Austin Shepherd

For the rugby player, see Austin Sheppard.

Austin Shepherd
refer to caption
Shepherd with the Minnesota Vikings in 2015
Duke Blue Devils
Position:Offensive analyst
Personal information
Born: (1992-05-28) May 28, 1992 (age 32)
Suwanee, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:327 lb (148 kg)
Career information
High school:North Gwinnett
(Suwanee, Georgia)
College:Alabama
NFL draft:2015 / round: 7 / pick: 228
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
As an administrator:
  • Louisiana (2022–2023)
    Director of recruiting & football logistics
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:14
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Austin H. Shepherd (born May 28, 1992) is an American former professional football offensive tackle. He played college football at University of Alabama. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL draft.[1][2] He was also a member of the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Early life

Shepherd attended North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia, where he was teammates with Ja'Wuan James. In his sophomore season, North Gwinnett advanced to the GHSA Class 5A state championship game with 13–2 record, where they lost 34–6 to Valdosta Lowndes led by Greg Reid and Telvin Smith.[3] As a junior, Shepherd helped North Gwinnett to a berth in state quarterfinals behind 10–3 finish, where they lost 20–3 to Alec Ogletree's Newnan.[4] In Shepherd's senior season, North Gwinnett finished with a 13–1 mark, earning Region 7-5A championship while advancing to the state quarterfinals, where they lost 35–0 to Camden County.[5]

He was ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 18 guard and No. 22 by Scout.com, while ESPN.com ranked him 46th nationally as an offensive tackle. He was also ranked 13th on Atlanta Journal-Constitution Georgia Top 50.[6] Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Shepherd chose Alabama over Georgia Tech, Clemson, South Carolina and UAB.[7] He enrolled in January 2010 and participated in spring drills for the Crimson Tide.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4 in
(1.93 m) 		315 lb
(143 kg) 		5.27 s 1.81 s 3.01 s 4.70 s 7.77 s 29 in
(0.74 m)		 7 ft 10 in
(2.39 m)		 17 reps
All values from NFL Combine and Pro Day[8]

Minnesota Vikings (first stint)

Shepherd was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 228th overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.[9] He was signed to a four-year, $2.34 million contract with a $69,694 signing bonus. He was released on August 29, 2016.[10]

San Diego Chargers

On September 4, 2016, Shepherd was signed to the practice squad of the San Diego Chargers.[11] On September 20, 2016, he was released from the practice squad.[12]

Pittsburgh Steelers

On October 11, 2016, Shepherd was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad.[13] He was released by the team on October 19, 2016.

Minnesota Vikings (second stint)

On October 25, 2016, Shepherd was signed to the Vikings' practice squad.[14] He signed a reserve/futures contract with the Vikings on January 2, 2017.[15]

On September 2, 2017, Shepherd was waived by the Vikings.[16]

Coaching career

In 2020, after Shepherd's playing career he joined Florida Atlantic as a graduate assistant.[17] In 2021, he took the same role with Ole Miss.

In 2022, Shepherd moved to an off-the-field role as the director of recruiting and football logistics for Louisiana.[18]

In 2024, Shepherd was hired by Duke as an offensive analyst.[19]

References

  1. ^ "Minnesota Vikings Select Alabama OL Austin Shepherd". Minnesota Vikings. May 2, 2015. Archived from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  2. ^ "Chargers Announce 2016 Practice Squad". San Diego Chargers. September 4, 2016. Archived from the original on November 26, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  3. ^ "Lowndes claims state title, 34–6". Valdosta Daily Times. December 16, 2007.
  4. ^ "Newnan Defense Keys Win Over North Gwinnett In Rematch". Times-Herald. December 6, 2008. Archived from the original on October 17, 2010.
  5. ^ "Camden County 35, North Gwinnett 0". Gwinnett Daily Post. November 27, 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ "Austin Shepherd Bio - ROLLTIDE.COM - University of Alabama Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  7. ^ "Austin Shepherd - Yahoo! Sports". Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  8. ^ "2019 Draft Scout: QB Rankings". Nfldraftsout.com. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  9. ^ "2015 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  10. ^ "Vikings Announce Roster Moves". Vikings.com. August 30, 2016. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017.
  11. ^ "Chargers Announce 2016 Practice Squad". Chargers.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  12. ^ "Chargers Sign Versatile RB Dexter McCluster". Chargers.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  13. ^ "Steelers Waive RB David Cobb From Practice Squad, Sign Two". October 11, 2016.
  14. ^ Peters, Craig (October 25, 2016). "Vikings Announce 6 Practice Squad Moves". Vikings.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016.
  15. ^ Peters, Craig (January 2, 2017). "Vikings Sign 9 Practice Squad Players to Futures Contracts". Vikings.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  16. ^ "Vikings Announce Roster Moves, Set Roster". Vikings.com. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018.
  17. ^ "Austin Shepherd - Football Coach". Florida Atlantic University Athletics. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  18. ^ "Austin Shepherd - Football Coach". Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "Austin Shepherd - Analyst/Offense - Football Coaches". Duke University. Retrieved April 24, 2024.