If you live in Houston, you already know who Russell Shepard is.  And if you live outside of Houston and you haven’t heard of the quarterbacking prodigy then you are a part of a minority.  Playing quarterback and being one of the fastest juniors in the entire country, being able to adjust on the fly like another former Houston hero, Vince Young, Russell is holding all the skills in hand to be able to have a very long a very successful career.   

Courtesy of Texaspreps.com, Russell Shepard’s highlight video.

 Russell Shepard by the numbers:

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 195 lbs.

40 time: 4.4 

Q:  First of all thank you Russell for agreeing to do this interview.  Let’s start off with what recruiting boils down to, offer. Who are some of your offers?

A:  Texas, Florida, Texas A&M, OU, Tennessee, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas Tech, Alabama, Arkansas, Boston college, Stanford, Rutgers, Minnesota, Arizona State, Tulsa have all offered me.  

Q:  On a weekly basis which schools keep up with you the most?

A: Texas keeps in contact with me at least three to 4 times a week. I talk to Coach Myers at Florida at least twice a week. From OU I talk to coach Patton he is the D-line coach there, I keep in contact with him two to 3 times a week..and with every one else it varies..I am starting a good relationship with Coach Sherman at A&M… 

Q:  Of the schools you list above whom, from the staff, is doing the recruiting of you and what kind of relationship do you have with them? 

A:  With all the school i try to get to know the head coach but to me the most important things is meeting the offense coordinators and the quarterback coach and I have developed a good relationship the Coach Mullen the quarterback coach at Florida and coach apple white . When I met him actually he was the offensive coordinator at Alabama and we have stay in touch even though he is at Texas now. 

Q:  Does Major Applewhite joining the Texas staff help their chances?

A:  Yes sir coach apple white is a wonderful man and i have developed a strong relationship with him throughout my recruiting process and adding him to  the staff makes them a little more bright in this dark process.    

Q:  At this date, early still in the recruiting process, do you have a short list of “top” schools that are vying for your commitment?

A: My top 5 school right know will have to be; Texas, Florida, OU, Michigan, and LSU. And I will decide on my decision of school probably at the beginning or late September. 

Q:  Are you ready to narrow your list down to those top 5, or do other schools have opportunities to get in the race for you?

A:  Every time I narrow it down something, then, crazy happens. Like Coach Rodriguez going to Michigan or Coach Applewhite coming to Texas or even Coach Sherman coming to Texas A&M. So right now I don’t have a top 5 I just have a lot of school I am interested in. 

Q:  Speaking of Coach Rodriguez, Has he made contact with you since arriving at Michigan?

A:  Yes sir but only through mail. We haven’t talked directly over phone or in person. 

Q:  You draw strong comparisons to former Texas and Houston star, Vince Young, how does that make you feel?

A:  It always an honor being compared to someone of that level. But I will be the first to say I am my own person. Sometimes its crazy because he has done all these crazy things throughout his career but I just take it with  a like shoulder. I am the highest ranked player to come out of Houston since Vince so I look at it as a honor and I will do what ever I can do to make my own name.    

Q:  What are you looking for in a school that you will commit to?

A:  For me to commit to a school first of all I am looking for good academics. Then, does that coach put people in the league every year. Then I look at their quarterbacks coach and also the quarterbacks that he has coached in the past or present and how successful they have been throughout the year. Lastly the style of system they run. I would like to be in a spread gun formation or a west coast pro style. 

Q:  Would your preference be to stay close to home, or would you be open to travel away?

A:  It does matter where I am at. Like I said the reasons I will pick my school is by the climate, the quarterback coach, the system, depth chart and also if they have my major   

Q:   Did you have a rooting interest growing up?

A:  I didn’t watch too much football as a kid but my cousin played for Ohio State and Tennessee his name is Eddie George, Heisman winner 

Q:  Has Eddie George given you any advice going through the recruiting process?

A:  No sir even though Eddie is my cousin we don’t keep in contact like that he has his career and a family to look after and I respect that to the fullest. 

Q:  How would it feel to bring the second Heisman into the family?

A:  It would feel good to bring a Heisman to the family again it would be a wonderful thing. 

Q:  How has your family been throughout this recruiting-process?

A:  They have been supportive and also protective because I have a lot of people who want to use my name and try to use my name to there advantage. I mean you would be surprised that who will try to use a 17 year old boy. But they realize at the end of the day that it is my decision and that they only can help me and guide me through the process.    

Q:  How is your relationship with fellow teammates Hasan Lipscomb and, cousin, Craig Loston? And have you guys discussed wanting to attend the same college?

