JaMarcus Shephard Opines on "5 for 5" Eligibility Battle

Days after the courts declared center Van Wells and defensive back Jaheim Patterson ineligible, JaMarcus Shephard spoke up.

Oct 26, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; Oregon State beavers offensive lineman Van Wells (55) during the third quarter against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

At the beginning of fall camp, Oregon State's 2026 football roster included almost a hundred student-athletes.

Joining that mass of orange & black were two unexpected additions: center Van Wells and defensive back Jaheim Patterson. Each player believed they could play this season under the NCAA's recent 5 for 5 eligibility rules change.

Earlier this week, the courts shot that down, staying an injunction, and barring eligibility for Wells, Patterson, and countless others across the country.

Following yesterday's Oregon State football practice, JaMarcus Shephard offered his take on one of the most challenging questions facing his team this summer: will Beaver Nation see either Wells or Patterson play in 2026?

"I hope you guys got an answer. I mean, because it might change tomorrow if you know what I mean, and literally that's where we're at right now. We're in a state right now where everything can change. Something about might have changed while we've been here talking today."

The issue first came to light this summer, following the NCAA's introduction of the 5 year eligibility rule. Previously, student-athletes could play up to four years of college athletics, with the potential for one redshirt year, spanning a total of five years of eligibility. Now, graduates from the class of 2022 who played four years in four years without redshirting - including Wells & Patterson - could hypothetically play for a fifth year. However, the NCAA has fought back through the legal system.

No matter what happens, the issue has a substantial effect on many Division I programs. With Oregon State just eleven days away from their season opener at Big-12 upstarts Houston, their first year head coach stressed sympathy for his two hopefuls.

"Literally, you're messing with their mental health. You're messing with the mental health of these two young people by continuously changing these rules back and forth and whatnot. Give these young people either the opportunity to be here, or go move on with their lives. And that to me is the part that nobody cares about."

In years past, the issue might have been a moot point, with players like Wells or Patterson furthering their football futures in an NFL training camp. Following the program's two-year slump which sparked Shephard's hire, neither Wells nor Patterson were invited to the NFL Combine, drafted to a team, or invited to camps. Their coach believes that distinction should be considered.

"I mean, the idea of a player leaving the National Football League and trying to go back to college, I never would have fathomed something like that. To me, I felt like this is my dream to go play in the NFL. Like, that's my dream. Now that's been taken away from these kids. That's not even a dream anymore for some of them."

Through it all, Shephard says that the Beavers will stay the course: last season's starting center Wells and veteran stalwart in the secondary Patterson will continue practicing with the team until further notice.

"Right now, Jaheim, Van, they're practicing with our team, all right? Until we get a definitive answer that they can't play for us, OK? All right? Right now that's what I've been told, right now, like I said, it might change in an hour."