W. Kentucky's JaMarcus Shephard to be Wash. State inside receivers coach
Western Kentucky wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator JaMarcus Shephard will be the new inside receivers coach for Washington State coach Mike Leach, according to sources.
This past season was Shephard’s second in charge of Western Kentucky’s wide receivers and first overseeing special teams. He was a quality control assistant for the program in 2013, working with the wide receivers under then-Hilltoppers coach Bobby Petrino.
The 32-year-old Shephard was also a defensive analyst and volunteer assistant for Western Kentucky from 2011–12. Prior to that, he worked for the National Center for Drug Free Sport for four years.
Shephard worked in the NCAA’s education services division from 2005–07. He was also an assistant track and field coach at his alma mater, DePauw, in ’07. He coached wide receivers and defensive backs at Broad Ripple High in Indianapolis in 2006 after a year as the wide receivers coach at his high school alma mater, Northrop High, in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Ind.
Shephard played wide receiver at DePauw from 2001–04, finishing with 168 catches for 2,382 yards. He also left as the school's all-time leader in kick return yards and kick return average. While a senior, Shephard did an internship with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.
At Washington State, he replaces former inside receivers coach David Yost, who left to become Oregon’s quarterbacks coach.
The Cougars went 9–4 this season under Leach, capping the campaign with a win over Miami in the Sun Bowl. It was Washington State’s best season since 2003.