A: Me and Hasan’s relationship is great; it goes from the football field to school to out of school he is a great dude but I don’t think we will end up at same school. But me and my cousin Craig have talked about going to the same school either Florida or OU 

Q:  Do you plan to attend any camps this summer?

A:  With me graduating in December of 08 I have to go see colleges right now. Ill go up to OU. 

Q:  Have you bonded with any other players across the country whom you have met? At any camps, junior day If so, who?

A:  I have developed a friendship with Casey Pachell. He is a quarterback up in Brownwood. We went to a camp together up in Abilene. I developed a friendship with AJ Highsmith he is a quarterback at Hightower. Were kind of became real good friends after the game we played and their kicker kicked a 55 yard field goal to win the game. Jacob Karam, he is a good friend of mine. Me and him met through AJ. Koblly gray he is an amazing quarterback at Cy Falls and we have been playing against each other since middle school. But I have met people throughout the country. 

Q:   Are you looking forward to your senior year and all the “hype” that will surround you, even-more?

A:  Yes sir I look forward to my senior season I can’t wait to play ball again and every body has one senior season in there life no matter what. But we have a game on ESPN either against Matt Barkely he is a quarterback up in Cali he is the only quarterback ranked ahead of me and he just committed to USC. The other game they’re trying to get set up is me against Gilbert Grahamn. He is a very young and talented quarterback out of Lake Travis. He has set all kinds of records his junior year and me and him have been battling for that number one spot on UT’s recruiting board.  

Q: What are your goals for next year’s football season?

A:  To be honest with you coach, my only goal is to take my team to a state title and if that meant I had to throw for three thousand yards or run for three thousand I will do whatever it takes to get us were we want to be. I am a part of a team so I don’t set individual goals for myself, I set team goals.  My motto is that every one of us are a piece of the puzzle and in order to finish the puzzle you need every piece to fit right and in the right place. 

Q: What roll has your high school football coach played in your development and support?

A:  My head coach Gary Thibaud has played a big role in my development as a player, a teammate, a quarterback, and a person. People don’t realize it but I just started playing quarterback my sophomore year, so I had to develop my throwing motion, foot work, and knowledge of the position in a hurry and my coach did a good job with finding me the right camps to go to and even the camps not to go to. He was putting my name out there my freshmen year so I was taking recruiting trips when I was a freshmen in high school.   That’s the first time I ever got to UT. He has also showed me that you have to watch how you handle your self, especially myself with all the hype.  It gets crazy, I have had people travel 400 miles every week to come watch me play. People ask me for autographs and they are twenty and thirty years older than me. I mean I receive a lot of attention for being so young and my coach has done a good job to mentor me through it all.  

Q:  Let’s change the subject; do you have a favorite movie?

A:  my favorite movie is Remember the Titians. 

Q: Favorite actor?

A: Denzel Washington hands down.  

Q: Do you have a favorite performer?

A: Beyonce and if you are a man i think you know why. ha ha 

Q:  What is your favorite subject in high school?

A:  French. I took French my freshmen and sophomore year and I loved it. J’ adore 

Q: So Russell you do intend on graduating early?

A: Yes sir I graduate December of ‘08 I will enroll in to the school of my choice. It is a interesting subject because I have to go to summer school all throughout my high school years. I have to maintain a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. It is a crazy and at times a different high school experience altogether.  

Q:  Do you know what your major will be in, in college?

A:  Yes, sir I am going to major in Marketing and minor in business. This field never slows down and I am an out spoken leader so I have always pictured myself barking out orders and not receiving them. The bonus is yours, your own boss and control how much money you make. 

Q:  Who do you accredit your football ability to?

A:  I am a very strong Christian and I believe that what ever God wants you to be it will happen and that every one on this earth is destined to be something and someone in life. God gave us the tools and it is up to us to use them right. But I give all credit to my parents Nikki and Russell senior because with out them I don’t know what I would be doing.  They support me emotionally, financially, and physically. 

Q: Who, growing up, did you look up to in your family?

A:  My father is my hero and will continue to be my hero no matter what.  He showed me that a man or woman controls their own life and that there is nobody that feels sorry for some one that will not help there self that’s why I always push my self and will never quit or give up because he is living proof that a person can come from nothing to something.  

Russell agreed to do further interviews and keep in touch with The Coaches Corner as his recruitment heats up.  One thing is for sure that whoever does land Russell is getting a once in a lifetime talent, or could it mean for one team a twice in a lifetime talent?   Stay tuned. 

I am Coach.

