Veteran college football coach endorses JaMarcus Shephard hire: ‘I just like the guy’

From the early stages of Oregon State’s football coaching search, JaMarcus Shephard stood out to Mike Riley.

The legendary former Beavers coach and College Football Playoff committee member told The Oregonian/OregonLive he believes in Shephard’s ability to turn the program around as it transitions into the new Pac-12.

“I just like the guy,” Riley said Friday as he drove to Hillsboro to watch the OSAA 6A football state championship game with family. “I think he’ll be a very fun guy to talk with, and also to watch grow the program. I think he’s got great qualities that will be a good fit for the Beavers.”

A search committee including Riley, former OSU wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and other key stakeholders was tasked with advising OSU athletic director Scott Barnes on the hire. They met with eight candidates over Zoom and weighed in with thoughts and recommendations, Riley said. The decision ultimately came down to Barnes.

“Everybody had obviously many opinions on all the different candidates,” Riley said. “But pretty unanimous on what everybody felt about JaMarcus. That was kind of a common denominator.”

Shephard’s energy and ability to clearly articulate his vision for the program impressed those on the committee. Riley recounted that Shephard told committee members he planned to surround himself with experienced assistants as a first-time head coach, and that his genuine desire for the job was strong from the start.

Riley said Shephard’s experience working under high-level coaches like Kalen DeBoer was evident. So was his consistent and compelling positive attitude toward the job.

“I don’t know how you can combine this,” Riley said. “But he was humble in his position to talk to the committee, and confident in his abilities as a coach. Those attributes stood out to me. … He confronted some of those things that might be issues for some and had a plan for it, extremely well-prepared and impressive. A really high-character guy that will represent Oregon State at the highest level.”

Shephard, 42, takes on a job with unique challenges at OSU. In addition to navigating NIL and the transfer portal, the Beavers aim to be among the top teams in the new Pac-12 at the outset as it kicks off in 2026. And the OSU athletic department is experiencing upheaval with its deputy athletic director having departed, its outside NIL management deal with Blueprint Sports still facing questions, and Barnes dealing with intense criticism from many in the fanbase.

Riley said hiring a general manager will be essential to Shephard’s success with OSU football. He took himself out of the running for that job, but said he just wants to find ways to support Shephard and the program however he can.

“It’s the million-dollar question with all the juggling to be done in college football,” Riley said. “This (general manager) is a crucial hire. JaMarcus can go a couple different ways on this. You can get a business type guy who can handle all the contracts and things like that, and I also think you need a very, very qualified talent evaluator.

“Whatever way it goes with what the general manager’s expertise is, I think they need somebody in the program that can help the coaches with the evaluation of players as they go forward.”

Riley said he thinks Shephard has both the demeanor and experience to take on the challenges ahead. It starts with his ability to relate to people, which Riley said remains vitally important for successful college football coaches even when money does so much of the talking these days.

“He’s got top-level qualities in that area, as a people person,” Riley said. “I think it still can matter in the area of retention. When guys find out how valuable it is for them to be in the program, I think you’ll have a chance to keep guys and develop them.”

Oregon State (2-9) at Washington State (5-6)

When: Saturday, Nov. 29Time: 3:30 p.m. PTWhere: Martin Stadium — Pullman, Wash.TV channel: The CWStream: You can watch this game on DIRECTV (free trial), or with Fubo (free trial). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.