The numbers one and zero will never again be combined on a Cypress Ridge High School football jersey.The final time the No. 10 jersey was donned by a Cypress Ridge player, LSU freshman quarterback Russell Shepard was carving up the Copperas Cove High School defense for 538 yards and six touchdowns.The jersey lives in the Rams’ football immortality after being retired less than a month after his final game.Collecting more than 8,000 yards of total offense and 98 total touchdowns in three seasons as a starter was enough to keep the number from being worn by future generations. The consensus five-star prospect was the 2008 Texas Class 5A Offensive Player of the Year, the Touchdown Club of Houston’s Offensive Player of the Year and a starter in the Under Armour High School All-American Game.But now, Shepard will have to forge a new legacy at a new school, trading in his navy blue and forest green jersey for a purple and gold No. 10. Just how he will contribute behind sophomore quarterbacks Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee is the biggest question surrounding Shepard. The 6-foot-1-inch, 179-pound athlete knows he wants to make an impact any way he can. “I will play wherever I am needed,” Shepard said. “Coach [Les] Miles and the rest of the coaching staff have seen what I can do with the ball in my hands. So regardless of the position I play, it is going to be fun to make plays.”During spring practices, Shepard solely worked out with the quarterbacks, but he has begun to see time at other positions. His main focus is learning how to play behind center at the college level.The rest, he said, will fall into place.”I’d rather go 90 percent, 95 percent quarterback and five percent at the other positions,” Shepard said. “Things like receiver or running back come natural. There are things I have to learn, of course, because I’ve never played the position, but it’s something I can pick up along the way.”Shepard was primarily a dual-threat quarterback in high school. Even though he slung for 1,843 yards and 20 touchdowns while scampering for 1,946 and 28 touchdowns during his senior season, he only caught one ball — an 80-yard screen pass. “If I’m going to play quarterback here, I want to become the traditional drop back quarterback and have the ability to make plays if the pocket breaks down,”   Shepard said.With spread offenses and “wildcat” formations all the rage in today’s college football world, LSU may create a “wild tiger” formation of their own. The coaching staff has been careful not to give away any tricks they may have up their sleeves.”Russell Shepard is a tremendous athlete and a guy who can certainly play quarterback but will play and may get plays at other spots,” Miles said. “We’re still kind of getting a handle on exactly what we want to do with him.”The task of drawing up plays for Shepard belongs to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Gary Crowton, who has been pleased with Shepard’s progress this summer.”He could play a lot of positions and be extremely good at those positions,” Crowton said. “We’re going to let him continue to develop and compete, and as we get into game week, we will make decisions on how and when we will use him.”Shepard has been an ambassador off the field for the Tigers’ football program. After committing to LSU a year before National Signing Day, the high school senior became a recruiting guru, talking to recruits across the nation. Shepard still plans to continue using his warm personality to drag prospects to Baton Rouge.”Any time recruits come up here and they want to know about the program, I’ll be happy to talk to them,” Shepard said. “I love meeting new people, especially athletes like myself that can play football. Getting to talk to people like [freshman wide receiver] Rueben Randle or somebody like [Scout.com five-star running back recruit] Lache Seastrunk from the 2010 class is an amazing feeling.”Being the top recruit of a premier college football program comes with a whirlwind of attention, but veteran players are making sure he is taking it in stride.”People like [senior left tackle] Ciron Black, [senior wide receiver] Brandon LaFell, even [junior defensive back] Kelvin Sheppard — they’ve helped me out tremendously,” Shepard said. “They make sure my head doesn’t get too big.”————Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]