Oregon
OPINION: JaMarcus Shephard was Oregon State’s First Choice, and the Right Choice
A week ago – after former Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst backed out, North Dakota State head coach Tim Polasek signed a lucrative extension, Jim L. Mora agreed to take the reins at Colorado State, and Montana State head coach Brent Vigen elected to stay in Bozeman – fans across Beaver Nation wondered who would lead their program. I wondered too.
Now that the dust has settled – JaMarcus Shephard is the head coach of the Oregon State Beavers’ football program – I owe an apology to Scott Barnes and his search committee.
They got their guy. I now believe he was their first choice all along, and I’ll offer three reasons why.
Shephard satisfied Oregon State’s top priority: a strong character
I have previously written about the off-field failings of the Trent Bray era: student-athletes were arrested following domestic violence allegations, or caught driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Both the Oregon State campus & Corvallis community lost trust in its football team. Enter JaMarcus Shephard. “As we moved forward through the process and narrowed down to JaMarcus,” explained Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes in yesterday’s press conference, “I made several calls to friends and colleagues in the industry…and as I talked to them about JaMarcus, they leaned in hard on the person he was rather than the accomplishments he had.”
Barnes later shared a letter he received from Shephard’s middle school PE teacher, Joan Augenbaugh: “I want to reach out and congratulate you on the hiring of one of the most amazing students I’ve ever had in my thirty-three years of teaching. I had JaMarcus when I first started my teaching career. He has that joy about him, always the smile. I am happy, so happy for him, he has always worked so hard for everything he has and everything he has achieved. ”
For her part, Oregon State president Jayathi Murthy appeared similarly spirited by the hire. Only months removed from Oregon State’s associated student body prodding her about Trent Bray’s no-comment comment on troubled cornerback Exodus Ayers, she told the assembled crowd how excited she was for next September’s home opener. She’s not even a football fan!
I believe Shephard – who used his time yesterday to emphasize the importance of academic excellence & embracing Oregon State’s campus culture – has the bona fides to clean up a wayward program.
MORE: State of the Beavs: JaMarcus Shephard’s First Days At Oregon State
Shephard satisfied Oregon State’s second-highest priority: a skilled recruiter
Fired Oregon State head coach Trent Bray had a glaring weakness: recruiting. Back in May, Lake Oswego running back LaMarcus Bell – arguably the best prep in the Beaver State – wanted to visit other schools. Instead of acquiescing, Oregon State forced his hand, scrubbing a scholarship offer and previously scheduled official visit. Bell signed with Utah earlier today.
A similar story played out with California corner Donovan Dunmore, an Oregon State commit who crossed Bray’s invisible line after an official visit to Wisconsin earlier this season. Today, Dunmore marked his commitment to Camp Randall in ink.
Bell, Dunmore, and Fresno four-star quarterback Deagan Rose highlight a hit parade of 7 different de-commitments from Oregon State’s signing class. Now, consider JaMarcus Shephard. At blue-chip Alabama the past two seasons, and a Washington program that reached the College Football Playoff national championship game two years ago, he worked tirelessly to build relationships with players. His head coach Kalen DeBoer explained this week that “He’s a guy that pours everything into this program, and he’s poured everything into me. It’s something that our players know and feel, known Shep since really 2014, and you can’t help but be excited for someone who gets to run their own program.”
Shephard played a part in building two of the sport’s best teams. Now he’ll pitch talented student-athletes on spending their Saturdays at Reser Stadium.
For added measure, Shephard flashes incredible charisma
Trent Bray struggled in front of the microphones. I’m reminded of a difficult exchange with OregonLive.com columnist Bill Oram, who – in a moment of frustration – asked the head coach point blank “Do you still believe you’re the right coach to lead this program?”
Oram, for his part, borrowed the microphone during the question/answer session that capped yesterday’s presser. When he spoke, Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes scowled. Flanked beside Barnes’ left shoulder, JaMarcus Shephard quite literally turned his other cheek, then smiled, and eagerly listened to what the once-confrontational columnist had to say. Oregon State’s new head coach has a way with people: his portion of the press conference ran for nearly an hour, and included heartfelt thanks addressed by name to his daughters, wife, and son, plus a platoon of Oregon State alumni, boosters, and decision-makers in attendance. After addressing so many questions that Oregon State assistant athletic director Hank Hager cut him off – Shephard walked off to the side and huddled up a private media scrum for even more questions.
Years ago, I remember interviewing the recently fired Jonathan Smith before a fundraising event at the Rogue Valley Country Club in Medford. As soon as the mic stopped recording, Jonathan sprinted away to go play some holes. I don’t blame him – the view of the Siskiyou Mountains helps shape one of the prettiest courses in America – but the contrast between Shephard and his predeccesors is stark. After media members were finally finished with their questions yesterday, JaMarcus Shephard stayed behind for hugs & handshakes.
Like I said on BlueSky yesterday: Beaver Nation, you got your guy. Sorry it took me so long to figure out.
More Reading Material From Oregon State Beavers On SI
CENTRAL OREGON (KTVZ) — New rules approved by Oregon regulators aimed at how utilities charge large energy users are expected to have implications beyond Portland General Electric, including for Central Oregon customers served by Pacific Power.
The Oregon Public Utility Commission approved changes allowing Portland General Electric to charge higher rates to large energy users such as data centers. The goal is to ensure those customers pay for the cost of expanding the power grid, rather than shifting those costs onto smaller or household ratepayers.
The move comes after six consecutive years of rate increases for Oregon customers, driven in part by what PGE describes as an unprecedented rise in electricity demand, with data centers as a major factor.
Under the new rules, large energy use facilities must pay 100% of the cost to expand distribution systems needed to serve them. They must also use at least 90% of their contracted power capacity, with requirements for contract lengths and penalties for exceeding usage or exiting early.
The rules define large energy users as facilities capable of drawing more than 20 megawatts of power at a time. A separate category for “very large loads” — those exceeding 100 megawatts — includes a 1 cent per kilowatt-hour surcharge, with funds going toward reducing energy burden for vulnerable customers.
The order also includes a queue system to ensure new large users can only connect when enough zero-emission energy is available to meet demand under House Bill 2021.
While the decision directly applies to PGE, Pacific Power is proposing a similar approach for customers in Central Oregon.
PacifiCorp exclusively sent a statement to KTVZ News, saying utilities have seen a growing number of extremely large new load requests in recent years, requiring significant investments in transmission and generation infrastructure.
The company has filed a proposed tariff with the Oregon Public Utility Commission under House Bill 3546 to create a new rate schedule for “New Large Energy Use Facilities.” Under the proposal, large energy users such as data centers would be required to cover the costs of infrastructure upgrades needed to serve them.
PacifiCorp said the approach would allow the utility to meet the needs of large energy users while continuing to invest in infrastructure and protecting affordability for other customer classes.
PGE has until June 3 to file a new pricing system to implement the order, which would take effect June 10. The utility is also required to begin annual reporting on large energy users starting June 1, 2027.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The Oregon Department of Forestry is asking Oregonians to be careful when disposing of yard debris this spring.
READ MORE | High pressure brings 48-hour warmup to western Oregon as temps near 90 Tuesday
“There have already been 23 escaped debris burns for a total of 83 acres reported on ODF-protected land in 2026,” the agency said.
The agency said that at this time last year, it had responded to 37 escaped burns.
“More than 70% of wildfires every year in Oregon are human-caused, with escaped debris burns topping the list,” ODF said. “With record-low snowpack and an abnormally warm winter, forecasters are anticipating a hotter and drier summer than usual.”
The Central Oregon District of ODF has already declared the start of fire season.
On May 14, fire restrictions will go into effect for all Bureau of Land Management lands in Oregon and Washington.
“We are increasingly concerned that 2026 could rival the most extreme years on record for heat and dryness in the Pacific Northwest,” said Jeff Fedrizzi, assistant chief of operations for the Pacific Northwest, U.S. Wildland Fire Service. “Every visitor must understand that even one small spark can lead to a costly and destructive fire in these high-impact conditions.”
Officials say the restrictions will help reduce the risk of human-caused fires. BLM officials say anyone who violates the prohibition could be fined up to $100,000 and/or face up to 12 months in prison.
More information on fire season is available on the ODF website.
The Bureau of Land Management website has additional information on fire restrictions and closures.
The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 10 drawing
1PM: 8-2-8-4
4PM: 5-1-2-6
7PM: 1-5-9-6
10PM: 8-6-5-1
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
- Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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