« Football 2014

JaCorey Shepherd

School
Kansas
Position
Cornerback/nickelback/kick returner
Major
Management and Leadership

Classroom

JaCorey Shepherd is a strong student who has earned Academic All-Big 12 Second Team honors for two-straight seasons. Additionally he is a two-time member of both the Athletics Directors Honor Roll and the Big 12 Commissioners Honor Roll. He is currently enrolled in the KU School of Business, pursuing a degree in management and leadership with expected graduation date in May 2015.

Character

JaCorey Shepherd personifies sportsmanship and ethical conduct in everything he does. He is an outstanding teammate, always willing to lend a helping hand or a positive voice of encouragement to those around him. He carries himself in a respectful way at all times on the field of play, never being penalized for any sort of unsportsmanlike conduct. He is courteous to his opponents and the officials. He is a Kansas fan favorite for his constant hard work and effort on the field and in the community. Win or lose, JaCorey Shepherd is a student-athlete who can always be counted on to give it is all and for that he is greatly respected among his peers.

Community

JaCorey Shepherd is an active member of Big Brothers/Big Sisters. He has a little brother, Christopher, through the program. He sees Christopher weekly, if not more often, spending quality time with him and being a mentor in his life. JaCorey learned about Big Brothers/Big Sisters through one of his classes at KU and decided it was something he wanted to be a part of. In addition to the time he spends with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, he has also been active in the local community volunteering at various local elementary schools as a reader/mentor and taking part in several carnivals and field days. JaCorey has also participated in several football clinics with both the special needs community and local area elementary school children. He was Kansas Football’s 2013 Galen Fiss Award winner for demonstrating exemplary service to community and campus.  He also recently took part in shopping with some local homeless youths for back-to-school items. JaCorey attended the 2013 Big 12 Conference Leadership Summit and was recently selected to be on the Kansas Football leadership council. Additionally, JaCorey attended Jayhawk Emergent Leader Retreat in the summer of 2012. He was a 2014 Big 12 Male Sportsperson of the Year nominee.

Competition

After playing in 10 games at wide receiver as a freshman, Kansas senior cornerback JaCorey Shepherd converted to his current position as a sophomore in 2012. An All-Big 12 Conference corner, Shepherd started each of Kansas’ 12 games in 2013 and led the Jayhawks with 15 passes defended, which ranked third in the Big 12 and 17th in the country. His junior season was also highlighted by two interceptions, one of which he returned 32 yards for KU’s lone defensive touchdown of the year. He finished his junior campaign with 45 tackles, two of which were made behind the line of scrimmage, including his first-career sack. Shepherd’s tackling totals ranked fourth among Kansas’ defensive backs and eighth overall on the team. The versatile 5-11, 195-pound corner also led Kansas in kickoff returns, running back 24 kicks and gaining 547 yards, averaging a league seventh-best 22.8 yards-per-return. In the Jayhawks’ win over Louisiana Tech, Shepherd had a standout game turning in a career-high eight tackles against the Bulldogs. Later in the season on the road at TCU, Shepherd had seven tackles, 1.5 were registered in the backfield, including a sack. Shepherd also caused two Horned Frog turnovers, forcing a fumble, and collecting an interception which he returned for a touchdown. He also recovered a fumble at TCU. The next Saturday, Shepherd continued wreaking havoc on opposing offenses with another strong showing against Oklahoma, where he turned in four tackles, an interception and a picked up a fumble recovery.