In the first edition of “Coaches Corner”, I had a conversation with one of the top players in all the land, in the class of 2009.  A player that hails from the nationally ranked Pahokee High School, in Pahokee, Florida, a player wide-open in the recruiting process, a player that has had to overcome tragedy to get where he is today, a player listed in the Rivals Top 100 players of 2009, and a player that will provide an immediate boost to the school he eventually decides to commit to.  Enjoy, “Coach’s Corner” with 2009 standout, Nu’Keese Richardson.

Nu’Keese Richardson

Nu’Keese Richardson getting his times down.

Nu’Keese Richardson, in action, for his Nationally ranked High School football team: Pahokee High.

Q:      First off, I want to thank you Nu’Keese for agreeing to do this interview, How has junior year been going, to date?

A:      Well it’s been going great so far wit all the recruiting and everything. 

Q:      When was your first offer?

A:      Over the summer last year at South Carolina camp. 

Q:      On a weekly basis which schools keep up with you the most?

A:      Pretty much all of the local schools, and sometimes the out of state teams. 

Q:      Of the schools recruiting you who, from the staff, is doing the recruiting of you and what kind of relationship do you have with them?

A:      I call coach Gillespie at South Carolina, once every week and we talk about thing’s outside of football, but other then that I’ll say he’s a great recruiter.  I also talk to Coach Meyer and his WR coach Gonzalez from time to time. 

Q:      South Carolina seems to be ahead of the game with you, how about their rival, Clemson University, Who’s recruiting you from Clemson and what kind of relationship do you have with them?

A:      I forgot his name, but I have been up there a couple of times. 

Q:      I know John Lilly was recruiting you for Florida State before he left for Georgia, Have you heard from anyone from FSU since John Lilly took the job at Georgia?

A:      Nope. 

Q:      Have you, yet, narrowed down your list to who you are looking at?

A:      No. I’m wide open right now for everybody that’s recruiting me. 

Q:      Who, to date, has offered you a scholarship?

A:      Florida, South Carolina, Michigan, Florida State, FIU, Clemson, West Virginia. Southern Cal is interested in me, just no offer yet.

Q:      What are you looking for in a school that you will commit to?

A:      First of all as in school, what their school has to offer and what percentage of student athletes graduate each and every year. 

Q:      As a kid coming up through school, who was “your team”?

A:      I was a big UM fan. 

Q:      Do you have a timetable for a commitment?

A:      I will wait until signing day. 

Q:      What are your long-term goals for your football career?

A:      First of all it’s to stay healthy, and if God has blessed me enough i’m going to take the next step to enter the draft. 

Q:      Do you plan to attend any camps this summer?

A:      Yea, Nike camp and some others. 

Q:      Are you looking forward to your senior year and all the “hype” that may surround you, even-more?

A:      Yes I’m looking forward to it, and so are my team mates.  That was a big part of our success last year and the year before that. I’m pretty sure we as player’s from Pahokee high can handle all the hype that surround us. 

Q:      What are your goals for next year’s football season?

A:      To stay healthy, and win a state title once again. 

Q:      What roll has your high school football coach played in your development and support?

A:      He is a father figure who’s constantly staying on you about your school work and girl’s. 

Q:      Who do you accredit your football ability to? Is there someone who stayed behind you, someone who pushed you, someone who provided a major support to you?

A:      My older brother, Tyrone Clervan.

To Change the subject from football we talked about some Random things Nu’Keese may like.

Q:      Nu’Keese, What is your favorite movie?
A:      Scarface Q:      Do you have a favorite actor?
A:     

Denzel Washington  

Q:     

 Who is your favorite singer/performer? A:      Usher Q:      What is your favorite subject in school?A:     

Reading

Q:     

Are you looking at all at graduating early, or will you graduate with your fellow class-members?

A:     

Undecided right now. 

Q:     
Do you know what you want to major in, in college?

A:     
Theater.

Q:     

Who, growing up, did you look up to in your family?

A:     
My uncle Richard Bryant, he use to play corner for West Virginia.
Q:     

Are there any tragedies or setbacks you have had to deal with in your life?

A:     

Yes, losing my mom at a young age.

