Sources: Shephard agrees to 5-year deal to coach Oregon State

Oregon State has agreed to a five-year deal to make Alabama co-offensive coordinator JaMarcus Shepherd the school’s next head coach, according to ESPN sources.

According to sources, an announcement is expected in the near future.

Shepherd is also Alabama’s assistant head coach and wide receivers coach.

Shepherd has significant experience in both the Pacific Northwest and Pac-12, as he worked at both Washington State (2016) and was on Cullen DeBoer’s Washington staff (2022-23), which went to the national title game following the 2023 season.

Shepherd replaces Trent Bray, who was fired this October with a 5-14 record in his second season. Oregon State is 2-9 this season, and the athletic department is dealing with the seismic financial shift that came with the breakup of the traditional Pac-12.

Alabama has one of the nation’s top wide receiver duos in Jerami Bernard and Ryan Williams. That group for Shepherd comes in the wake of coaching the best trio of wide receivers in college football at Washington in 2023: Rome Odunze, Jaelin Polk and Jalen McMillan.

At Purdue, Shepherd coached star receivers Rondell Moore, a first-team All-American, and David Bell, who earned first-team All Big Ten honors. At Purdue, he served as passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.

In 2016 at Washington State, Shepherd coached future NFL receiver Rivers Craycraft. Over the years, Shepherd has developed a reputation as an exceptional connector with the ability to identify and develop talent.

Shepherd faces a tough challenge amid the financial uncertainty and roster churn that has come with Oregon State’s new reality outside of a major conference.