield as a volunteer assistant, before promotions to graduate-assistant in 2007 and defensive-line coach in ‘08.
He worked as a defensive-line coach at three different universities (Weber State, ‘09; Montana, ‘10; UCLA ‘11) over the next three seasons before landing at Pittsburgh from 2012 until 2014. At Pitt, Breckterfield helped mentor NFL All-Pro and future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald, a first-round pick by the St. Louis Rams in the 2014 NFL Draft.
After six seasons (2015-20) on staff at Wisconsin and a year (2021) at Vanderbilt, Breckterfield joined Shephard at Washington for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Breckterfield coached Baylor’s defensive line from 2024 until his appointment at his alma mater. The Bears finished last in the Big 12 this season in sacks, logging just 12. Their 23 during the 2024 season ranked eighth in the 16-team conference.
Breckterfield is the four officially-announced member of Shephard’s inaugural staff at Oregon State. He joins offensive-coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mitch Dahlen, general manager Eron Hodges and strength and conditioning coach Jeff Eaton.
