'09 TX QB Russell Shepard (LSU Verbal)

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Houston (TX) Cypress Ridge

Ht: 6-foot-2
Wt: 183 lbs
Forty: 4.4 secs

Scout.com: The First 5-Stars of 2009

Shepard (6-2, 185) is a true dual-threat quarterback who has the ability to score at any given moment. He reads defenses well on pass plays and runs in-and-out of defenders with ease. He possesses great speed (4.4 40-yards) and quickness and makes good decisions out of the shotgun. But what really makes Shepard a top-notch player is his leadership. He allows his teammates to make plays and manages the team efficiently. All in all, he is an electrifying player who would be a great addition to any Division I college program.

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10/29

From the Texas site...picked up recent offers from ASU and BC. Also has offers from Arkansas, Alabama, Tulsa, Minnesota, Iowa, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Nebraska. Favors Texas, Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Arkansas, USC and Ohio State.

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1/14

From the Texas Prep site. Shepard's journal entry for January 7th-12th. Mentions going to LSU's track meet and his interest in them, being Texas A&M's #1 target (and them being back on his radar), and his interest in playing college football with friend Craig Loston.

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1/16

From the Texas Prep site. Tennessee has offered, and Shepard thinks Oklahoma will offer soon as well.

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2/5

From the Texas Prep site. Talks about his week and the many coaches he has been in contact with. His top five is Michigan, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, and LSU. Russell adds that his list could change at any time.

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Looking ahead: Shepard heads list of top '09 recruits | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

No sooner had the dust started to settle from Wednesday's national signing day than talk of the top recruits for 2009 began. As the weather and conversation warm up, the name of Cypress Ridge quarterback Russell Shepard will be front and center.

The 6-4, 190-pound Shepard, who accounted for more than 2,000 yards of offense and produced 25 touchdowns last season, is the top player on Texasprepinsider.com's Top 25 for 2009 and already is drawing the interest of Texas, Texas A&M, Michigan and LSU.

"Why is Shepard No. 1? It's simple: He's an elite playmaker," said Alan Zepeda, the Southwest regional recruiting manager for Scout.com who helped compose the list. "He not only makes plays, but he also helps his teammates make plays. Russell has the all the intangibles you look for in a quarterback."

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A QB here, a QB there: State's recruiting coffers loaded for 2009

"Right now, my top schools are Florida, LSU, Texas and Michigan. You don't think Florida has talent at quarterback? They signed a bunch of big-time prospects last year. And LSU? And Michigan might get Terrelle Pryor. None of that changes things. You can't be afraid of competition."

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2/10

From the Texas site. Texas has offered.

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DFP

2009's TERRELLE PRYOR?: Dual-threat QB Russell Shepard has U-M at the top of his list

February 11, 2008
FREE PRESS STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES
If the U-M football team strikes out in the Terrelle Pryor sweepstakes, it may have an early lead in the race for next year's highly touted dual-threat quarterback.
2009 recruit Russell Shepard (Houston (TX) Cypress Ridge), a five-star quarterback much like Pryor, has U-M very high on his list.

Shepard, a lifelong University of Texas fan, visited the Longhorns over the weekend. But even though he got a scholarship offer from his favorite team, he told the Austin American-Statesman that he may have a different favorite than many would think.

?I would say Texas is still up there, but Michigan is really at the top of my list, especially if they don?t get Terrelle Pryor,? he told the paper. ?I feel like I could go there and play right away. I?m also looking at Florida and LSU. Both of those schools have pretty good depth-chart situations for me.?

Cont...

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2/13

From the Texas Prep site. Shepard says his top five are Michigan, Texas, Florida, LSU, and Oklahoma. He says that while his list could change, he is doubtful that it will.

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2/16

From the A&M site...visited A&M for a junior day and talks about how impressed he was with the A&M staff. WIll visit either Texas or LSU next weekend and also wants to check out Oklahoma, Florida and Michigan.

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AthleteVault

Breakdown of top-6 schools

“My top schools are Michigan, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas A&M, Texas, and Florida,” Shepard said.
While he has a list of six schools that are subject to change, Shepard expressed what he liked about each school.
Michigan: “I love that Coach Rodriguez is there and is the face of the spread offense. It has been a school that has been running the pro style offense for over two decades. If I was to attend that school, I look forward to being the first to change that school’s history in such a long time and putting that program back on the map. This past year they kind of fell to the hill and I would look forward to going there and playing for a young and talented coach that has done well in his career.”

Texas: “They are the favorite school down here in Texas and I love the atmosphere. The coaches are amazing from Coach Brown to even Sally Brown his wife. He’s the best recruiter at that school and I really love their program. Coach Greg Davis has coached some very good quarterbacks from Applewhite, to VY (Vince Young), even to Simms. He’s kind of like the quarterback coach here in Texas and everyone wants to be offered and invited to play at that school. It’s an honor because everyone in the state wants to play for him. When I went over there, Coach Brown said it’s amazing that I’m 17 and everyone there knows who I am and wants me to be there. It was kind of crazy how that worked out.”

