Wishful thinking about Russell Shepard

by Royale Ivey with Cheese on May 1, 2008 1:16 AM CDT Comment 23 comments

Five-Star LSU recruit Russell Shepard is already making a difference at LSU by actively recruiting some of the best players in the nation.

From the sound of this article , we seem to have let a really special player slip away.

I can live with missing out on players like Jermie Calhoun since there might have been issues outside his football ability affecting Mack's decision to recruit him. I hate losing players to OU, but unfortunately you can't offer scholarships to every kid that wants to play football at Texas.

However, Shepard seems like a great guy on and off the field. Assuming he really did want to come to Texas, we might have really dropped the ball on not locking him up.

If we really are set up for an 09 run, it would be nice to have a player with Shepard's ability adding a much needed spark to an offensive that currently lacks explosive players. Hopefully some of the young guys will step up this year and fill that need, but it's hard to imagine us not being able to find some playing time for someone that athletic (but you never know with the way we used Chiles last year).

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scholarship

my understanding is that we only offered him a scholarship as an athlete and he wanted to play qb. we tried to lock him up, but Gilbert had already given his verbal to us and we weren’t going to offer two qb’s in the 09 class.

by jordansb on May 1, 2008 7:42 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Dear Mack,

Epic Fail. Seriously.

by jc25 on May 1, 2008 9:47 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't understand this sentiment

Would you rather have had Mack lie to the kid so he could get him on campus, only to have him transfer a year later?

by Wells on May 1, 2008 10:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re:

I’m firmly with the Barking Carnival kids on this one. Shepard gives Texas the best chance to win, given the style of offense prevalent in college today as well as the track record of success Mack and GD have with the Vince-style “spread” offense vs. the Simms-Applewhite-Colt “pro” offense. I’m not upset that Mack didn’t lie, I’m upset that his opinion is that Gilbert is a better get than Shepard.

If Mack doesn’t believe Shepard will ever be a QB, then no, there’s no need to lie to him. He has much more recruiting and scouting ability than I’ll ever have, but from the grainy YouTube videos I’ve seen of Shepard, I’m sold on him being a starting, star college QB, even if he can’t throw too good.

I suppose time will tell, though. I’ll of course be rooting for Gilbert to be the second coming.

by jc25 on May 1, 2008 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gilbert

I think the problem is everyone is turning Shepard v. Gilbert into VY v. Simms-Applewhite-Colt, and I don’t think that’s fair to either player or completely accurate. I think a more realistic comparison would be Dennis Dixon (Shepard) v. Chase Daniel (Gilbert). And in that case I think its a toss-up. Both were Heisman canidates in systems that played to their strengths. The key is the coaching staff committing to fit the system to the QB (like VY) instead of forcing a QB into a system (Colt). If we try and use Gilbert in a VY role then yes it will most likely be unsuccessful, just like if you tried to fit Shepard into a “pro-style” offense. However, if the offense will change into one similar to what Mizzou does with Daniel I think it could be a HUGE success with Gilbert. He’s more mobile than he gets credit for, and with the incredible depth we have at WR and the smaller, quicker backs (Hales, Fozzy) we have the personnel to fit that system.

JC, you’re right….time will tell. But as that time goes by, I’ll root like hell for Gilbert.

'Til Gabriel blows his horn...

by mattyj on May 1, 2008 11:07 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re:jc25

The opinion that Shepard would have been better than Gilbert for UT is valid and could turn out to be correct, but I would not say choosing the 5 star QB that you did not want is equal to Epic Fail. That would have been losing both of them.

by Wells on May 1, 2008 11:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

may be hard for y'all to believe

but there is no difference between the offense that Vince ran or the offense that Colt runs

there is no "pro" offense versus "spread" offense scheme to debate

the texas offense features a passing game based on WCO principles that go back to the old Don Coryell San Diego Chargers offense and a running game that features an inside/outside zone running scheme

McCoy, Young, Simms, Applewhite, they're all running the same offense

only slight adjustment for Young was the focus on the zone/dart read as a running play

by Beergut on May 1, 2008 1:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe

but the difference in actualization is as key as putting Javorskie Lane in on a 4 and 1 at the goal line instead of michael goodson. One goes through the play as called, and one does the something extra (running the F over helpless defenders, or pure, unmitigated NCAA magic in the VY case) necessary to get the job done.

by learned hand on May 1, 2008 2:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Couldn't we have offered both at QB?

Had Shepard accepted at ATH, wouldn’t that have just been a semantic distinction? Would there really have been any doubt as to which position he was competing for? It’s not like a QB scholarship protects you from being benched or asked to switch positions, anyway.

Even if the coaches were worried about a logjam at QB, they must have had some idea that the depth chart could thin out a little in the not-too-distant future (Kinne transfer, possible Chiles position switch, rumored Harris transfer).

I personally don’t see anything wrong with bringing in two QBs to compete for a single starting job. If Mack doesn’t believe a player is QB material, that’s one thing, but we seemed interested in this guy pretty early on.

by a0nyme on May 1, 2008 12:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

replies

a0nyme: There were message board rumors that Mack secured Gilbert’s commitment by telling him he’d be the only QB recruited in this class.

Beergut: I realize that the offenses run by Vince and Colt are in theory the same, but are in practice carried out so much differently. The WCO/zone run/spread/whatever hybrid variation you want to call it maximized Vince’s talents. Colt’s a good runner, but without Vince’s insane running ability (and also without plus, experienced blockers), Colt hasn’t exactly thrived in this offense. And the issue is many people think that Colt (and perhaps Gilbert) would be better suited to a pro-style offense, which is something GD and Mack have proved incapable of running.

