Southern Miss Begins Recruitment Of Kilgore’s Jonathan Shepherd
Jonathan Shepherd has added a sixth NCAA Division I FBS offer in a seven-day span thanks to a college football scholarship opportunity issued Tuesday morning by Southern Miss.
Kilgore's rising senior receiver, who now has 13 FBS offers in total, announced his latest invitation via Twitter.
Shepherd (6-3, 196) played within a run-oriented Kilgore offense last season, but he made the most of his touches. He caught 17 balls for 260 yards and scored twice through 12 games.
Kilgore pulled off big upset wins against Carthage and Henderson for a share of the District 9-4A Division I championship last season and finished the year with a 7-5 record overall. Carthage, which finished third place in the district behind Henderson and Kilgore, ended up winning the Class 4A Division I state title.
Southern Miss, located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, has taken a more active role inside East Texas since head coach Jay Hopson arrived in January of 2016.
Shepherd marks the Golden Eagles' seventh attempt to land a rising senior from the region. The program also has identified Pittsburg receiver Keontae Burns among its field of 2019 targets.
Hopson led Southern Miss to a 6-6 regular season record last year and ended the year on a high note with a New Orleans Bowl win. The Golden Eagles went 1-1 against Southeastern Conference competition with a season-opening win at Kentucky and a midseason loss to LSU while posting a 4-4 record against their Conference USA peers.
If Shepherd ultimately signs with Southern Miss, he will get the opportunity to square off with Auburn twice and Alabama once with other non-conference dates still vacant.
Shepherd, like all college football prospects currently in their junior year of high school, will become eligible to sign with any program 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, Memphis, North Texas, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, ULL, ULM, Wyoming (12)
- Drake Centers, Tatum, OL, 6-4, 295 — offers from SMU, Texas State (2)
- Kylar Cooks, Liberty-Eylau, OL, 6-5, 250 — offers from Arkansas State, North Texas, Texas State (3)
- Kris Dike, Van, OL, 6-6, 283 — offers from Colorado, Houston, North Texas, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Tulane (7)
- Dekalen Goodson, John Tyler, DE/OLB, 6-2, 215 — committed to Houston; additional offers from Mississippi State, SMU, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (6)
- Trae Hall, Henderson, QB/ATH, 6-3, 185 — offers from Florida Atlantic, New Mexico State, Tulane, ULL, ULM (5)
- 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, Florida Atlantic, Houston, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Marshall University, Nevada, North Texas, Oklahoma State, Southern Miss, Tulsa (13)
- 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 — offers from North Texas, Tulane (2)
- 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, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas State, Texas Tech (13)
- Tyree Wilson, West Rusk, LB, 6-5, 225 — committed to Washington State; additional offers from Kansas, Memphis, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Tulane, ULL, ULM, Wyoming (10)