Kilgore’s Jonathan Shepherd Adds Houston Offer

The stream of in-state offers for Jonathan Shepherd continued into the afternoon hours of Thursday.

Houston is the latest school to offer the junior Kilgore receiver. The Cougars invitation came several hours after Texas State jumped into the picture, and that move followed a scholarship extended by Texas Tech on Wednesday.

Shepherd (6-3, 196), who now has 10 NCAA Division I FBS opportunities, announced his Houston offer through Twitter.

Kilgore finished the 2016 season with a 7-5 record and won a majority share of the District 9-4A Division I championship with signature wins against Carthage and Henderson. Carthage went on to win the Class 4A Division I state championship while Kilgore advanced two rounds into the postseason.

Shepherd caught 17 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns in Kilgore's run-oriented offense.

Houston has been a common destination for local players in recent seasons, but any new players to the program will be signing up to play for Major Applewhite rather than Tom Herman.

Herman left the program between Houston's regular season and the bowl game to become the next head coach at Texas. The Cougars had posted a 9-3 record and went on to lose the Las Vegas Bowl.

Applewhite swiftly re-secured John Tyler quarterback Bryson Smith's signature. Smith had been a longtime Houston commitment, but his status went up in the air when Herman left and offered him as a receiver at Texas.

Kilgore is already represented on the Houston roster. Kevrin Justice will be a redshirt sophomore on the 2017 team and started two games as a freshman.

Shepherd, like all college football prospects currently in their junior year of high school, will become eligible to sign with any school that offers him in December.

2018 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

• Tre Allison, John Tyler, OLB, 6-0, 200 — committed to SMU; additional offers from Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (7)
• Chance Amie, Tyler Lee, QB, 6-3, 190 — offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, Houston, Iowa State, New Mexico, North Texas, Rutgers, Southern Miss, Syracuse, Tulane, ULL, Virginia (17)
• Xavier Benson, Pleasant Grove, LB, 6-0, 200 — offers from Arkansas State, Army, North Texas, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, ULL, ULM (10)
• Drake Centers, Tatum, OL, 6-4, 295 — offers from SMU, Texas State (2)
• Kris Dike, Van, OL, 6-6, 283 — offers from Colorado, Houston, North Texas, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU (6)
• Dekalen Goodson, John Tyler, DE/OLB, 6-2, 215 — offers from Houston, Mississippi State, SMU, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (6)
• Trae Hall, Henderson, QB/ATH, 6-3, 185 — offers from Florida Atlantic, Tulane, ULL (3)
• Conner Henson, Harmony, OL, 6-4, 250 — offers from ULL, ULM (2)
• Chasen Hines, Marshall, OL, 6-3, 340 — committed to LSU; additional offers from Arizona, Baylor, Louisiana Tech, Minnesota, North Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Rice, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech (16)
• Tevailance Hunt, Texas High, WR, 6-2, 180 — committed to Kansas; additional offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Marshall University, Nevada, North Texas, Southern Miss, Tulsa (10)
• Keaontay Ingram, Carthage, RB, 6-0, 198 — offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Florida State, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, LSU, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, UTSA (27)
• Malik Jackson, Lufkin, WR, 5-8, 165 — offer from Arkansas State (1)
• Kameron King, Marshall, OL, 6-3, 270 — offer from Tulane (1)
• DeMarvion Overshown, Arp, S, 6-4, 196 — offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Clemson, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State, LSU, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, SMU, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Stanford, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, UTSA (30)
• Jonathan Shepherd, Kilgore, WR, 6-3, 196 — offers from Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Houston, Kansas State, ULM, New Mexico, Oregon State, TCU, Texas State, Texas Tech (10)
• Tyree Wilson, West Rusk, LB, 6-5, 225 — committed to Washington State; additional offers from Kansas, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, ULL, ULM, Wyoming (8)