And also IMO, the switch to focus to the zone-read is a pretty big philosophical switch when you had Vince running it seemingly every other play, while Colt runs it once a series.

Wells: Agreed then, epic fail is a little harsh. How about another popular internet meme, something like say:

Shepard to Texas high schools: All your five-star player are belong to us.

by jc25 on May 1, 2008 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: replies

There were message board rumors that Mack secured Gilbert’s commitment by telling him he’d be the only QB recruited in this class.

That’s kinda what I was getting at (albeit from Shepard’s and the coaches’ perspectives) with the “semantic distinction” part. If you’re in Gilbert’s position, it doesn’t matter whether Mack signs Shepard as a QB or, as he was willing to do, an ATH—you have competition for the starting job either way.

by a0nyme on May 1, 2008 2:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't believe rumors as fact

The only thing I can go by is what Mack and Shepard said after his visit, and that was that Mack said that he could have a shot at QB.

What was said beyond that is anyone’s guess, but I bet Mack gave him a realistic response to the question “What are my chances of playing QB at UT?”

by Wells on May 2, 2008 2:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

By the way...

For all the supposed “troubles” Calhoun was having, I remember him being featured as a great player and individual in an SI article. I also remember seeing that he had won some kind of academic award in a Houston Chronicle blurb. Could be my memory playing tricks on me, but still…what was wrong with him, again?

by jc25 on May 1, 2008 9:48 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I have no comment on Shepard

but R.I.W.C. is about the coolest log-in name that I have ever seen.

by Brandon 97 on May 1, 2008 10:21 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs

Absolutely

I wonder if he got it from here, or came up with the same thing himself.

Remains one of my all-time favorites.

--PB--

by Peter Bean on May 1, 2008 1:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Surprisingly

thought of the user name myself.

A little bummed out you had already thrown that phrase out there though, I was pretty proud when I first created it.

by Royale Ivey with Cheese on May 1, 2008 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nah

Great minds, my friend. Great minds.

--PB--

by Peter Bean on May 1, 2008 2:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

It's a Horns' world. Even Aggies play hoops with a burnt orange ball.
Is it football season YET?

by Speedway on May 1, 2008 11:32 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

With Brandon that is.

It's a Horns' world. Even Aggies play hoops with a burnt orange ball.
Is it football season YET?

by Speedway on May 1, 2008 11:33 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Shepard would have been a lock

I have a good friend who played college football and now does some recruiting consulting in Houston, and he knows Russell Shepard very well. He told me that Shepard said point blank that he wanted to be a quarterback and that Mack Brown was not talking about him competing for the QB position. He said that he understood about Gilbert and that he was not afraid of competing with him for the starting job in the future. He just wanted to at least have that chance. But he felt like Mack was not having any of it. He also mentioned that Mack told him he would redshirt his first year, and Shepard didn’t like that either. Said he wanted at least a shot at proving he could play immediately rather than arbitrarily being told he’s going to sit out a year.

Enter Les Miles, who, of course, tells Shepard he will play QB and will start his freshman year, just like he tells everyone else. And there you have Shepard’s decision to go to LSU.

So that’s his story, for what it’s worth. I wonder how long before we see a mass exodous of transfers from LSU. It appears that every player Miles has recruited since he’s been there has been told they would start immediately.

by bassale47 on May 2, 2008 6:47 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

This time he might actually have told the truth

Enter Les Miles, who, of course, tells Shepard he will play QB and will start his freshman year, just like he tells everyone else. And there you have Shepard’s decision to go to LSU.

With Perri-loser now kicked off the team for good, Shephard might indeed have a chance to start as a freshman.

Life is an Occasion. Rise to it.

by patienthornsfan on May 2, 2008 8:39 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Shepard blurb

Was skimming Bruce Feldman’s always excellent blog (Insider), and came across a Shepard tidbit, courtesy of Scouts Inc.

One big name who showed was super athlete Russell Shepard (Houston/Cypress Ridge). The LSU commit made the trek from Houston to work out at his future playground and looked right at home. Easily the best pure athlete in the building, Shepard did not disappoint in his overall skills.

He worked out with the quarterbacks all day and continues to show that despite his great ball and running skills, he has what it takes to be a quarterback at the college level. He effortlessly went through footwork drills, rarely needing to look down at his feet to help him navigate the obstacles. He quickly dropped back and got set. He threw a very catchable ball and looked sharp in his accuracy most of the day.

The ESPN 150 Watch List prospect reaffirmed to us he is a much better passer than most people give him credit for. He does not have great height (6-foot-2) and that could be a slight obstacle for him, and while he threw a nice ball, he doesn’t have a cannon arm. One thing is for sure: He is a special talent. While impressing at quarterback he also made some impressive one-handed grabs just shagging some of the wild throws by the receivers who were returning the ball.

Still just more wishful thinking on my part…

by jc25 on May 2, 2008 2:37 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

When Mack....

....chose to offer GG over Shepard, IMO he and Davis were finally making a decision about the offense of the future. With Colt running the offense for the next two seasons and GG to follow, it becomes pretty obvious we’ll see less and less (if any) of the zone read.

--- All roads to the Big-XII Championship lead through OU/RRS. It's not just another game! We're all about championships here. ---

by HornChamps on May 2, 2008 3:33 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs