Rutgers made a splash on Tuesday after flipping Iona Prep (New Rochelle, N.Y.) three-star (ESPN) quarterback Ajani Sheppard from the Old Dominion Big Blue, which originally earned Sheppard’s pledge on June 27. Sure, Sheppard is one heck of a high school quarterback, but does he have any preexisting ties to Rutgers? How long has he played quarterback, and what is he best at? Will he arrive in January?
Find answers to those questions and more as NJ Advance Media brings you Cool facts about Ajani Sheppard, Rutgers’ latest quarterback pledge.
The athletic quarterback has preexisting ties to Rutgers. Although Sheppard didn’t officially connect with Rutgers interim offensive coordinator Nunzio Campanile until earlier this month, Sheppard’s QB trainer is Matt Simms, who Campanile coached as an offensive coordinator for Don Bosco in the early 2000s.
St. Anthony’s (Melville, N.Y.) athlete and fellow Rutgers pledge Ian Strong led the Friars in a 48-42 win over Sheppard and the Gaels on Oct. 1. Sheppard has also battled Holy Trinity Diocesan (Hicksville, N.Y.) wide receiver, DB and future teammate Dylan Braithwaite, who he calls a “great player,” on the 7-on-7 circuit.
Sheppard is being ushered to Rutgers to run a dual-threat quarterback system, which he was told is the direction that Rutgers’ offense is headed in.
The quarterback says he will arrive at Rutgers next Summer. Unfortunately for Rutgers, Iona Prep doesn’t allow early graduation, so he won’t arrive in time to battle sophomore Gavin Wimsatt next spring.
Sheppard is big but can really run despite his size. He recorded a 4.53-second electronic 40-yard dash at The Opening in June.
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Sheppard considers himself more of a “lead by example type of guy.” He led Iona Prep to a nationally shocking win over New Jersey power Don Bosco Prep this season, which resulted in Dan Sabella calling him the best player on the field that day.
“I took what the defense gave me,” he said. “They have a really tough defense, so it wasn’t easy. It came down to the last possession on our side. I had a 45-yard touchdown run to seal the game. Then, my teammate got the game sealing interception.”
Sheppard has a 93.2 average and will study business and criminal justice at Rutgers.
Despite announcing his pledge on Tuesday, Sheppard officially committed to Greg Schiano late Monday night: “It was late so he was a little tired but that woke him up a little bit.”
Sheppard has played quarterback since the age of five: “I just naturally gravitated towards quarterback. I saw it and it just felt right to me. I always wanted to be in control,” he said.
Sheppard says he’s a playmaker who is decisive, and who has the arm strength to drive the ball down the field and the size and speed to beat teams with his feet.
Ajani will be the third of his brothers to play Division I football. The oldest, Aaaqil, played at Urbana University before transferring to the University of Albany. Ajani’s middle brother, Qaadir, was offered by Kyle Flood when he unofficially visited Rutgers in March 2014, but began his career at Syracuse before ending it at Ole Miss.
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Todderick Hunt may be reached at thunt@njadvancemedia.com.
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