Class of 2024 lineman from West Tennessee, Kison Shepard, is beginning to see his recruitment take off. The mauler has picked up several Power 5 offers the past few months with the most recent one coming from the University of Tennessee.

Jerry Mack called Fayette-Ware High School last week and spoke with the offensive lineman’s coach. He then offered the rising junior through that channel and sent an invitation to Shepard for June 26th final prospect camp.

Tennessee has been evaluating the 6-foot-5, 310-pounder for a while now as members of the staff stopped by the high school in spring semester to ask about the prospect.

“Growing up, I followed all SEC schools. I come from an SEC family who likes football,” Shepard said following the offer. “My dad was very excited. My friend, Caleb Herring, congratulated me, too. He told me to come join the family.”

Tennessee’s 2023 linebacker commit knows of Shepard through his Tennessee Select 7-on-7 coaching staff, who also coaches Fayette-Ware. Shepard, who usually mans the camera during the 7-on-7 tournaments, was pressed into action one weekend when the numbers were scarce for the team. That’s how he got to know Herring.

Showing off his athleticism, Shepard collected an interception at middle linebacker. But at the end of the day, the Sommerville, Tenn. native is molding his craft for a future on the offensive line at the Power 5 level.

“I’m very aggressive on the field,” the prospect said. “I really love to hit people.”

The two-year starter at the 4-A level boasts 7 offers at current standing with Tennessee and Florida being the most recent. He’s also picked up offers from Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay.

“I think their program is really cool. I’m supposed to be up their on June 26 and I’m excited,” the offensive lineman said of the Vols. “I love that their coaching staff is improving their program. There are things I’ll be looking for in my recruiting process.

“I want to see if they make me feel like home from the coaching staff - stuff like that. Most of my camps, I do an unofficial visit beforehand. I’m not sure if that’s what I’ll be doing at Tennessee yet, but most likely it will be.”

So, with Tennessee coming up at the end of the month, Shepard will also camp at Texas A&M on June 17 and visit Texas while in the area. Florida will also be a camp destination for the Tennessee native on June 23.

Shepard has already camped at Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Alabama this month.

The process is really just beginning for the 2024 prospect, who can play all five positions on the offensive line and acts as the backup center when needed. Shepard has collected All-Conference honors on both offense and defense (defensive tackle) in his first two years at the prep level and will continue to play on both sides of the line of scrimmage this fall.

With Tennessee, the home state school, offering early – the Vols should be in this one as his recruitment continues to pick up steam. Both parties, Tennessee and Shepard, are looking forward to working with one another to gain better understanding of the other.

That opportunity will come on June 26 for the final prospect camp of the term.