Sterling Shepard: From Sooner Legacy to NFL Standout
Sterling Clay Shepard, born on February 10, 1993, has carved out a notable career as an American professional football wide receiver. From his early days at Heritage Hall High School to his current role with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL), Shepard has consistently demonstrated talent, resilience, and a deep connection to the sport.
Early Life and High School Career
Sterling Shepard's journey began in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Even as Shepard grew up, became a high school superstar. He attended Heritage Hall High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he played football from 2008 to 2011. As a freshman, he was tiny when he first arrived at Oklahoma City’s Heritage Hall as a high school freshman. So small that his new teammates gave him a nickname: Mouse. “He was probably 5-6 or 5-7 and 150 pounds, soaking wet,” recalled Markus Wakefield, a high school teammate of Shepard’s.
As a versatile athlete, he primarily played wide receiver and also contributed on rushes, helping lead the Chargers to multiple successful seasons. In his high school football career, he rushed for 1,115 yards and caught 133 passes for 2,335 yards and 38 touchdowns. As a senior, he carried the ball 28 times for 303 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 73 passes for 1,243 yards and 17 touchdowns. Following his senior season, he was selected to the Under Armour All-American Game. In addition, Shepard competed in basketball and track at Heritage to develop his athleticism.
Collegiate Career at the University of Oklahoma
Shepard enrolled at the University of Oklahoma in 2012, following in the footsteps of his father, Derrick Shepard, a former Sooners All-American wide receiver.
As a true freshman, he appeared in all 13 games, making four starts and serving primarily as a backup. He finished the season with 45 receptions for 621 yards and three touchdowns, marking the third-highest receiving yardage total by an OU freshman at the time. He made his collegiate debut on September 8, against Florida A&M, and had three receptions for 48 receiving yards. In the following game, he had seven receptions for 108 receiving yards and his first collegiate receiving touchdown against Kansas State.
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In his sophomore year of 2013, Shepard broke out as a key contributor to the Sooners' offense, starting 12 of 13 games and missing one due to a knee injury. He recorded 51 receptions for 603 yards and 7 touchdowns, helping Oklahoma to an 11-2 record and a share of the Big 12 title. On September 14, against Tulsa, he had the best game of his collegiate career to that point with eight receptions for 123 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. In the 2014 Sugar Bowl against Alabama, he had his first collegiate rushing touchdown on a 13-yard play.
During his junior season in 2014, Shepard assumed a leadership role as a team captain despite battling a lingering ankle injury that limited his production to 12 games. He tallied 51 receptions for 970 yards and five touchdowns, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors from the conference coaches and ESPN. One notable performance came against Tennessee, where he caught five passes for 109 yards in a 34-10 victory. After recording 49 receptions for 911 yards and five touchdowns through the first seven games of the season, he suffered a groin injury on a reception against Iowa State, which caused him to miss the rest of that game and the next week's game against Baylor and limited him to one reception for 13 yards during the final four games. Under co-offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, Shepard's route-running precision and reliability solidified his status as a core part of the Sooners' passing attack.
As a senior in 2015, Shepard capped his college career with another All-Big 12 first-team selection, leading the team with 86 receptions for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns over 13 games. A Biletnikoff Award semifinalist and ESPN first-team All-American, he provided veteran leadership for a Sooners offense that went 11-2 and reached the College Football Playoff. In the 2015 Orange Bowl semifinal against Clemson, Shepard had a standout game with 11 receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns, though Oklahoma fell 45-37. Shepard served as a punt returner later in his career, recording 19 punt returns for 148 yards in 2015 with no touchdowns; his career total included 30 punt returns for 221 yards. He had no significant kickoff returns.
Shepard ended his college career as one of the most productive wide receivers in Oklahoma’s storied football history. In four years as a Sooner, he caught 233 passes for 3,482 yards - both good for second in school history - and 26 touchdowns.
NFL Draft and Early Career with the New York Giants
Shepard was selected by the New York Giants in the second round (40th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. Friday night, though, the receiver formerly known as “Mouse” became a Giant. The New York Giants selected Shepard in the second round with the 40th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, making him the first Sooner picked this year and adding another chapter to his family’s football legacy. Shepard was joined by around 100 family members, friends, coaches and teammates at a watch party in a swanky downtown Oklahoma City condominium. “I’m so blessed and excited for this moment,” Shepard said. “It’s one I’ve been waiting on since I was a little kid.” Because four wide receivers were selected in the first 23 picks of Thursday’s first round, it was expected that Shepard would go early Friday. Still, he sat with his mother and two sisters, nervously waiting through the first eight picks before his phone rang. Shepard reached back to show the phone, who looked at the phone number said, “New York.” On the line was Giants coach Ben McAdoo, who gave a relieved Shepard the good news. “I had all my friends and family here waiting, so I didn’t want to be embarrassed,” Shepard said with a laugh. “That was the main thing for me.
