Family, accountability and toughness, ‘FAT’, are the defining characteristics new Oregon State coach Jamarcus Shephard looks to instill.
Oregon State’ football offices are teeming with energy as new head coach JaMarcus Shephard and his staff set up shop in Corvallis.
The offices themselves are sparse. Only a desk, a chair or two and a computer fill most. Move-in day is a recurring theme for the Valley Football Center as Shephard’s appointees filter in to their new digs and get to work. What the staff lacks in posters on walls or other office accoutrements, they make up for in phone calls, official visits and meetings.
It’s transfer portal season. And the Oregon State Beavers hit the ground running to build a new football team.
Shephard’s own office, situated on a corner with massive windows and panoramic views of Reser Stadium, is no different. Cavernous is the wrong word, but the acoustics magnify his already-booming voice. The first-time head coach has occupied the space for a little over a month, departing his role at Alabama after the Crimson Tide’s SEC Championship game loss. Corvallis is home now, Shephard says, mentioning he and his wife, Hallie, are finalizing buying a house and determining where to send their three children to school.
Shephard is spinning numerous plates to get Oregon State’s staff and roster put together. He’s still hunting his final few coaches, namely a defensive coordinator, to scheme up the Beavers’ X’s and O’s. As for the Jimmys and Joes, he says the roster is nearing completion, though most of Oregon State’s 2026 signees have yet to be announced.
Names in either department are held close to the chest, but Shephard’s philosophy on team image and mentality is free. It starts with getting fat.
“We’re going to have a FAT team — family, accountability and toughness,” Shephard said. “That’s what this team is going to look like a year from now.”
Family
Over the course of a 45-minute interview with the Portland Tribune, Shephard’s phone and smart watch ding incessantly. Of all the texts and notifications, he answers only one — a facetime call from his wife and youngest daughter. With a smile plastered across his face, it isn’t hard to see why family is the first letter of his program’s acronym.
“You get what you emphasize,” Shephard said. “If you emphasize family, guess what? You’re going to be closer as a family. If you emphasize being a lone ranger, you’re going to get a bunch of lone rangers out there.”
And for the Beavers, family takes many shapes and arrives through many avenues. On the roster side of things, it’s quite literal. Oregon State signed a pair of brothers, Peter and Michael Langi, to fill out spots on the Beavers’ offensive line this week. Peter, the elder brother, is transferring from Arizona. Michael, the younger Langi, flipped his commitment from the Wildcats to follow Peter to Corvallis. Shephard’s staff also retained incoming-freshman wide receiver Cynai Thomas’ commitment, the younger brother of former Beavers safety Skyler Thomas, a two-time captain.
Family extends to Shephard’s staffing hires, Oregon State’s fans and those who gave him his new opportunity. On the latter, Shephard said former Oregon State receiver Brandin Cooks, one of the most decorated Beavers of all time, inspired him and gave him a glimpse into what family can look like in Corvallis.
“I appreciate (Cooks) a ton,” Shephard said. “(With) his love and admiration for this school, I feel like I’ve got to do (this) really well for him. Like, I really feel that way… He’s a super cool guy (and) he’s going to be a great coach — hopefully here — when he’s done playing. I hope we get the chance to get him on our staff one day.”
Shephard also brought familiar faces, such as offensive coordinator Mitch Dahlen and general manager Eron Hodges, with him from Alabama after two seasons with the pair in Tuscaloosa. Dahlen — a native Oregonian and life-long Beavers fan — also worked with Shephard at Washington for two seasons.
“(Dahlen) actually bleeds orange. I mean, (his blood) actually does not come out red. It’s definitely orange,” Shephard said about his play-caller. “He was just overjoyed at the idea that he was going to get to come back here and lead the offense. He’s going to do a great job, I’ve got 1000% confidence in him, what he’ll do and the product that we’ll have as a staff.”
Accountability
With accountability as the second piece of the acronym, Shephard intends to run a tight ship at Oregon State. He added that he wants to “push the envelope” of discipline within the program.
“That’s one of the nonnegotiables… You have to have some accountability for your actions,” Shephard said. “You get a 15-yard penalty? There’ll be an accountability measure associated with that. You don’t go to class? There’s an accountability measure associated with that. You don’t eat right and make sure you’re maintaining the weight that’s necessary? Or (not) losing the weight that’s necessary? There’s accountability measures incorporated into that.”
It’s a hard line in the sand from Shephard, given the program’s four arrests since late 2023. Shephard made it clear it’s not a dig at his predecessor, Trent Bray. He said he has a “tremendous amount of respect” for the now-Washington State defensive coordinator and “in no way, shape or form” would he “do anything to try and diminish (Bray).”
The past is the past, though, and Shephard said he’s only concerned with the future of Oegon State. Under him, discipline and accountability are top-to-bottom requirements for his program.
“The consistency (of accountability) is what makes them disciplined,” Shephard said. “If it ever falls on the wayside, then you know what? That’s when they start rebelling against you. All of our coaches are on the same page. Strength staff, dietitians, equipment staff, everybody is on the same page when it comes to that accountability piece and discipline in our football team.”
Toughness
The final piece of Shephard’s acronym, toughness, is a piece of himself he’s looking to instill in his 105-man roster.
“I was told a long time ago, ‘Get the football team to play in your image. Get your players to play in your image’,” Shephard said, with the ball-coach intensity that quickly made him a fan-favorite seemingly seeping out. “And, (if you do that,) guess what? You’ll like your football team.
“And shoot, I’m a tough, tough dude. So we’ll get this team to be tough.”