(A video to listen to, while you read, enjoy)

Hello baby.  I want you to know before you read any further that I love you with all of my heart!  I also want you to know that I would and will lay down my life to protect you! I also want you to know that over the next several months as a marriage and other things transpire that you will be the victim of scrutiny.  Don’t you worry though I am going to do my job as a man to protect and shield you from any and all scrutiny.  Know with all of your heart that I will not listen to naysayers, I will not listen to critical people, I will not listen to people who do not have our best-interest at heart.  I will not listen, for a second, to anyone who says a negative word about you.  You know why, because no matter what anyone says it was not a mistake, by any stretch of the imagination that you are now in my life. You matter to me, you matter to the world, and you matter to God.  Furthermore to the people who speak bad words to or about you, they are the ones who do not matter.  I believe in fate and it was nothing but fate that put you here in my life.  I also want you to know that the people who are reading this and still think that I am talking about your mother, Josie, are now shocked.  Shocked mostly, I’m sure, because they didn’t expect you to come so soon.  Didn’t expect your mom and I had enough love to do this.  Well let me let you know that I love your Mom with all of my heart, all of my soul, all of all I got.  I also want you to know very early that your mom always always always will come first.  She came into my life before you and she always will come first.  Don’t confuse that however that I Love you more than anything on planet earth, second to your mom.  We found out officially that you were on your way, on Tuesday, January 15^th, 2008 and we are so pumped up and excited for you to make you arrival in just around 8 months from now.  We don’t even know if you are a boy or a girl but what we do know is that you are beautiful, you are full of life, and there is a world out here that your Mom and I cannot wait for you to experience with us.  It will be a world we protect and shield you from but a world that will fully embrace you, we will make sure of that!  I also want you to know upfront that your life WAS NOT AND IS NOT a mistake.  In the Bible, it says you are a gift from the almighty God I cannot wait for you to learn about the amazing grace that God, Jesus Christ, has for each and every one of us.  He is forgiving and has forgiven your Mom and me a multitude of times.  I pray for your health and your salvation daily.  I pray right now that you will find your calling on earth and do well in the eyes of that God guy I am talking about.  Baby good luck to you and I’ll see you in about 8 months.  By the time you read this I am sure we’ll be flying around in cars or something neat like that.  

 Thank you to each and every one of you who read this.  Josie and I are amazingly excited for the pregnancy of our little one.  I expect to be judged by some but I won’t listen to anyone who decides to do so.  Either you’re with us or…Well that is the only option because there aren’t places in the life of our family that aren’t supportive of a gift from God.I am Coach.

April 4^th, 1968 is not, however, the date that we should dwell on because as April 4^th, 1968 is the last day that Martin Luther King, Jr. lived on Earth, his legacy continues, day by day, and there are far many days of his life and after his life that we should pay a more special attention to.  Dates like January 15^th, 1929, December 1^st, 1955, October 14, 1964, or August 28^th, 1963, dates like these are the ones we should homage too, dates like these are the ones we should focus on because these are just a few of the dates, among hundreds and hundreds, that Martin Luther King, Jr had.

January 15^th, 1929 is the date where in Atlanta, Georgia; Martin Luther King, Jr was brought into the world.  The Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr and Alberta Williams King assuredly did not have a clue on that date that they had brought into the world what would become the foremost leader of the American Civil Rights movement. 

 December 1^st, 1955 is, of course, the date that Rosa Parks made famous by being arrested for her refusal to comply to the Jim Crow Laws that required her to give up seat to a white man.   But it also is the date that led Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr to lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

October 14, 1964 is the date in which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr received the Nobel Peace Prize for his lifelong work for leading non-violent resistance to end racial prejudice in the United State of America.

And let us not forget August 28^th, 1963, the date when the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place.   This is the date that changed America for the better.  This is the date where Martin Luther King, Jr delivered to America his dream.

Martin Luther King, Jr.  A man who changed America in life and in death, a man who irrevocably stood for change, stood for a better America, a man who we should never, ever forget.

Martin Luther King Jr (January 15^th, 1929- April 4^th 1968)

I am Coach.

Here is Senator and Presidential hopeful, Barack Obama’s thoughts on Darfur.

“The teenagers and college students who left their homes to march in the streets of Birmingham and Montgomery; the mothers who walked instead of taking the bus after a long day of doing somebody else’s laundry and cleaning somebody else’s kitchen — they didn’t brave fire hoses and Billy clubs so that their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren would still wonder at the beginning of the 21st century whether their vote would be counted; whether their civil rights would be protected by their government; whether justice would be equal and opportunity would be theirs. . . . We have more work to do.” — Barack Obama, Speech at Howard University, September 28, 2007The Problem Pay Inequity Continues: For every $1.00 earned by a man, the average woman receives only 77 cents, while African American women only get 67 cents and Latinas receive only 57 cents.

Disparities Continue to Plague Criminal Justice System: African Americans and Hispanics are more than twice as likely as whites to be searched, arrested, or subdued with force when stopped by police. Disparities in drug sentencing laws, like the differential treatment of crack as opposed to powder cocaine, are unfair.

