BOULDER — Black and gold is in Will Sheppard’s DNA. After beginning his career in those colors at Vanderbilt, Sheppard didn’t have to change his wardrobe much when he transferred to Colorado this summer for his final year of eligibility. Sheppard also grew up in southeast Louisiana, so naturally he was a fan of the black and gold uniforms of the New Orleans Saints, who played a short drive across Lake Pontchartrain from his hometown of Madisonville.
That’s why you might be shocked to hear who his favorite individual player is. “Julio Jones,” the 6-foot-3 Sheppard told The Denver Gazette recently. How on earth does a die-hard Saints fan fall in love with someone on the rival Atlanta Falcons? “Just (him) being able to do everything and having no flaws,” Sheppard said.
That’s what the Buffaloes believe they’ve gotten in Sheppard, who comes to CU after a standout career in Nashville, where he put up huge numbers over the last three seasons for the Commodores and is the only newcomer with an all-conference selection at a Power 4 program out of the dozens that have joined the Buffs since Deion Sanders was hired. “I’ve seen everything we anticipated seeing when we brought him in here,” CU wide receivers coach Jason Phillips said. “He has a level of physicality, coming from the SEC, that we desperately need in that room.
Obviously, his experience is the biggest thing. The guy’s played a lot of football, so he has something to add to the room as far as kn.