LSU's biggest recruiting busts under Les Miles: A closer look

1. Russell Shepard (quarterback/wide receiver)

Without much of a question from anyone, Russell Shepard had to be the most disappointing recruit of the Les Miles tenure. Shepard was recruited to LSU as an athlete after starring as a quarterback in high school for Cypress Ridge High School in Houston, Texas. ESPN ranked Shepard as the number three recruit in the country for the class of 2010.

Shepard was converted to wide receiver early on by Miles in his sophomore season full-time. He would end up catching only 53 passes for 544 yards and seven touchdowns over his final three seasons for the Tigers.

Shepard did appear to develop into a decent receiver thanks in part due to his time at LSU as he had a seven year NFL career, including four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Shepard would total 847 receiving yards and six touchdowns during his time in the NFL.

This may not seem like much, but for a player that never even was thought of as a receiver at the college or pro level until Miles decided to make a position change, it is quite impressive and good on Russel for sticking with it.

The position change at LSU however left many wondering “what could have been,” especially given the shortcomings at quarterback for the Tigers during Shepard’s time in Baton Rouge.

Some other honorable mentions worth noting are Jarrett Lee (quarterback), Anthony Johnson (defensive line).

Let me be clear in stating that I do not think the lack of production was of these players’ doing, but rather Miles’ mismanagement.

While every team has recruits that do not work out, the reasons for these was frustrating and leaves us feeling like a lot was left on the table during Miles’ run. Recruiting was consistently top 10 in the country, and there should have been no excuses for developing even more top talent and more national championships.