Regarding the AU All-star game and Andre Debose: “I’ve been throwing five-to-six time per week,” Shepard informed. “Then I lift three time a week with some conditioning drills in between. I know I have to stay on top of it because if you do not use what you got then you’re going to lose it. “I want to be in the best shape that I can possibly be for that game because once I get down there I want to impress the coaches at the Under Armour camp,” Shepard continued. “It is my last chance to play at this level before college so I want to go out with a bang. I just want to be considered as an all-around person and a person who had a plan and made it.” In the Under Armour game, the five-star signal caller will be playing alongside some of his future teammates as well as a few promising ones. And like always, Shepard has it all under control. “It’s going to be fun playing with those guys,” Shepard explained. “I can’t wait to throw the ball to a receiver like Andre Debose. There is no doubt he will be getting some favortism from me. I want him to be on my team next year.
Well I have to say, no its not really his Arm Strength at all. I've been to 3 of his games this year. The Klien game, his WR's were making plays for him. And he looked really good in the pocket. Out of the two game I witnessed at the Berry Center, the Cy Creek game was his worst of the three. He was excellent in the 1st half, building a 21 point lead. In the second quarter, Cy Creek stopped the run, and turned up the pressure on RS. They fell behind by 7 points, and he started to stare down WR's. He ended with 2 Ints, But had two other passes bated in the air prior to the 2 ints. He finished with 180 or so yards passing, with 2 Int's. I'd say his arm is between Lee and JJ. His hips and flexability, make him a excellent passer out of the pocket. Over all, the small issues he has with his down field reads, and release...will be corrected with Gary Crowton. And to think he has all this ability at QB, since only playing that position for 2 1/2 years.
Here is an outstanding article Tiger Rag put out on Shepard today, that really makes you appreciate how special this kid is: http://www.tigerrag.com/?page_id=2463 Here are the best parts: ... For many people, they spend most of their life as a young adult searching for what they want to do in life. For the 18-year-old Shepard, there’s no doubt. The nation’s top prospect is headed to LSU in a few weeks with a mission set and failure not being an option. They have an idea in mind what they hope to accomplish, but are usually not motivated enough to go after it. Instead, they look back years later and say, “what if?” But, no one needs to tell Shepard how life works because it appears he sees the bigger picture. So many young people, especially young athletes, have trouble grasping the reality of “it.” For many of them, by the time they realize what “it” is, it’s usually too late. At 18, Russell gets “it” already. The Cypress-Ridge senior understands he has the chance of a lifetime and no way is it going to pass him by. Working 12 hours a day, 365 days a year, juggling school, practice, and studying, Shepard has earned the privilege of being ranked the nation’s No. 1 prospect, according to ESPN.com. For many athletes that would be enough. At that point, it’d be easy to rest on their laurels, enjoy a senior year of high school showered by praise and admiration. Once senior prom and graduation was in the books, it’d be time to ease into summer workouts and prepare for August camp. No need to overdo it, you know, being the No. 1 prospect and all. Well, that might be the case for some, but definitely not Shepard. All the hoopla associated with a typical senior year of high school is being bypassed. Shepard is set to enroll at LSU on Jan. 9, his focus on becoming the Tigers’ starting quarterback. “I’ve been throwing five to six time per week,” Shepard said. “Then I lift three time a week with some conditioning drills in between. I know I have to stay on top of it because if you do not use what you got then you’re going to lose it.” ... Obviously, Shepard doesn’t need to impress anyone. Already the nation’s top prospect, Shepard holds offers from every major program in the country. ... Shepard is truly special because for him, simply being the best is not good enough. He wants to be the greatest. Shepard’s refusal to underachieve does not end there. ... Most guys preach how [they are going to be great like RP and Jimmy Clausen did with their talk of winning Heismans and championships] ... But as time passes, the all-star games and the hype surrounding their own recruitment causes them to lose focus and their actions fall into words. They end up being known as good talkers, but not Shepard. He works the phones everyday trying to convince other highly-regarded prospects to join him in Baton Rouge. ... Behind the scenes Shepard studies film on the guys LSU is recruiting...He networks, finds out when the players can be reached and then initiates contact. Shepard then introduces himself, tells them how he feels about their game and finds out if they share the same dreams. He concludes his pitch inviting them to travel on the journey together. So far, Shepard’s passion has been contagious. Many of the recruits and journalists I have spoken with are amazed at his knowledge of the game – as well as the game of others. Many have titled him as LSU’s recruiting coordinator. Shepard has grown to be more than a coordinator; he is more of a Shepherd. He is a leader of men and refuses to leave anyone behind. ... It would be easy to go on and on about how Shepard amazes me, but the one thing that really stood out the most occurred over the weekend. I asked Shepard what were his plans for Christmas, you know, how he’d spend the holidays – with family, friends, etc. Shepard’s response took some digesting. He began outlining his workout routine leading up until Christmas Day! He responded by saying how he was on a mission and had goals set out for himself. That was all he was focused on right now. Shepard went on to say he wakes up, goes to school and works out everyday. That is all he intends on doing from now on. ... http://www.tigerrag.com/?page_id=2463
