National Signing Day is finally here. By the end of the day, LSU will have secured a top-five recruiting class and maybe even the No. 1 class in the nation.Every recruiting class has its stars — the high-profile guys who always have their name in the spotlight. And for an LSU class filled with talented prospects from top to bottom, there is little doubt the star of this Tiger class is Russell Shepard. Shepard’s name is already known by most Tiger fans, and he hasn’t even taken his first snap, which begs the question: Is Shepard LSU’s biggest recruit ever? He’s the most-hyped player to come to Baton Rouge since the much-maligned former quarterback Ryan Perrilloux. While their history off the field couldn’t be more different, both players were ranked as the top dual-threat quarterback in the nation in their respective years. Shepard is ranked the No. 7 overall player, according to Rivals.com, and the No. 4 player on Scout.com. In 2005, Perrilloux was the No. 16 overall player according to Rivals and was USA Today’s Offensive Player of the Year.        The consensus five-star quarterback prospect from Cypress Ridge High School in Houston has been right around the top of overall player rankings on both Rivals.com and Scout.com all year.After a recruiting battle with Texas, the Tigers came away with the commitment of the dual-threat phenom, which turned out to be bigger than imagined once Shepard began recruiting for the Tigers. The 6-foot-1-inch quarterback helped recruit his cousin, five-star safety prospect Craig Loston, to LSU while also being in the ear of other high profile players across the country.Shepard then enrolled at LSU for the spring semester, one semester earlier than most of the 2009 recruiting class.But what exactly will the fans expect of the true freshman when next season rolls around?”It’s probably a bit different for [Shepard] because Perrilloux came when JaMarcus Russell and [Matt] Flynn were on campus,” said Mike Scarborough, recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. “Shepard and [five-star wide receiver prospect Rueben] Randle are two guys that you feel are definitely going to play a role next year. Shepard is already on campus — you know he’s going to play some in the slot. They’ll have different packages with him at quarterback. It’s going to be a real interesting spring.”Shepard is well aware of his growing status.”It all just adds to the hype,” Shepard said. “[Coach Les Miles and coach Larry Porter] realize that I’m coming into school as probably the most-hyped player that’s come to this school since Ryan Perrilloux. They coach me up on it and teach me how to handle it, but it just adds to the hype, adds to the pressure that’s going to be put on me.”And fans have high expectations for the freshman.”The fans are really excited about him because he’s a different kind of quarterback,” said Sanjay Juneja, biology senior. “He’s an incredible runner, and he can throw. He’s regarded by all the coaches as a very humble person who doesn’t look for the limelight. I think he’s going to leave a legacy like he’s the next [Tim] Tebow.”Other fans are just excited to add Shepard to the roster, even if he doesn’t see many reps at quarterback.”He’s just going to be a freshman this year, and he’s not going to be redshirted,” said Brady McMillan, biology freshman. “So he’s not going to know everything, but he’s so fast, he’s going to do fine. I don’t think he’s going to play quarterback though, but he’ll live up to expectations as a playmaker.”But Shepard will be the first to say hype and popularity don’t translate to the football field.”Hype is hype,” Shepard said. “I have to go in and prove myself to teammates and to my coaches. I’m not going in with a big head. I’m going in as a freshman, somebody that has to work their way to the top.”   ——Contact Tyler Harvey at [email protected]