Barack Obama’s Plan 

Obama will reverse the politicization that has occurred in the Bush Administration’s Department of Justice. He will put an end to the ideological litmus tests used to fill positions within the Civil Rights Division.

Combat Employment DiscriminationObama will work to overturn the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that curtails racial minorities’ and women’s ability to challenge pay discrimination. Obama will also pass the Fair Pay Act to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work.

Expand Hate Crimes StatutesObama will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice’s Criminal Section.

End Deceptive Voting PracticesObama will sign into law his legislation that establishes harsh penalties for those who have engaged in voter fraud and provides voters who have been misinformed with accurate and full information so they can vote.

End Racial ProfilingObama will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.

Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender SupportObama will provide job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling to ex-offenders, so that they are successfully re-integrated into society. Obama will also create a prison-to-work incentive program to improve ex-offender employment and job retention rates.

Eliminate Sentencing DisparitiesObama believes the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.

Expand Use of Drug CourtsObama will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.

Barack Obama’s RecordRecord of Advocacy: Obama has worked to promote civil rights and fairness in the criminal justice system throughout his career. As a community organizer, Obama helped 150,000 African Americans register to vote. As a civil rights lawyer, Obama litigated employment discrimination, housing discrimination, and voting rights cases. As a State Senator, Obama passed one of the country’s first racial profiling law and helped reform a broken death penalty system. And in the U.S. Senate, Obama has been a leading advocate for protecting the right to vote, helping to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act and leading the opposition against discriminatory barriers to voting.

For More Information about Barack’s Plan

Barack Obama picked up another huge endorsement: (Per BarackObama.com)

Today, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President, citing his unique ability to restore America’s standing in the world, end the war in Iraq, provide health care for all Americans, and rally this nation around a common purpose.  

Chairman Leahy said, “Barack Obama is the best candidate to reintroduce America to the world – and restore hope in our country.  Barack Obama represents the America we once were and want to be again.    When Barack Obama is President we will lead with hope, opening the doors of opportunity to all, realizing the potential of our great nation for its citizens and as a leader of the free world.    Barack Obama will be a President who once again believes, ‘Yes, we can.’  That is why I am endorsing Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States.”

Senator Obama said, “I am proud to have the support of Senator Leahy.   Senator Leahy had the judgment and courage to vote against the Iraq war, and he’s been a champion of our rights here at home, and of human rights around the world. He is a leader guided by integrity, respect for our Constitution and a love of this country.   I look forward to working with him to stand up to the special interests, rally Democrats and Republicans together to get things done, and bring about change we can believe in.”  

Leahy was elected to the United States Senate in 1974 and is currently serving his sixth term.    Leahy is the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is a senior member of the Agriculture and Appropriations Committees. He also chairs the Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations.

The time is now.  I have researched all I can research. Prayed all I can pray. Thought all I could think.  The time is now that I make a decision on who I will throw my support and effort behind for the Presidency.In my personal opinion this upcoming election is the very most important election in United States History.  I’m not of the thinking it’s so important because our current President has done a bad job, because I don’t feel that way.  I feel it is the most important election of our time because of what is at stake.  September 11^th, 2001 changed America, it changed it all.  President Bush has done an exemplary job in addressing the war on terror and keeping America safe.  Like him, love him, or hate him, he is the leader of our country and he is a man who we all should be praying for on a daily basis.  Your political preference should not prohibit you nor anyone from praying for your leader.  There have been mistakes made, like in every administration, like there will be mistakes made in the next administration, but the time is now to think about that next administration.If you are reading this, you know me. If you don’t know me let me go ahead and enlighten you.  In the 2004 election I voted, in my first election, for George W. Bush.  He far and away was the most superb candidate versus his competition.  I’m pro-life, I have supported the Iraq war from the beginning mainly because I believed in the ousting of Saddam Hussein, I admit there have been mistakes, both major and minor, in the Iraq war, and have sometimes I’m sure viewed as a Republican.  The latter of my description is not true, however.  I declare no political affiliation and have always said I will vote for what I view is the best candidate.The time is now…

The best candidate for the Presidency of the United States is…

I have differences with Obama on an array of issues, however in my research of all the candidates in the presidential race obama far succeeds what I am looking for in bringing america back together as one nation under god!

I am fully supporting Barack Obama!  I’ll be doing what I can to get Obama elected albeit volunteering, stickers on my car, and even urging you to vote for Barack.  God be with you.

“I’m asking you to believe.  Not just in my ability to bring about real change Washington…I’m asking you to believe in yours”

-Barack Obama

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