In what has been an interesting coaching search for the Huskies after Junior Adams took the wide receivers coaching position at Oregon, it feels like they’ve upgraded by hiring former Purdue receivers coach, JaMarcus Shephard. Not only is he a great developer of talent, but he’s also an excellent recruiter.
As Realdawg.com reported four days ago, it was just a matter of time before this would be nationally confirmed.
During his five seasons with the Boilermakers, Shephard is credited for pulling in five four-star recruits, including second-round NFL draft pick Rondale Moore. After taking a quick look at Purdue’s recruiting classes, it’s hard to argue that he wasn’t the top recruiter on staff. Shephard’s recruits were frequently among the highest-rated players in the classes, and in Moore’s case, he was the top overall recruit in Purdue’s 2018 class.
Shephard should also be considered one of the best wide receivers coaches in the country due to his work on the field. He’s developed two all-Big Ten first-team receivers, including (unsurprisingly) Moore, who became the conference’s first consensus true freshman All-American in 2018. Under Shephard’s guidance, Moore also won the Paul Hornung award in 2018, which is given to the nation’s most versatile player, along with being named the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year, and Receiver of the Year.
His other big success story during his time at Purdue is David Bell. Bell, the highest-rated recruit Shepard pulled in during his five years with the Boilermakers. Like Moore, Bell was also honored as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, giving Shephard conference history. After coaching the 2018 and 2019 winners of the award, it became the first time in the Big Ten that a player from the same position at the same school won the award outright in back-to-back years since its inception in 1986.
Shephard also has some ties to the Pacific Northwest and the Pac-12, as he served as the inside receivers coach at Washington State in 2016, before taking the job at Purdue. Now, the toughest task ahead of him is recruiting. There are currently six Washington offers out to wide receivers in the class of 2023, so expect his first wave of new offers to go out very soon.
After Germie Bernard flipped his commitment to Michigan State, while both Sawyer Racanelli and Terrell Bynum decided to transfer, Shephard will have some work to do in the portal as well. One name that he might want to keep an eye on in the portal is former four-star recruit and Arizona State receiver Lonyatta Alexander. The former Kennedy Catholic standout would be reuniting with his former quarterback in Sam Huard, and former running mate in Jabez Tinae. This is an incredible hire for Kalen DeBoer and his offense, and the young receivers in the room, especially Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze, should be thrilled by this addition.
