BOOOM. Shepherd commits to Texas
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Javonne Shepherd at the Opening Regional in Houston. (Justin Wells/IT)[/caption]
HOUSTON -- When Texas landed Conroe Oak Ridge offensive tackle Tyler Johnson, they needed someone to play the other tackle spot for the 2019 class. So Javonne Shepherd decided he'd join the #fUTure19.
The 6-foot-6, 334-pound monster o-lineman committed to Texas tonight. Shepherd, from Houston North Forest is a high 4-star with 30+ offers including Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU, and Florida State.
Shepherd and Johnson make the best OT in-state duo that Herb Hand could've asked for. Shepherd joins Marcus Tillman, 3-star LB from Orlando who verbally pledged to the Longhorns yesterday following the Stars at Night camp at DKR.
Excerpt from the Recruiting Notebook:
Javonne Shepherd, OT - Houston North Forest HS (2019)
Hudl/highlights
How he fits at Texas: Shepherd is a massive human being who played in an offensive scheme that regularly asked him to find and connect on targets in space on outside zone runs. He performed that task with relative grace and ease, which speaks to his athleticism and potential as a left tackle in the college game. Between his quick feet and length, it's very difficult to to get somewhere on the field that Shepherd doesn't want you to access. His limited opportunities to play bully ball look really promising but at tackle for Texas he'd still get a lot of fun opportunities to block down on LBs at the next level, a role he should thrive in. - Ian Boyd
Coach says: Strengths - Excellent frame and size for the tackle position. More toned than fat. Long arms. Out of his stance quickly and smoothly. Excellent hip and knee bend. Shows numerous blocking styles in run game. Hand placement is usually very good. Keeps his feet moving while engaged. Able to effectively pull on the counter play and shows some good second level blocking ability. Good motor sustaining blocks well downfield. Never loses a strength battle and has good understanding of leverage. Areas for improvement - Acceleration seemed limited on a couple of plays but this seemed an inconsistent finding. Pass protection film is limited. Haven’t seen him defend against a double move. Foot speed is adequate but only seems to barely get out in front of the quick screen. This may be an issue against faster collegiate players.
How this affects Texas: Big, strong, and barely scratching the surface of his potential. A left tackle in potential, a right tackle in reality. He's got the feet, strong punch, and disposition to hold down the blind side. He's a little raw, but with UT targeting him along with Tyler Johnson, Branson Bragg, Kenyon Green, and Stacey Wilkins, they'll look to take 4-5 offensive linemen. Once an A&M lean, he's now looking harder at Austin because...well.. Austin. And Herb Hand. Texas looks good here and I don't see that changing anytime soon. - Justin Wells
Shepherd is the 15th member of Texas' 2019 class joining Marcus Tillman (Jones - FL), DeMariyon Houston (Millwood - OK), Marques Caldwell (Alvin) Chris Adimora (Lakewood – CA), Peter Mpagi (George Ranch), Jake Smith (Notre Dame Prep – AZ), Jared Wiley (Temple), Tyler Johnson (Conroe Oak Ridge), Brayden Liebrock (Chandler – AZ), Kenyatta Watson II (Grayson – GA), De’Gabriel Floyd (Westlake – CA), Jordan Whittington (Cuero), T’Vondre Sweat (Huntsville), and Roschon Johnson (Port Neches-Groves).
Javonne Shepherd at the Opening Regional in Houston. (Justin Wells/IT)[/caption]
HOUSTON -- When Texas landed Conroe Oak Ridge offensive tackle Tyler Johnson, they needed someone to play the other tackle spot for the 2019 class. So Javonne Shepherd decided he'd join the #fUTure19.
The 6-foot-6, 334-pound monster o-lineman committed to Texas tonight. Shepherd, from Houston North Forest is a high 4-star with 30+ offers including Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia, LSU, and Florida State.
Shepherd and Johnson make the best OT in-state duo that Herb Hand could've asked for. Shepherd joins Marcus Tillman, 3-star LB from Orlando who verbally pledged to the Longhorns yesterday following the Stars at Night camp at DKR.
Excerpt from the Recruiting Notebook:
Javonne Shepherd, OT - Houston North Forest HS (2019)
Hudl/highlights
How he fits at Texas: Shepherd is a massive human being who played in an offensive scheme that regularly asked him to find and connect on targets in space on outside zone runs. He performed that task with relative grace and ease, which speaks to his athleticism and potential as a left tackle in the college game. Between his quick feet and length, it's very difficult to to get somewhere on the field that Shepherd doesn't want you to access. His limited opportunities to play bully ball look really promising but at tackle for Texas he'd still get a lot of fun opportunities to block down on LBs at the next level, a role he should thrive in. - Ian Boyd
Coach says: Strengths - Excellent frame and size for the tackle position. More toned than fat. Long arms. Out of his stance quickly and smoothly. Excellent hip and knee bend. Shows numerous blocking styles in run game. Hand placement is usually very good. Keeps his feet moving while engaged. Able to effectively pull on the counter play and shows some good second level blocking ability. Good motor sustaining blocks well downfield. Never loses a strength battle and has good understanding of leverage. Areas for improvement - Acceleration seemed limited on a couple of plays but this seemed an inconsistent finding. Pass protection film is limited. Haven’t seen him defend against a double move. Foot speed is adequate but only seems to barely get out in front of the quick screen. This may be an issue against faster collegiate players.
How this affects Texas: Big, strong, and barely scratching the surface of his potential. A left tackle in potential, a right tackle in reality. He's got the feet, strong punch, and disposition to hold down the blind side. He's a little raw, but with UT targeting him along with Tyler Johnson, Branson Bragg, Kenyon Green, and Stacey Wilkins, they'll look to take 4-5 offensive linemen. Once an A&M lean, he's now looking harder at Austin because...well.. Austin. And Herb Hand. Texas looks good here and I don't see that changing anytime soon. - Justin Wells
Shepherd is the 15th member of Texas' 2019 class joining Marcus Tillman (Jones - FL), DeMariyon Houston (Millwood - OK), Marques Caldwell (Alvin) Chris Adimora (Lakewood – CA), Peter Mpagi (George Ranch), Jake Smith (Notre Dame Prep – AZ), Jared Wiley (Temple), Tyler Johnson (Conroe Oak Ridge), Brayden Liebrock (Chandler – AZ), Kenyatta Watson II (Grayson – GA), De’Gabriel Floyd (Westlake – CA), Jordan Whittington (Cuero), T’Vondre Sweat (Huntsville), and Roschon Johnson (Port Neches-Groves).
