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Russell Shepard's career at LSU isn't turning out quite as he had envisioned, and that might be the best thing that ever happened to him.
The Tigers' quarterback-turned-wide receiver has remade his game in the mold of dynamic players like Percy Harvin, Reggie Bush and Aramanti Edwards, whose versatility allows them to be a big part of their teams' attack on the ground, through the air and even on special teams.
''I want to be a guy who's able to create that big play when we need it, something that Percy did throughout his career,'' Shepard said this week. ''I love players that are able to move around the field. At the end of the day, I want to be a football player. Receiver is my main position, but I feel like I can play other positions.''
Shepard is off to a promising start, having scored touchdowns on a 50-yard run and 6-yard catch in his debut at his new position in the No. 19 Tigers' 30-24 win over North Carolina last Saturday night.
Bush, a Southern Cal standout, is now a key player for the New Orleans Saints. Edwards quarterbacked Appalachian State to the upset over Michigan and the NFL rookie is now doing a little bit of everything for the Carolina Panthers.
But the way Shepard compares his role to Harvin, entering his second year with the Minnesota Vikings, makes sense. LSU receivers coach and passing game coordinator Billy Gonzales was Harvin's receivers coach at Florida.
When Shepard made the move to receiver, Gonzales showed him ''a million clips of Percy Harvin,'' Shepard recalled.
''Seeing how he moved from position to position, how he made things happen, definitely helped me out a lot.''
As a true freshman in 2009, Shepard saw limited action at quarterback, receiver and running back, and contends he can be effective at all three spots as needed. LSU coach Les Miles wants to get Shepard the ball more. Miles has him on the kickoff return team with Patrick Peterson and even seems willing to have Shepard take some snaps at quarterback in the wildcat formation.
''He's really just starting to receive the opportunities that he's going to get,'' Miles said. ''You'll find going forward that his productivity will continue to rise, and he's a guy we'd love to get more touches.''
That's exactly what Vanderbilt coach Robbie Caldwell expects when the Commodores host the Tigers this Saturday.
Caldwell said Shepard ''looks like he catches lightning bugs for practice.''
''He's quick as a cat and can dodge and make you miss.''
Just like he did when he ran away from North Carolina linebacker Bruce Carter and the rest of the Tar Heels' defense on his 50-yard score.
Shepard, who is 6-foot-1, 198 pounds, recently ran an electronically timed 4.45 40-yard dash and has a vertical jump measured at 41 1/2 inches.
He was always a threat to scramble while playing quarterback at Cypress Ridge High School in Texas, where he ran for more than half of the 3,789 total yards and 48 TDs he racked up his senior year.
His speed and agility led most colleges to recruit him as a receiver, but he chose LSU in part because he would be given an opportunity to keep playing quarterback.
Shepard was the third-string quarterback as a freshman behind Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee, and as that season progressed, he began to consider whether a change would be best for his career.
''I realized that Jordan and Jarrett were our two quarterbacks. So I had to sit down and think to myself, `You can play, but where do you best fit this team, and also, where can you have the most success?''' Shepard recalled. ''I realized quarterback is something I did in the past, something I love, but at the same time, I can help this team and I can better myself by playing receiver and running back. So far that's been the best thing for me and I haven't looked back.''
Shepard spent the past six months trying to master the fundamentals of a position he'd never really played, saying he's ''never worked harder at anything in my life.'' Last weekend, it was clear he still had more to learn. He dropped an early pass in the open field and later got flattened by Carter during another incompletion because he did not run his route correctly.
''That's the first time I've ever been hit in my life like that. It woke me up,'' Shepard recalled. ''I told Bruce, when he hit me, `Good hit. You're going to regret that.' A couple plays later I had my long run.''
Harvin's best year at Florida, in terms of yards from scrimmage, was 2007, when he totaled 1,622. His best for touchdowns was 2008, when he had 17.
Shepard said his goal this season is 1,000 total yards and 20 TDs. With 80 yards and two TDs in his first game, he's on pace in touchdowns and close in yardage.
He has yet to face a Southeastern Conference foe this season, but he also expects to improve.
''I had right under six months to prepare to be a starter in the SEC,'' Shepard said. ''The rest of our receiving corps has been receivers their whole life. So I really challenged myself to not be that weak point in this offense.''
He just may turn out to be its greatest strength.
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AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker in Nashville, Tenn., contributed to this report.
