The Russell Shepard era at LSU is one step closer to beginning.Shepard, the nation’s top-ranked quarterback in the class of 2009 according to Rivals.com, is now officially a Tiger after receiving his final transcripts from Cypress Ridge High School in Houston.He has enrolled in the University for the spring semester and will major in marketing.”Yeah, I’ll be there [Jan. 9], and I officially start school today,” Shepard said.Shepard is also excited about the new additions to the Tigers’ coaching staff. LSU announced Jan. 5 former Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis will join coach Les Miles’ staff this season. LSU also announced Jan. 7 former South Carolina safeties coach Ron Cooper will join the staff as secondary coach.”I have done the research on them, and Chavis is an amazing defensive coordinator,” Shepard said. “He’s developed a lot of NFL talent, and he is the right fit for us right now. We have the tools and the players next year to have a successful season.”Shepard completed his high school career Jan. 4 in the Under  Armour All-American game, scoring both touchdowns for the Black Team in a 27-16 losing effort.Shepard threw a 94-yard touchdown pass to Sanford, Fla., wide receiver Andre Debose and ran for a 15-yard touchdown.”I had the opportunity to play with so many great players,” Shepard said. “To me, it prepares me for what I’m about to get into as far as the speed of the game. I think I did well.”Shepard, who has built a reputation as LSU’s unofficial recruiter, did exactly that during the week of Under Armour practices.Debose committed to Florida during the fourth quarter of the Under Armour game. Debose chose  between Florida, Florida State, LSU, Georgia and Miami.Shepard said the battle for the five-star wide receiver may not be done.”We still have a shot with Andre Debose,” Shepard said. “He didn’t realize there was a coaching change at [Florida] after he committed.”But Debose wasn’t the only player Shepard talked to about joining an LSU recruiting class that ranks No. 1, according to Rivals.”We have a great shot with Sam Montgomery (Greenwood, S.C), which is the defensive end that actually had the forced fumble on me [in the Under Armour game],” Shepard said. “We have a great shot at [safety] Darren Myles (Atlanta, Ga.), who wants to play with Craig Loston as well as several other players. I think we’ll finish up with the No. 1 or No. 2 recruiting class.”Loston, a five-star safety prospect from Aldine, Texas, committed to LSU on Jan. 2 during the Under Armour Skills Competition.Shepard said he expects LSU to finish the 2009 recruiting class with Myles, Montgomery, [linebacker] Barkevious Mingo (West Monroe) and [wide receiver] Rueben Randle (Bastrop) with a shot at landing Debose and offensive tackle Xavier Su’a Filo (Provo, Utah).Other 2009 commits who have enrolled for the spring semester include quarterback Chris Garrett (Tupelo, Miss.), running back Dexter Pratt (Navasota, Texas), athlete Drayton Calhoun (Tucker, Ga.), linebacker  Kevin Minter (Suwanee, Ga.) and transfer punter Derek Helton (Fort Scott, Kan.).
 
—-Contact Tyler Harvey at [email protected].