Oregon high school football players, as well as their parents and coaches, likely walked away from Oregon State football coach JaMarcus Shephard’s introductory press conference with a new confidence in the program.

One day before the start of a three-day early national signing period, Shephard made it clear that he intends to recruit Oregon high school football players more than the Beavers have in recent years.

“I do believe that a nucleus of our football team needs to come from local areas from Oregon and within a five-hour radius of this institution,” Shephard said when asked about the makeup of the Beavers’ future roster. “Why? Because I think that those young men are the ones that create part of the culture. They’re taking people back home for Thanksgiving. They’re taking pe

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