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As a rookie in 2016, Shepard appeared in all 16 games, starting seven, and recorded 65 receptions for 683 yards and eight touchdowns, establishing himself as a reliable slot receiver alongside Odell Beckham Jr. Going into the regular season, Shepard was named a starting wide receiver, along with Odell Beckham Jr. On November 20, 2016, Shepard had his third game in a row with a touchdown after he finished a 22-16 victory over the Chicago Bears with five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. In a Week 16 match-up against the Philadelphia Eagles, Shepard made seven catches for 61 yards and a touchdown as the Giants lost 24-19. He finished the season with 65 receptions for 683 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns. The Giants made the playoffs with an 11-5 record.
Peak Performance and Challenges (2017-2023)
Shepard's peak years came from 2017 to 2019, during which he solidified his role as the Giants' primary slot option amid the team's transition and rebuild.
The Giants started the 2017 season off with nine receptions for 67 receiving yards combined in the first two games against the Cowboys and Detroit Lions. In the next game, against the Eagles, he had seven receptions for 133 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown, which was a 77-yard reception. In 2017, limited to 11 games due to a concussion, he amassed 59 receptions for 731 yards and two touchdowns, including a pivotal 11-yard game-winning touchdown reception from Eli Manning with 2:04 remaining in a 32-31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. During the 2017 season, Shepard missed multiple games due to reported issues with migraines. During Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, Shepard had a career high eleven receptions for 142 receiving yards as the Giants lost 31-21. Later that season, in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Shepard tied his career high for receptions, and set a new high for targets, with sixteen.
The following season, 2018, he played all 16 games with 66 receptions for 872 yards and four touchdowns, showcasing his route-running precision and yards-after-catch ability.
In Week 2 in the 2023 season against the Bears, Shepard left the game in the second quarter with a toe injury and did not return. On March 12, 2023, Shepard signed a one-year contract with the Giants. In the 2023 season, he appeared in 15 games and started two.
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The 2020-2023 seasons brought significant challenges for Shepard, marked by injuries that curtailed his production and availability. In 2020, he recorded 66 receptions for 656 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games, dealing with minor ailments but remaining a key target for Daniel Jones.
Move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After being released by the New York Giants, Sterling Shepard signed a one-year, $1.37 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on June 6, 2024. He began the 2024 season on the practice squad while recovering from prior injuries, including a torn ACL from the previous year, before being elevated to the active roster. On March 14, 2025, the Buccaneers re-signed Shepard to a one-year, $1.75 million extension, with $500,000 guaranteed. Through Week 10 of the 2025 season (as of November 16), he has appeared in 9 games, catching 30 passes for 295 yards and one touchdown. His versatility as a slot receiver has been key in filling the No. A highlight of Shepard's 2025 campaign came in Week 5, when he hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield in a 38-35 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, capping a clutch drive.
Statistical Overview and Playing Style
Sterling Shepard's regular season performance in the NFL has been marked by consistent production as a slot receiver, with a career total of 434 receptions for 4,724 yards and 25 receiving touchdowns through nine games of the 2025 season. His rookie year in 2016 was particularly notable, establishing him as a reliable target with high touchdown efficiency. Shepard's peak production occurred from 2017 to 2019, during which he amassed 182 receptions for 2,179 yards and 9 touchdowns across 37 games, showcasing his route-running precision and yards-after-catch ability. In addition to receiving, Shepard contributed modestly on the ground with 35 rushing attempts for 247 yards and 1 touchdown over his career, primarily as a gadget player in his early Giants seasons. He also returned 42 punts for 414 yards during 2016-2017, adding versatility to his role.
Family Legacy and Personal Life
As an OU receiver standout, Shepard followed in his father’s footsteps. His father, Derrick Shepard, played at Oklahoma and in the NFL from 1987 to 1991 as a wide receiver. Derrick Shepard played for the Sooners’ 1985 national championship team and went on to a six-year NFL career with the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys. Tragedy struck the family in 1999 when Derrick Shepard died suddenly at age 35 from a heart attack while playing racquetball, leaving six-year-old Sterling without his father and profoundly affecting the household emotionally. Derrick Shepard died of a heart attack when he was 35 and Sterling was only 6. “I’m sure he would be proud,” Sterling said of his dad. “With what my family’s been through, and to see how we’ve overcome it, this next step is just gonna be great for us. I just can’t wait to get it going.” Shepard grew up with an older sister, Ashleigh, and a younger sister, Shelby, in a family steeped in Oklahoma football tradition, as his uncles Darrell Shepard (1980-1981) and Woodie Shepard (1975-1979) also played for the Sooners. Following her husband's death, Cheri Shepard took on the primary role of raising the family, providing unwavering support for Sterling's early athletic endeavors and instilling resilience amid their grief.
Shepard married model Chanel Iman on March 3, 2018. On August 10, 2018, their first child, Cali Clay Shepard, was born. On December 17, 2019, they welcomed their second daughter, Cassie Snow Shepard.
Community Involvement
Since joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024, Shepard has continued his community work, including hosting a fundraising event for Hope to Dream, a nonprofit providing bedding to children in need, and participating in the team's My Cause, My Cleats efforts to support various charitable organizations. In November 2025, Shepard co-hosted a fundraising event for Hope to Dream at Topgolf in St.
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