I see comparisons between Shep and the last great QB recruit out of the Houston metro area, Vince Young. Here's how their high schools stats stack up:

VINCE YOUNG

Rushing
Soph -- ??? carries, 730 yards, ??? average, ??? TDs
Junior -- ??? carries, 760 yards, ??? average, 14 TDs
Senior -- 116 carries, 1,274 yards, 10.9 average, 24 TDs

Passing
Soph -- ???-of-62 (???%), 1,006 yards, 10 TDs, ??? INTs
Junior -- 78-of-135 (57.8%), 1,309 yards, 16 TDs, ??? INTs
Senior -- 131-of-224 (58.5%), 2,545 yards, 35 TDs, 4 INTs

RUSSELL SHEPARD

Rushing
Soph -- 170 carries, 1,336 yards, 7.9 average, 20 TDs
Junior -- 176 carries, 1,525 yards, 8.7 average, 18 TDs
Senior -- next fall

Passing
Soph -- 47-of-114 (41.2%), 683 yards, 4 TDs, 5 INTs
Junior -- 49-of-108 (45.4%), 794 yards, 8 TDs, 4 INTs
Senior -- next fall

Now compare the high school stats of other familiar names. Notice that Shep is in a different category, much stronger on the running threat and much weaker on the passing threat. He certainly doesn't come across like the next Vince Young, Tim Tebow, RP, etc... but that doesn't mean he can't be a great QB for LSU, I just don't see how he'll be the Vince Young, Tim Tebow or RP type.


ANDREW HATCH

Rushing
Senior -- 55 carries, -(20) yards, -(0.36) average, 4 TDs

Passing
Senior -- 79-of-160 (49.4%), 1,672 yards, 19 TDs, 7 INTs

CHRIS GARRETT

Rushing
Soph -- ???
Junior -- ???
Senior -- next fall

Passing
Soph -- 88-of-184 (47.8%), 1,478 yards, 9 TDs, 8 INTs
Junior -- 98-for-178 (55.1%), 1,739 yards, 18 TDs, 11 INTs
Senior -- next fall

MATT FLYNN

Rushing
Junior -- ???
Senior -- ?? carries, 305 yards, ?? average, 12 TDs

Passing
Junior -- 101-of-199 (50.8%), 1,650 yards, 13 TDs, 9 INTs
Senior -- 124-of-206 (60.2%), 1,679 yards, 9 TDs

JORDAN JEFFERSON

Rushing
Junior -- ???
Senior -- ???

Passing
Junior -- 83-of-143 (58.0%), 1,666 yards, 20 TDs, 4 INTs
Senior -- ??-of-?? (64.8%), 2,846 yards, 24 TDs, 3 INTs

JARRETT LEE

Rushing
Junior -- 57 carries, 197 yards, 3.5 average , 4 TDs
Senior -- 11 carries, 107 yards, 9.7 average, 4 TDs

Passing
Junior -- 239-of-347 (68.9%), 3,425 yards, 40 TDs, 8 INTs
Senior -- 193-of-314 (65.8%), 2,726 yards, 31 TDs, --

VINCE YOUNG

Rushing
Soph -- ??? carries, 730 yards, ??? average, ??? TDs
Junior -- ??? carries, 760 yards, ??? average, 14 TDs
Senior -- 116 carries, 1,274 yards, 10.9 average, 24 TDs

Passing
Soph -- ???-of-62 (???%), 1,006 yards, 10 TDs, ??? INTs
Junior -- 78-of-135 (57.8%), 1,309 yards, 16 TDs, ??? INTs
Senior -- 131-of-224 (58.5%), 2,545 yards, 35 TDs, 4 INTs

TIM TEBOW

Rushing
Soph -- 141 carries, 809 yards, 5.7 average, 18 TDs
Junior -- 209 carries, 1,227 yards, 5.9 average, 24 TDs
Senior -- 183 carries, 1,150 yards, 6.3 average, 20 TDs

Passing
Soph -- 151-of-233 (64.8%), 2,194 yards, 18 TDs, 8 INTs
Junior -- 247-of-402 (61.4%), 4,304 yards, 46 TDs, 6 INTs
Senior -- 214-of-338 (63.3%), 3,324 yards, 31 TDs, 4 INTs

RYAN PERRILLOUX

Rushing
Soph -- 98 carries, 735 yards, 7.5 average, 11 TDs
Junior -- 136 carries, 1,274 yards, 9.3 average, 21 TDs
Senior -- 226 carries, 1,460 yards, 6.5 average, 37 TDs

NOTE: RP also returned punts of 50 and 65 yards for TDs

Passing
Soph -- 113-of-209 (54.0%), 1,976 yards, 21 TDs, 7 INTs
Junior -- 119-of-209 (56.9%), 2,404 yards, 26 TDs, 6 INTs
Senior -- 225-of-342 (65.8%), 3,546 yards, 30 TDs, --

RUSSELL SHEPARD

Rushing
Soph -- 170 carries, 1,336 yards, 7.9 average, 20 TDs
Junior -- 176 carries, 1,525 yards, 8.7 average, 18 TDs
Senior -- next fall

Passing
Soph -- 47-of-114 (41.2%), 683 yards, 4 TDs, 5 INTs
Junior -- 49-of-108 (45.4%), 794 yards, 8 TDs, 4 INTs
Senior -- next fall

Why don't you throw in Rohan, Herb Tyler, Jamie Howard and Tommy Hodson while you are at it? Hell, just do it right and go back to Y.A. Tittle. :insane:

Those stats don't really show you anything, because Shepard's offense requires him to run it a lot more than any of those other guys'. If Vince Young was running that same offense, he wouldn't have had so many passing yards & vice-versa.

