3 Questions Remaining in Oregon State's Coaching Search
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Editors note: this piece was written and published before Montana State announced an extension with head coach Brent Vigen.
Monday, Oregon State interim head coach Robb Akey took a moment of his final weekly presser to crack wise about a coaching portal. On closer inspection, Akey’s hypothetical portal is terrifyingly real: in the past 72 hours, several Oregon State job candidates have used it to find other jobs.
First, there was Kerry Eggers’ report that Paul Chryst pulled out of Oregon State’s search. A day later, North Dakota State head coach Tim Polasek signed a mammoth extension to stay in Fargo, and UConn head coach Jim L. Mora (also known as Jim Mora Jr.) agreed to lead future Pac-12 foe Colorado State.
Now, the Beavers are believed to be down to two finalists: Alabama wide receivers coach & co-offensive coordinator JaMarcus Shephard, and Montana State head coach Brent Vigen. Three questions linger.
Does JaMarcus Shephard really want this job?
When Oregon State’s initial interview list leaked out last week, Shephard’s name surprised me the most. Not for lack of qualifications, rather I pondered why someone of his stature would settle for Oregon State.
Shephard comes from a grafted coaching tree: he learned how to recruit from Willie Taggart, how to scheme big plays from Bobby Petrino, how to lead & mentor from Jeff Brohm, how to think outside the box from Mike Leach, and how to put it all together from Kalen DeBoer. That wealth of experience has reaped rewards. Two years ago, Shephard coached a once-in-a-lifetime trio of wideouts who led Washington to the national championship game. Then he moved to Tuscaloosa, tutoring pass-catching prodigy Ryan Williams.
Monday night, fired Cal coach Justin Wilcox rebuffed an interview request, presumably to wait and see if bigger openings pop up. I think Shephard is a good enough coach to call the same play. If I’m wrong, the Beavers might make a home run hire.
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Is Brent Vigen ready to leave Montana State?
Montana State head coach Brent Vigen, a disciple of North Dakota State program-builder Craig Bohl, has built his own a perennial FCS title contender: his Bobcats just clinched their third Big Sky conference championship over the past four seasons, and their fifth consecutive FCS playoffs berth.
It’s understandable why Scott Barnes and his search committee see potential in Vigen: Montana State, like Oregon State, is a state school in a rural town. If he can win at Montana State, he can win at Oregon State. However, Vigen has heard this same pitch before: last season’s coaching carousel saw Vigen draw interest from Fresno State, and Washington State, but he had a compelling reason to turn them down. Vigen’s eldest son Jake is a redshirt sophomore defensive end, and his middle son Grant is a true freshman quarterback, both clad in Bobcat blue & gold. Few coaches would pass up a potential national title, and even fewer would walk out on their own family. If the Beavers are really serious about Vigen, they might need to wait for him.
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When does Oregon State want to announce?
Officially, the transfer portal opens back up on January 2nd. Unofficially, coaches and their intermediaries are likely scheming behind the scenes to woo student-athletes. Oregon State heir-apparent quarterback Tristan Ti’a should receive interest from other schools, as should two-year starting middle linebacker Dexter Foster, textbook size & speed wide receiver Eddie Freauff, lengthy true freshman corner Trey Glasper, and others.
The pace of Oregon State’s hiring process - assembling a search committee and lining up interviews before the regular season ends - suggests that the Valley Football Center understands time is of the essence. The sooner the Beavers hire their coach of the future, the better chance they have of fending off a horde of poachers pursuing their best players. An announcement as soon as Sunday morning, following the conclusion of the Beavers’ season Saturday in Pullman, would give the new hire a head start.
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Matt fell in love with radio during his college days at Oregon Tech, and pursued a nine year career in sports broadcasting with Klamath Falls' and Medford's highest-rated sports radio stations. He currently lives in McMinnville wine country and is excited to talk about the Beavers again.