“I’m 6’2 now, 185”, Tee Shepard said about his recent growth spurt, “I grew two inches in the past couple of months.”
It’s easy to envision Shepard filling into the frame, he is one of the premier defensive backs of the 2012 recruiting cycle, a hard hitting specialist that became Notre Dame’s first verbal commitment for the 2012 class on March 2nd.
Shepard’s early verbal came as a surprise to some, as offers were piling up from powerhouses such as USC, UCLA, Alabama, Miami and many others. When I asked him why he committed so early, Shepard was quick to point out how his life has changed for the better since making his decision. “My life got a lot easier, I can concentrate on my school work better, I train better, it was just getting to be too much, it’s a lot better now that I’ve committed to Notre Dame.”
Training is a big part of Tee Shepard’s success, his back step is explosive and his hip action is flawless. This comes as no surprise, Shepard has been working with renowned Coach Tony Perry since he was in the sixth grade. “He’s like an uncle to me, ” Shepard stated, ” he has taught me so much about football and about life.”
Shepard’s early work with coach Perry is evident in the way he conducts himself on the field, he is ahead of his years when the whistle blows. One of the first things that caught my attention while watching him on film was his ability to read a receiver’s route early and break up the play. “It just comes natural to me, for some reason it’s just easy for me to read routes,” Shepard said. When he does need to recover, he does so quickly and his long arms and extremely quick hands come into play in breaking up plays at the last second.
Something that also stands out is his ability to break up a potential big play at the pinnacle of his leap, meaning that his timing is impeccable, even at full speed.
Tee Shepard will make his first visit to Notre Dame for Blue & Gold weekend, and the excitement was evident in his voice when he talked about the trip. “I’m really happy to be going, I’m looking forward to meeting the coaches and players, I’m really going to enjoy being there.”
There has been some concern among Irish fans about Shepard’s plan to take visits to other schools, when asked, he explained, “I just want to see other places, places that I’ve never seen before, I’m going to go travel a little, that’s all.”
As the first verbal commitment of 2012, it appears that the 2012 recruiting class will be built around Tee Shepard, and that sits well with him, “It feels great, coach Denbrock made me feel like I was a big part of this class.”
With his skill level as it stands now, Shepard has the potential to be an immediate impact player on one of the best defensive units in the country. “I just want to make the defense better, ” Shepard said, “I can hit and I can cover, it just feels great to be a part of a defense like this.”
Tee Shepard is one of the best defensive backs in the country and his excitement about attending Notre Dame will multiply after his visit next week. Coach Denbrock couldn’t have picked a better young man to build a recruiting class around. Welcome to the family Tee.
Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com