Texas adds huge commitment from OL Javonne Shepherd
In late May, the Texas Longhorns picked up a huge offensive line commitment when Rivals100 member Tyler Johnson chose Texas over a slew of other options, including Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
Texas did it again today, landing a commitment from highly-sought-after offensive line target Javonne Shepherd. The recruiting win with Shepherd comes in a hotly-contest battle with Texas A&M.
The speculations with Shepherd had gone back and forth in the spring and summer between not having a favorite or leaning towards either the Longhorns or Aggies. Earlier in June, after an unofficial visit to Texas, Shepherd listed the Longhorns as the team to beat and he reiterated that point while on campus for the Texas Heat Wave in late June (a day after visiting Texas A&M). On Sunday evening, he made it official and has added his name to the Texas commitment list.
The 6-6, 325-pound Shepherd has developed a strong relationship with new Texas offensive line coach Herb Hand ever since Hand joined the UT staff, and he said there’s a level of comfort with the entire UT staff and current players that other programs couldn’t match.
“It’s just the team, the staff and just everything else. The staff, the players, they treat you like you’re family or more,” Shepherd said. “I’m very cool with Herb Hand, Tom Herman, Corby Meekins – really the whole staff. It’s really like they care for me more than just as a player. It’s as a person as well.”
A four-star prospect, Shepherd is the nation’s No. 29-ranked offensive tackle prospect. The Houston North Forest product becomes the Longhorns’ 15th commitment overall and second offensive line commitment, joining Johnson. Shepherd held more than 20 scholarship offers from the likes of Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Southern Cal and Oregon.
“The commitment of Javonne Shepherd to Texas is not surprising, as he’s named Texas his leader and has been pretty public about his affection towards the Longhorns since then,” said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Nick Krueger. “Even though Texas wrapped up a pretty decent offensive line class in 2018, the pairing of Shepherd with Tyler Johnson makes the 2019 class truly special. Shepherd’s upside is the most exciting thing and his athleticism is what makes him a really intriguing prospect. It’s really going to be up to him how long his path to significant playing time is, but I think once he gets on the field, he is going to be a physical force and really bring some punch and toughness to the offensive line.”
