El Dorado’s Shepherd headed to Louisiana Tech
Playing through an injury as a senior, El Dorado's Eli Shepherd built his reputation as a gritty, gutty quarterback. Shepherd plans to take that grit to Ruston to play football at Louisiana Tech.
El Dorado football coach Steven Jones said Shepherd accepted a preferred walk-on offer from the Division I Bulldogs.
“He's going to have an opportunity to go down to Louisiana Tech and play. He's going to start practicing with the team and report in August. He will be, right now, one of four or five quarterbacks on the roster,” said Jones.
“I'm excited for him. He's a good player. I think he'll go down there and end up getting on the field. He's a hard-working kid. I'm really excited for this opportunity for him.”
Shepherd led the Wildcats to the state playoffs last season, completing 120 of 191 passes for 1,477 yards and 13 touchdowns with six interceptions. He also rushed for 257 yards and three touchdowns.
After the season, it was revealed Shepherd had played despite a torn labrum, suffered in El Dorado's benefit game with North Little Rock.
“It was tough as far as promoting Eli to colleges this year because of his injury. You could see a real discrepancy in how he threw from his junior year,” said Jones. “Probably the toughest thing I've ever seen since I've been a coach is watching him decide to play through that and to learn to throw and modify and, kind of have to overcompensate to get the ball out. He wasn't nearly as accurate at times, but he figured out how to make it work. He showed tons of toughness. The coaches know that now. He had surgery. He's in the recovery stage. I expect him to come back a hundred percent and look like the kid that was
one of our most improved players going from junior to senior year.”
At 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, Shepherd's intangibles have been critical to his success on the field. Leadership and toughness are prerequisites to playing quarterback. Jones said he's already displayed those attributes.
“The thing that stood out the most was the toughness,” said Jones. “To play through an injury like that in your throwing shoulder, it was amazing to see how tough he is. That's kind of how he's willed his way to play to the Division I level is his toughness. Coaches take note of that and I'm excited for him.”
Jones said Shepherd had Division II interest, including an offer from Ouachita Baptist University.