Nation's No. 35-ranked player must sit out following transfer in Fresno, Calif.
Tee Shepard, ranked the
No. 35 senior in the nation by CBS/MaxPreps recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, has been ruled ineligible for his senior year by the California Interscholastic Federation
according to several reports.
Tee Shepard
Photo by Tom Lemming
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound cornerback, who has 10 career interceptions, had transferred from Central East (Fresno, Calif.) to
Washington Union (Fresno, Calif.) over the summer so he could graduate early and attend the University of Notre Dame in January.
An appeal on his behalf will be ruled on within the next two to three weeks.
According to the Fresno Bee, Shepard attended Washington as a freshman and briefly as a sophomore before transferring to Central.
Washington athletic director Jeff Cardoza told the Bee that Shepard's father Ray wants his two sons to both attend Washington. Tee's younger brother, a freshman, enrolled at Washington as well.
"The dad told me eligibility is no
big deal," Cardoza told the Bee. "He did say they will appeal if the transfer is
denied, but they really don't care if he plays because Tee will still
go to Notre Dame."
Cardoza, who serves on the CIF executive committee, knew Tee's transfer was "a shot in the dark."
Tee has been practicing with the team throughout the summer.