Despite having these six on top, there’s one school in particular that is recruiting Shepard the hardest.
“Texas is recruiting me the hardest,” he said. “Everybody in the country thought I was going to go to Texas and commit. With me liking Texas and making some statements early in my recruitment that Texas was the favorite and with me not committing, I think it came as a shock to them. I have contact with Texas through emails; I call Coach Giles as well as Coach Brown. Texas sends me letters all the time and is recruiting me a lot. At the same time, recruiting is kind of different for me compared to other kids in my class. Everyday, I get 15-20 letters from different universities. Sometimes I get letters from each coach on the coaching staff, so it really goes to show you how hard they are all recruiting me.”

In fact, one of his family members is a top recruit in Houston and is interested in the same schools as Shepard. “My cousin Craig Loston and I both love the University of Florida, from a defensive standpoint in the SEC; they produce very good defensive players,” Shepard said. “Coach Meyer and Coach Mullen develop quarterbacks and if you are in that system, the offense revolves around you. We both love that university as well as LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas. We’ve talked about going to the same school, but we aren’t a package deal. If it happened it wouldn’t be a surprise if we went to the same school because if you looked at our school selection they are very similar.”

...cont'd

YouTube - Russell Shepard Highlight Video

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2/20

From the LSU site...visiting LSU with Hasan Lipscomb this weekend.

[GoRU]

The News Star - www.thenewsstar.com - Monroe, LA

LSU coach Les Miles took a giant step toward his quest to follow a national championship on the field with one in the recruiting rankings Monday night as the No. 4 prospect in the country committed to the Tigers.

He is Russell Shepard of Cypress Ridge High in Houston. Rivals.com lists him as an athlete, but Shepard (6-1, 183) mainly plays quarterback. He is the No. 1 athlete listed and would be the No. 2 quarterback if that was his designation. Shepard, who is listed as the No. 4 overall prospect, rushed for 1,525 yards and 18 touchdowns last season while passing for 794 yards and eight touchdowns for Cypress Ridge.

“This is huge,” Michael Scarborough of Rivals.com said after posting the story. Scout.com also reported the commitment.

“Usually a kid rated this high does not commit this early,” Scarborough said. “They wait and see how things shake out and take their visits.”

Shepard told Scarborough that Miles was surprised by his early decision. Miles reaction to Shepard’s commitment over the phone Monday was, “What did you say?”

Shepard told Rivals.com that he loves “the school to the max.”

LSU running backs coach Larry Porter has been recruiting Shepard. It was Porter who recruited quarterback Jarrett Lee out of Brenham High in Brenham, Texas, near Houston in 2006 and signed him in 2007. Lee could end up being LSU’s starter this season unless Ryan Perrilloux returns from an indefinite suspension. At the moment, Lee is the only LSU quarterback who arrived on campus with a scholarship.

Shepard is the second LSU commitment from Houston in this young recruiting season ranked in the Rivals.com top 100. Defensive end Mike Brockers, who committed just over a week ago, is listed as the No. 91 overall prospect and the No. 7 defensive end. Brockers goes to Chavez High in Houston.

LSU also has a commitment from running back Michael Ford of Leesville. Ford is expected to end up being a highly ranked back. The Tigers have seven commitments so far toward the class of 2009.

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3/10

From the Texas site...talks about the fact he is in Austin almost every week and is still talking to other schools. Despite all of that, says his LSU commitment is strong.

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ESPN - Shepard's character outshines incredible talent - Football Recruiting

Updated: August 5, 2008

CYPRESS, Texas -- Gary Thiebaud likes to tell this story about Russell Shepard. It's one that defined the moral fiber of a teenager and spawned a leader.

Thiebaud prefaced the story by noting it is unparalleled in his 30 years as an educator and head football coach. He said "nearly every college coach was teary-eyed when I finished telling it."

Shepard, the No. 2-ranked player in the ESPNU 150, who plays for Cypress Ridge High, not only touched a gathering at a Houston-area funeral home last July, he earned the respect and admiration of a grieving family which included Cypress Ridge assistant coach Zac Quinlan.

"It took a 16-year-old young man to take charge of a sensitive day," Thiebaud recalled.

At the funeral services for Quinlan's father, Mark, the celebrant invited those in attendance to speak on the deceased's behalf. Nary was a word spoken. Thiebaud said the priest from a local Roman Catholic parish stood awkwardly until Shepard strode to the podium.

Thiebaud thought, "Russell, what are you doing?"

Shepard's message was unrehearsed and came straight from the heart.

Continued...