Oregon State Football Coaching Staff Review: Defense

With fall camp looming on the horizon, we're continuing a short series reviewing Oregon State's 2026 football coaching staff. Today, we're covering the coaches on Jamarcus Shephard's defense.

Defensive Coordinator and Safeties Coach Mike MacIntyre

In offseasons past, Oregon State played musical chairs with the transfer portal. This past January, the chaos they've become accustomed to extended to their coaching staff, with assistant coaching hires Inoke Breckterfield and Lance Guidry each leaving Corvallis before coaching a single game.

MacIntyre replaced the staff's elder statesman Guidry, and arguably offered an upgrade at the defensive coordinator position. MacIntyre is a proven recruiter - he helped bring NFL legend Patrick Willis to Ole Miss - while also wielding experience with multiple alignments, and maintaining a reputation for turning around moribund programs. As Duke's defensive coordinator in 2009, he was named the AFCA's FBS Assistant Coach of the Year. As San Jose State's head coach in 2012, he was named the FCA's Grant Teaff National Coach of the Year. While in charge of Colorado four years later, he was named the Pac-12 Conference Coach of the Year. Now, he faces a new mission at Oregon State.

Co-Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach Cort Dennison

In December, JaMarcus Shephard hired the former Washington linebacker to coach Oregon State's linebackers.

This is not the first Pac-12 gig for Dennison, who coached outside linebackers for Mario Cristobal's Oregon Ducks in 2018. The notoriously hard-working Cristobal demanded relentlessness on the recruiting trail, and his young pupil Dennison delivered, helping the green & yellow ink four star linebacker Mase Funa and three star defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus, who each contributed right away as true freshmen. A year later, Dennison became the defensive coordinator at Louisville, but allegations of an extra-marital affair, threats, and stalking resulted in his dismissal in 2021.

In the years following, Dennison has steadily climbed back up the coaching ranks with Southern Utah, Missouri State, Idaho, and now Shephard's first Oregon State staff.

Defensive Line Coach and Run Game Coordinator Mark Hagen

Just like Lance Guidry's move to Memphis opened a door for Mike MacIntyre, Inoke Breckterfield's departure for Utah presented an opportunity for Mark Hagen. During JaMarcus Shephard's last season at Purdue (2021), Hagen began his second stint with the Boilermakers. From there, he joined Jeff Brohm's Louisville staff from 2022 to 2025. Along the way, he's coached in the college ranks for thirty-four years, with stops at Texas, Texas A&M, Purdue, and his alma mater Indiana.

Assistant Defensive Line Coach Joe Seumalo

Joe Seumalo, the father of Oregon State alum Isaac Seumalo and a former OSU assistant coach under Mike Riley, returned to the Beavers in mid February.

During his first ride in Corvallis, the elder Seumalo honed a reputation as one of the top recruiters in the Pac-12 Conference, aiding in the commitment and development of many key contributors in the trenches. The proven defensive line coach has also worked at Arizona (2024), San Jose State (2005, 2017-23), Arizona State (2016), UNLV (2015), Cal Poly (2001-2004), and his alma mater Hawaii (1999-00). Under his tutelage, several defensive lineman have played snaps in the NFL, including Chris Gocong, Stephen Paea, Obum Gwacham, and others.

Nickels Coach Dan Rowe

One of JaMarcus Shephard's first hires was Dan Rowe, a Louisville assistant with deep ties to his new boss. Previously, they worked together at Western Kentucky from 2014-15, Washington State in 2016, and then Purdue from 2017-21. The latter stop connected Rowe with Jeff Brohm, who utilized the former New Hampshire undergrad student manager as a jack-of-all-trades. Under Brohm, Rowe served as a defensive analyst, a special teams assistant, a quality control coach, and more.

Special Teams Coordinator and Corners Coach Ricky Brumfield

Someday, a gripping novel might be written about Oregon State's 2025 special teams unit. Week after week, football follies cost the Beavers' crucial points, turning wins into losses. Enter former Syracuse coach Ricky Brumfield, who joined the orange & black in early December.

Brumfield's career has included stops with ACC mainstays Syracuse, Georgia Tech, and Virginia. He also coached at Western Kentucky from 2013-15, where he first met a young JaMarcus Shephard. Brumfield coached corners for the Hilltoppers, and also tutored that position with Virginia in 2021 and Georgia Tech from 2023-24.

As a part of the veteran coach's special teams turnaround, the Beavers brought in Oregon State alum Josh Green - the Beavers' single season record holder for average yards per punt (47.2) - as an assistant special teams coach.

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