Watch the videos. Russell Shepard can throw. The only question is his decision-making ability (as a field general), and that is always the biggest question with the transition from HS to College.

He looks like a natural leader to me.

Craig Haubert of Scouts Inc. agrees:

(Craig Haubert is the recruiting coordinator for Scouts Inc. and has more than a decade of coaching experience. Haubert was an assistant at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and also served as the FB/LB coach and director of football operations for the Detroit Fury of the Arena Football League)

ESPN - Shepard looks the part at Baton Rouge Nike Camp - Insider

Braden Gall of Athlon Sport on Russell Shepard:

(25-year-old Braden Gall graduated from the University of Tennessee, moved to Nashville, Tennessee and began working for Rivals.com. Now he works for Athlon Sports as the Athlon Sports Recruiting Editor).

Scout, Inc. evaluation of Russell Shepard:

John, I think its time for your intervention.
we are you friends, and we just want to see you better:hihi:

Yeah, I was on another thread that was having a pretty intelligent football conversation, and one of the guys making some of the intelligent points furthering the discussion along posted this post that was just a list of stats, and yeah, I didn't understand what he was trying to show, because he didn't spell it out for us (when it came to that conversation, I was the mentally slow :insane: guy).

As for that list of high school stats on various QBs that I provided, I didn't explain what those stats meant to me because this Russell Shepard situation is pretty unique, and I still don't have a lot of clarity on it.

Basically, Shep doesn't have a lot of experience as a passer. It's pretty unique to see someone with so little experience as a passer being recruited as a bona-fide QB by major programs. And from what little experience RS has as a passer, he didn't seem to be that good at it based on his poor completion percentage. Has this ever happened before? Has there ever been a star college QB that had such weak high school passing experience? Or is this some sort of new experiment?

When I watch Shep's film highlights, the first thing that pops in my head is that this guy would be one of the greatest kick or punt returners in college football. I also think he'd be one of the best WRs in college football (or CB). As for a RB or flanker sure, we can use him there as well (like Urban does with Percy Harvin -- and Percy Harvin was the #1 overall recruit in the nation by Rivals for the 2006 class). Using Shep as a running back or flanker, I wouldn't be surprised to see Shep be just as good as Reggie Bush was at USC.

But as a QB? Has that ever been done before? Shep is not a Vince Young or a Michael Vick or a RP -- sure, they offer an explosive run threat as bone-fide QBs, but they are not near as explosive as a runner as Shep, who is more like a Percy Harvin, Reggie Bush, Ted Ginn, whatever.

In other words Shep seems to me more like a Deion Sanders, a Raghib "Rocket" Ismail (etc. etc.) type, whose high school coach thought it would be funny to try to make a QB out of him, even though it was a position had never played before. Was that a good idea?

Sure, they got him some great QB coaches, sent him to some great QB camps, etc., but what if that would have been done to Deion Sanders, or Rocket Ismail, or Percy Harvin, whatever, by their high school coaches? Would that have been a good idea?

In other words, is this a new experiment, or has something like this been done before?

Is it a good idea for Shep's future NFL career? Isn't Shep's best bet for the NFL to be a WR/CB/kick returner?

Let's say LSU decided to continue this experiment of trying to make Shep a bona-fide QB, is that a good idea for LSU?

On one hand, I think "yes," I think of Nebraska's Eric Crouch and Tommie Frazier, and West Virginia's Pat White. Those guys are more like the Percy Harvin/Reggie Bush/Ted Ginn type than the Vince Young/Michael Vick/RP type... and it was a wise decision for their programs to use them as QBs.

But, on the other hand, did Eric Crouch or Tommie Frazier or Pat White ever offer the WR/CB/kick return caliber talent that Shep does? In other words, Shep seems more on the level of a Deion Sanders, Rocket Ismail, Ted Ginn, Percy Harvin, etc. Has that sort of talent ever been used at QB before? At the same time, did Crouch, Frazier and White have the weak high school passing experience that Shep did?

Shepard is the best athlete I've ever personally seen video of at QB - period. So, I guess in that sense, it probably hasn't ever been done before.

But don't forget that LSU (under Saban) recruited both Pat White & Vince Young as CB/WRs. So obviously, even if they weren't as great an athlete as Shepard, they had the ability to be great at those positions.

Shepard is a natural leader & I think he'll make an amazing college QB. His NFL future would be less certain if we was with a team like WVU, but you have to know that LSU will mold him into a complete QB - not allow him to just be an athlete taking snaps at QB.

And if he can't be molded into a complete QB then he'll be moved to WR.

I think an apt comparison to RS might be current Illinois QB Juice Williams. We could do a lot worse.