Nov 30, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide Assistant Head Coach JaMarcus Shephard during warm ups before a game against the Auburn Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images

The Oregon State Beavers have been putting in the work and trying to find who is going to take over as the next head coach of their football program, but they've been struggling to identify the right person over the past couple of months since Trent Bray was fired earlier this season.

There's been speculation that coaches like Justin Wilcox, Brent Vigen, and even Jim Mora could be potential candidates, but all have turned the job down. Now, though, it appears that the Beavers are zeroing in on Alabama Crimson Tide co-offensive coordinator JaMarcus Shephard.

According to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz, Oregon State's main target is Shephard at this stage in the process. As the wide receivers coach for the Crimson Tide, Shephard has helped to develop star sophomore receiver Ryan Williams, one of the most talented pass-catchers in the nation. Shephard played WR at DePauw earlier this century, and over the last decade, he has spent time with Alabama, the Washington Huskies, Purdue Boilermakers, and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

It will be a tough task for Shephard to overhaul a Beavers program that has been suffering over the past couple of years since the destruction of the Pac-12, but if he can put the right staff around him and recruit at a level not seen in Corvallis recently, the Beavers could be on the rise.

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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Oregon State Beavers targeting Alabama co-OC JaMarcus Shephard as HC

Reporting by Zachary Neel, College Sports Wire / College Sports Wire

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