New Oregon State football coach JaMarcus Shephard is preparing to make significant changes to his coaching staff.

OSU running backs coach Ray Pickering and secondaries coach AJ Cooper both confirmed their departures Monday night. Shephard met with current assistant coaches Monday and informed them whether or not they would be retained on his staff, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions.

While the full picture isn’t yet clear, a source said to expect sweeping change in Corvallis. Shephard is expected to retain few, if any current assistants as he builds out his 2026 staff. Among those also not retained is co-defensive coordinator Rod Chance, according to a source.

This isn’t unusual. Most incoming head coaches rarely retain the bulk of the previous assistant coachin

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