A football odyssey that began in Northern California and continued (briefly) in the Midwest has culminated with a landing in the Deep South.
Just a couple of days ahead of National Signing Day, Tee Shepard confirmed to Rivals.com that he has committed to continuing his FBS playing career at Mississippi State. Shepard had played at Holmes Community College in 2013.
“I told them I’m a Dawg,” Shepard told the recruiting service. “They’re all excited. The players, the coaches and everybody are just excited. It’s crazy. The coaches were telling me all week about the same two things: football and academics. That’s what I’m happy about. Everybody is just excited right now.”
Shepard opted for the Bulldogs over, among others, Ole Miss, USC and Washington.
The Irish announced back in March of 2012 that Shepard was no longer enrolled at the school, two months after he enrolled as an early signee as part of Notre Dame’s 2012 recruiting class. The stated reason for Shepard’s decision at the time was the desire to be back closer to his family in Fresno.
After leaving South Bend, Shepard considered transferring to Fresno State as well as USC.
Shepard, a four- or five-star player depending on the recruiting service, was rated as the No. 4 corner in the country in the Class of 2012 and the No. 11 player at any position in the state of California by Rivals.com.