Russell Shepard Interview: Part II
by Nick Ironside
Fresh off of his commitment to Louisiana State, Russell Shepard talks to Nick Ironside about his decision to become a Tiger.
1) Why did you choose LSU? What was the main reason in your decision?
First of all, they want me as a quarterback. The utilize the quarterback at this school, so I found that impressive. Also, the quarterback situation; they don’t have a lot of quarterbacks at their school, so worst case scenario my first year, they use me like Florida used Tim Tebow. They’re also not to far from home. And they just won a nation title, so all those things. And I didn’t see any negative things about that school, just positives, so when I didn’t see any negative things I had to jump on them.
2) What was your favorite part of your junior day visit? Why?
I’m going to have to say just getting on the campus. Overall, you can talk to your coaches over the phone, they can say this and that, but speaking to them there, face to face with them, and just seeing what they have. That was the best part to me, and when I just got on the campus it was like “I could feel myself here.” So that was the most important thing to me.
3) Why did you choose to commit verbally so early in the process?
I just wanted to get it over with. Like I said, the distraction also can take away from your development, and if you look at the numbers statistically, the senior athletes - they don’t do as well as they do their junior year. So I didn’t want to have anything to slow me down, I just wanted to keep developing as a quarterback as well as a player, and I don’t have to worry about this in the spring, I don’t have to worry about this in the summer, and I won’t have to worry about going to see any different schools.
5) Did the other schools not recruit you the right way? Or did LSU just recruit you a lot better than the other schools?
LSU didn’t recruit me that hard; the hardest schools that recruited me were probably Michigan and Texas. LSU was the school that probably wasn’t recruiting me the hardest, and that’s the craziest thing, and they were honest with me. A lot of schools told me a lot of crap, and were saying, “You can do this and you can do that,” but LSU was straight up honest with me. They put everything on the plate and I just took everything and I ran with it.
6) Which school was your second choice? Why?
It would have to be the University of Texas. Like I said, Texas and LSU had the same thing in terms of the quarterback situation, and it’s not to far from home, and they won a national title a few years ago like I said. Just the quarterback situation and the depth.
7) How big a part do you think you’re going to play in helping LSU recruit?
Right now I’ve got a lot of good friends, Jamarkus (McFarland), and my cousin’s Craig Loston, so I’m praying that I can bring in a good recruiting class. You’ve got schools like USC and Texas - Texas already has 15 commits and USC has 8 or 9 in the top 100, so I just talk to the people and help my school get the best players in the country.
8 ) How would you sell LSU to another recruit who is deciding between LSU and another school?
First of all, I’ll tell them that I went through exactly the same thing and I know what they’re going through. But I’m telling you, man, that program is amazing, and who wouldn’t want to play for the defending national champs? I’m going to sell myself to them as much as I’m going to sell LSU to them because I’m a good teammate, and if you’re a running back I’m going to make it easier for that running back, if you’re an offensive lineman I’m going to make it easier for that offensive lineman. I’m just going to sell myself as well as the University to get them there.
9) How is your throwing coming along?
It’s coming along well - when people say I can’t throw, I think I can throw - it’s just the system, and we’re just not a throwing system. I’ve got my quarterback coach - he’s retired from the NFL, Jim Blake, so I’m developing well, I throw well. I count every ball I throw, and I’m throwing close to 1,000 balls a week, so I’ve just to keep developing and getting better. I’m hungry and I want to get it.
10) So did former Cy-Fair running back Sam McGuffie try and recruit you at all to Michigan?
Yea he did. McGuffie and I are real good friends, and you know, he tried, and I had to look at what was best for me. That’s the main thing.