Oregon State Football Looks Primed for New Season

Head Coach JaMarcus Shephard Pleased with Team's Progress After Recent Practice

Apr. 17, 2026 at 6:38pm

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A fragmented, cubist-style painting depicting the chaotic energy and overlapping perspectives of a college football practice, with players and equipment rendered in sharp geometric shapes and muted earth-toned colors.An abstract illustration captures the intensity and strategic complexity of an Oregon State football practice as the team prepares for the upcoming season.Berkeley Today

Following a recent Oregon State football practice, head coach JaMarcus Shephard spoke with the media, highlighting the team's progress and areas for improvement. Shephard praised the team's overall operation, noting fewer penalties and the ability to handle adversity. He also highlighted the strong performances of quarterback Brady Jones and transfer linebacker Dylan Layne, while acknowledging the dominance of the defensive line over the offensive line during the scrimmage.

Why it matters

Oregon State is looking to build on a promising 2025 season and make a push for the Pac-12 title in 2026. Shephard's comments provide insight into the team's development and the key position battles that will shape their success in the upcoming campaign.

The details

Shephard was pleased with the team's overall operation during the recent scrimmage, noting fewer penalties and the ability to handle adversity. He singled out quarterback Brady Jones for consistently moving the offense down the field, even when challenged. The head coach also praised the leadership of transfer linebacker Dylan Layne, who was voted onto the team's Unity Council by his peers. On the other hand, Shephard acknowledged the dominance of the defensive line, led by outside linebacker Takari Hickle, over the offensive line, which he said needs to step up its performance.

  • The recent practice and scrimmage took place on April 15, 2026.

The players

JaMarcus Shephard

The head coach of the Oregon State football team, who is entering his third season at the helm.

Brady Jones

A quarterback on the Oregon State football team who stood out during the recent scrimmage, consistently moving the offense down the field.

Dylan Layne

A transfer linebacker on the Oregon State football team who has quickly established himself as a leader, being voted onto the team's Unity Council by his peers.

Takari Hickle

An outside linebacker on the Oregon State defense who dominated the offensive line during the recent scrimmage, to the point where the head coach was concerned about player safety.

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What they’re saying

“The main thing that I saw from us is that we operated like a football team. Like we should . There weren't a bunch of penalties. There were some, but not a ton of penalties, to the point where I felt like we didn't understand the rules of engagement within our sport.”

— JaMarcus Shephard, Head Coach

“Brady Jones really showed up on Saturday. He continuously moved the offense down the field over and over and over, every time that he got a chance to get in there. And you know what? No, I'm challenging him at times, and kind of pushing to know, 'Hey, I don't know if you can do it again.', and you know what? He continuously - all throughout the practice - continued to prove everybody wrong.”

— JaMarcus Shephard, Head Coach

“[Dylan Layne's leadership] has been outstanding. I don't know if I've said this to you guys publicly or not, but we have our Unity Council and our team votes on members of the Unity Council. Then the Unity Council themselves voted Dylan Lane onto the Unity Council. I thought that was a huge badge of honor for that guy to get, having only been here for maybe a month at that time, and for them to vote him onto the Unity Council, I thought that was pretty special.”

— JaMarcus Shephard, Head Coach

“Yeah, we can't block [outside linebacker] Takari Hickle right now. I'm just going to put it out there right now: offensive line, you can't block Takari . It's to a point right now where I might have to pull a guy out because I'm scared he's going to hurt somebody, because he's getting back there so fast.”

— JaMarcus Shephard, Head Coach

What’s next

The Beavers will continue their spring practice schedule, with the team's annual spring game set for April 26, 2026. Shephard and his staff will use the remaining practices to further evaluate the quarterback competition and work on improving the offensive line's performance against the dominant defensive front.

The takeaway

Oregon State appears to be making solid progress under Shephard's leadership, with the team operating more disciplined and several key players standing out. However, the head coach still sees room for improvement, particularly along the offensive line, which will be a critical area to address before the start of the 2026 season.