According to the Shreveport Times, Russell Shepard, the No. 1-rated high school quarterback in the nation in 2009, will no longer work primarily at quarterback for LSU, coach Les Miles said today.
"He's all at wide receiver and in his mind," Miles said during a pre-spring practice briefing with reporters in the football facility. "He'll get ball handling and running back play as a sidelight to his receivers position."
Shepard, a Parade All-American at Cypress Ridge High in Houston who threw for 1,843 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior quarterback in 2008, practiced with the quarterbacks last season as an LSU true freshman but played quarterback in games only in the run-based "Wildcat" formation and never attempted a pass. He also played tailback and receiver and finished the season with 277 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 45 carries. He led the team with a 6.2-yards-per-carry average and caught five passes for 34 yards.
"This gets him on the field every down," Miles explained. "When you're at situational quarterback, it's very difficult to be on the field every play. So if he starts with base at wide receiver, then we think that it allows us to play him."
Miles did leave a crack in the window open for some possible use of Shepard at quarterback for strategic surprise.
"The good news is he's had quarterback play in his freshman year, so he'll be picking up bits and pieces of those opportunities," he said. "Who knows where he'll take a lot of the snaps from? But I can tell you that the opportunity to give him the ball will be easier, at receiver."
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