Oregon State Football Makes OC/QB Coach Mitch Dahlen Hire Official
New Oregon State head coach JaMarcus Shephard has made his first Beaver hire official as former Alabama analyst Mitch Dahlen will serve as the program’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, it was announced Thursday.
Dahlen comes to Oregon State with key experience serving under head coach Kalen DeBoer at Alabama, Washington, & Fresno State. He’s also got offensive coordinator experience and experience calling plays from his stops at Black Hills State and the College of Idaho, which certainly prepares him well for his first OC gig at the D1 level.
“I’m really excited to bring Mitch Dahlen in as our offensive coordinator,” Shephard said via press release. “He’s a bright, passionate coach who will help us take this offense to the next level. His ability to connect with players, teach the game and build a creative flexible system is exactly what we need as we set the foundation for this new era of Oregon State football. I can’t wait to see the impact he will make on our program.”
A Redmond (OR) native, Dahlen was the Assistant Offensive Coordinator and Assistant Quarterbacks Coach in 2024 and 2025 for the Crimson Tide under DeBoer. He was previously with DeBoer at the University of Washington as Assistant OC/QBs (2022-23) and Fresno State University (2020-21) in the same role. Coach DeBoer called Dahlen “A critical piece to everything we do” during a recent interview.
During that period with DeBoer, Dahlen worked closely with high-level quarterbacks such as Jake Haener, Michael Penix Jr., Jalen Milroe, & Ty Simpson.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be coming back to a place I consider home,” Dahlen said. “I have spent many Saturdays in the stands at old Parker Stadium and to see how far this place has come is amazing. The history of this football program has been in my blood since I was a kid, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to lead this offense. Coach Shephard is a true leader of men and I am excited to get to work for one of the best coaches in the country. I am looking forward to hearing the chainsaw in front of a sold out Reser in the fall.”
Before joining DeBoer at Fresno State, Dahlen was the Offensive Coordinator at Black Hills State, a DII program in North Dakota. Dahlen also worked at Boise State in 2018 under head coach Bryan Harsin as the assistant wide receivers and quarterbacks coach. The team went 10-3 that season and featured a prolific passing offense with Brett Rypien under center.
Before joining the Broncos, Dahlen was the OC/QB coach at the College of Idaho (2016-18). He helped lead the team to multiple school records on offense, including total yards, pass yards, and rush yards. He coached two record-breaking quarterbacks, including multiple All-Conference selections and one All-American.
A Southern Utah alumnus, Dahlen played collegiately at quarterback for the Thunderbirds after beginning his career at Utah. Dahlen’s parents are both Beaver alumni, and his dad, Chris, played football at Oregon State from 1982-86. His brother, Matt, played basketball for the Beavers from 2015-17.
This is the first official hire of the Shephard era, but more are set to come in the coming days as the BeaversEdge Assistant Coach Hotboard has already confirmed several more on the way…
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