Shane Wallen might not see one second of action for the Oregon State football team this fall.
The senior running back hasn’t played organized football since 2010, his senior year in high school. Realistically speaking, he’s sixth or seventh on the depth chart, stuck behind Storm Barrs-Woods, Chris Brown and a handful of others who didn’t have to sell themselves to the coaching staff for the chance to serve as scout-team cannon fodder for the next three-plus months.
He is the longest of long shots.
But he’s also fulfilling a dream and honoring his late mother by taking the final step of a long, challenging journey that began five years ago after his final baseball game and track meet at Pleasant Valley High School in Chico, Calif.