2023 University of Washington receiver commit Taeshaun Lyons can recall the moment he decided to commit to the school.

It was more than just Husky receivers coach Shephard’s “mindset that aligns with who I am” and, while that is certainly the case, Lyons’ decision went beyond his personal connection with the receivers coach.

The moment the 6-2 165-pound two-sport athlete decided to become a Husky, he was on a three-way recruiting call when he essentially became a fly-on-the-wall for the conversation.

“My dad, Coach Shephard and me have always been close,” he said.  “He’s come to my school multiple times to watch me jump for track.  I’ve been here so many times.”

But even then he was he was unsure where his home would be for the next 4 years.  Heavyweights Notre Dame, Miami, Oregon, and Washington were the finalists for the speedster.

But on that recruiting phone call, a three way call between Taeshaun, Coach Shephard and his dad was a just—different.

“I was off to one side doing something.  I was hearing them talk, hearing them laugh,” he recalled.

Taeshaun’s father is also his track coach for an independent academy called Audience of One.

“It just clicked,” he said, using a hand gesture like starting a car.

What was supposed to be just a routine “check-in” on Taeshaun turned into “seal-the-deal” conversion that the 4-star receiver was hardly a part of.

“The football part shows…speaks for itself,” he said.  “My family’s comfortable with the decision.”

He felt as if he was committing to not just to Washington but to a coach that felt like an extension of his family.

“After hearing them laugh and talk, it was like, ‘man I’ll be taken care of here.  I’ll be good over here.'”

Taeshaun also has a clear recollection of his first encounter with Coach Shephard at a track meet for Tennyson High School in Heyward, California.

”He pointed at my cross earring and said ‘I like that about you’,” he recalled.  “I was like, ‘what are you talking about?’ he was like, ‘I like that cross earring. It shows where your faith is at.’”

The first impression has proven to be enduring.

“I’m a Christian.  I believe in God,” he said.  “Knowing that I’d be playing for someone who follows God’s word–it’s the background that makes (the challenges of college football) easier to take on.”

Knowing that he would be raised in the right way by a non-family member was a big factor in his decision.

Back when he was still considering his collegiate options he watched a lot of the Husky games in 2022.

“I watched 4-5 of the games.  Now you’re winning games by a lot and I tend to turn it off and watch some other games,” Taeshaun said.  “But I watched what I needed to watch.  What I needed to see, I saw.”

And what he saw in Eugene out of UW’s Jalen McMillan was also a factor in his decision.

It was McMillan’s battle against Oregon’s Christian Gonzales that helped shift things into Washington’s favor.

With the game knotted at 10 in the second quarter on what looked to be an interception by Gonzales of Michael Penix, McMillan also got his hands on the overthrown ball and took the ball away as they fell to the ground.

“For me, seeing how the players react off of (Coach Shephard), his fire—they believe what he’s saying,” he said.  “They’re believing what he’s preaching.  The mindset: receivers are takers.”

On the television screen in front of him it had become evident to Lyons that his future coach would draw that out of him, as well.

“It tells a bigger picture of his mindset,” he said.  “That’s the mindset that aligns with who I am.”