It was brutal. Honestly, there’s no other way to describe the 2025 season for anyone following oregon state beaver football. We went from the high of a rebuilt Reser Stadium and the "Best in the West" vibes to a 2-10 nightmare that saw a favorite son fired before the leaves even finished turning. If you’re a Beaver fan, you’ve probably spent the last few months staring at the ceiling wondering how a program that was 8-5 just two years ago basically fell off a cliff.
It wasn't just the losses. It was the way they happened.
The Trent Bray Experiment and the October Implosion
When Trent Bray was hired to replace Jonathan Smith, it felt right. He was a Beaver through and through. A hard-hitting linebacker from the early 2000s who knew the DNA of Corvallis. But the jump from defensive coordinator to the big chair is a mountain many can’t climb. By October 12, 2025, the school had seen enough. After a disastrous 0-7 start, the administration pulled the plug.
It’s rare to see a coach fired mid-season at a place like Oregon State, but the offense was stagnant, and the "Dam City" defense had more holes than a screen door.
Robb Akey took over as the interim, and while they managed to scrape together a 10-7 win over Washington State in November, the damage was done. The Beavers finished the year 2-10. One win against Lafayette and one against the Cougars. That’s it. For a team playing in a depleted Pac-12 (or "Pac-2" as everyone joked), it was a bitter pill to swallow.
Who is JaMarcus Shephard?
Enter the new era. The school didn't waste time in December, hiring JaMarcus Shephard to lead oregon state beaver football into the 2026 season. If you don't know the name, he’s the guy who turned Washington’s wide receivers into NFL first-rounders. He brings a completely different energy—fast, loud, and modern.
💡 You might also like: Por qué los partidos de Primera B de Chile son más entretenidos que la división de honor
The philosophy is shifting. We are moving away from the "run it till the wheels fall off" identity and toward something that actually uses the 21st-century passing game.
The Roster Gutting and the 2026 Rebuild
The transfer portal wasn't kind to Corvallis this past winter. You’ve probably seen the names flashing across your feed. Maalik Murphy, who was supposed to be the savior at quarterback, hit the road after a season where he threw more picks than a guitar player. Gevani McCoy? Gone. Ben Gulbranson? Off to Stanford.
It felt like a fire sale.
But Shephard and his new General Manager, Eron Hodges, have been hitting the portal just as hard. They’ve already secured commitments from guys like Braden Atkinson, a quarterback who might actually be able to handle Shephard’s vertical passing attack. They are betting big on speed.
Recruiting the "New" Pac-12
The 2026 recruiting class is currently ranked outside the top 100, which sounds scary. But look closer at the names.
📖 Related: South Carolina women's basketball schedule: What Most People Get Wrong
- Tre Garrison: A 4-star back out of New Orleans.
- Jameson Powell: A versatile athlete from Folsom.
- Cynai Thomas: A big-bodied receiver from San Francisco.
These aren't just "fillers." They are specific types of players meant to fit a system that wants to score 40 points a game. The "Beaver Way" is being rewritten in real-time.
The Pac-12 Resurrection (2026 Style)
This is the part most people get wrong. They think Oregon State is still floating in no-man's land.
Starting in the fall of 2026, the Pac-12 is officially back as a 9-member league. It’s not the Rose Bowl-pathway league of old, but it’s a stable home. The additions of Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Colorado State, Utah State, and Texas State mean the Beavers finally have a schedule that makes sense again.
No more random games against Appalachian State in October just to fill a Saturday.
The TV money won't be Big Ten level—not even close. Experts are projecting it to be under $10 million per school. But with the new media deal anchored by CBS and The CW, you’ll at least be able to find the games without a magnifying glass.
👉 See also: Scores of the NBA games tonight: Why the London Game changed everything
Reser Stadium: All Dressed Up with Somewhere to Go
One thing the program actually got right was the stadium. The $161 million renovation is finished. The West Side is a masterpiece. If you haven't been to "Beaver Street"—the concourse that sits 15 feet above the field—you’re missing out. It’s one of the few places in college football where you can grab a local craft beer and never lose sight of the scoreboard.
The problem is the product on the field hasn't matched the luxury of the seats. In 2025, the atmosphere was... quiet. Winning fixes that.
What to Watch for Next
The transition from a defensive-minded culture to an explosive offensive one is never seamless. Expect some high-scoring losses early in 2026. However, the schedule is significantly more manageable than the gauntlet they faced during the 2024-2025 transition years.
To truly get back on track, keep an eye on these three specific areas:
- The Quarterback Battle: Whether it’s Atkinson or a late spring portal addition, Shephard’s system lives and dies by the trigger man.
- Defensive Identity: With Bray gone, the Beavers have to find a way to stop the run without selling out the secondary—something they failed at miserably last year.
- Home Field Advantage: Oregon State needs to turn Reser back into a house of horrors for visiting teams, especially the new arrivals from the Mountain West.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, start looking at the 2026 season tickets now. The renewal deadline is approaching, and with a new coach and a "new" conference, the vibe in Corvallis is finally shifting from mourning to momentum. Go check out the updated roster on the official site to see which portal additions are actually taking snaps this spring.