Sterling Shepard facts for kids
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Shepard in 2019
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| No. 17 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | February 10, 1993 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 196 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Heritage Hall (Oklahoma City) | ||||||||||
| College: | Oklahoma (2012–2015) | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2016 / Round: 2 / Pick: 40 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2024 | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Sterling Clay Shepard (born February 10, 1993) is an American professional football player. He plays as a wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League (NFL). Before joining the NFL, Shepard played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners. The New York Giants picked him in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Sterling Shepard was born on February 10, 1993. He grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Sterling went to Heritage Hall School where he was a star in high school football.
During his high school career, he ran for over 1,100 yards. He also caught 133 passes for more than 2,300 yards and scored 38 touchdowns. In his final year, he had an amazing season, scoring 17 touchdowns from catches.
After his senior year, Sterling was chosen to play in the Under Armour All-American Game. This game features the best high school football players in the country. Besides football, he also played basketball and competed in track. He even placed second in the long jump at the State Meet.
Many top sports websites, like ESPN.com and Rivals.com, saw Sterling as a top four-star recruit. He decided to play college football at the University of Oklahoma for coach Bob Stoops.
College Football Journey
Sterling Shepard started playing for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2012 as a first-year student. He played in all 13 games and started four of them. He caught 45 passes for 621 yards and scored three touchdowns. His first college touchdown came against Kansas State.
In 2013, during his second year, he started 12 games. He had 51 catches for 603 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a great game against Tulsa, catching eight passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns. In the 2014 Sugar Bowl, he even scored a touchdown by running the ball.
As a junior in 2014, Sterling had a strong start to the season. He set new personal bests for receiving yards in games against Tulsa (177 yards) and TCU (215 yards). He caught 49 passes for 911 yards and five touchdowns in the first seven games. However, a groin injury made him miss some games and limited his play later that season.
In his final year in 2015, Sterling played in all 14 games. He had his best college season with 86 catches for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns. A memorable moment was when he caught a game-winning touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield in overtime against Tennessee. By the end of his college career, he had 233 catches for 3,482 yards and 26 touchdowns.
College Statistics
Sterling's performance during his college years at Oklahoma:
| Season | Team | Conf | Class | Pos | GP | Receiving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||||
| 2012 | Oklahoma | Big 12 | FR | WR | 13 | 45 | 621 | 13.8 | 3 |
| 2013 | Oklahoma | Big 12 | SO | WR | 12 | 51 | 603 | 11.8 | 7 |
| 2014 | Oklahoma | Big 12 | JR | WR | 11 | 51 | 970 | 19.0 | 5 |
| 2015 | Oklahoma | Big 12 | SR | WR | 13 | 86 | 1,288 | 15.0 | 11 |
| Career | 49 | 233 | 3,482 | 14.9 | 26 | ||||
Professional Football Career
Sterling Shepard was chosen by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. He was the 40th player picked overall. The Giants signed him to a four-year contract worth nearly $6 million.
Joining the Giants (2016-2018)
First Season (2016)
In his first NFL season, Sterling was a starting wide receiver for the Giants alongside Odell Beckham Jr.. In his very first game against the Dallas Cowboys, he caught his first career touchdown pass. The next week, he had a season-high eight catches for 117 yards against the New Orleans Saints.
Sterling continued to score touchdowns throughout the season, showing he was a promising player. He finished his rookie year with 65 catches for 683 yards and eight touchdowns. The Giants made it to the playoffs, and Sterling had four catches for 63 yards in his first playoff game. After his great first year, he was named to the Pro Football Writers of America NFL All-Rookie Team.
Second Season (2017)
In 2017, Sterling started strong with a big game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He caught seven passes for 133 yards and a 77-yard touchdown. He missed some games that season due to migraines. Later in the year, he had a career-high 11 catches for 142 yards against the San Francisco 49ers. He finished the season with 59 catches for 731 yards and two touchdowns.
Third Season (2018)
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In 2018, Sterling had another solid season. He had a huge game against the Atlanta Falcons, catching five passes for 167 yards. He also scored the game-winning touchdown against the 49ers. Overall, he ended the 2018 season with 66 catches for 872 yards and four touchdowns.
Later Years with the Giants (2019-2023)
Contract Extension and Injuries (2019-2021)
In April 2019, Sterling signed a new four-year contract with the Giants. He had a good game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, catching seven passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. He finished 2019 with 57 catches for 576 yards and three touchdowns.
The 2020 and 2021 seasons were tough for Sterling due to injuries. In 2020, he missed time with a toe injury but returned to play 12 games. He had a great game against the Cowboys, with 112 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown. In 2021, he started the season strong with 113 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. However, his season ended early when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 15.
Overcoming Injuries (2022-2023)
Unfortunately, Sterling faced another major injury in 2022. In Week 3, he tore his left ACL, which ended his season after only three games.
Despite these challenges, Sterling signed a new one-year contract with the Giants in 2023. He played in 15 games and scored a touchdown against Dallas in Week 10. He finished the season with 10 catches for 57 yards.
Moving to the Buccaneers (2024)
In June 2024, Sterling Shepard signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was later promoted to their main roster and finished the 2024 season with 32 catches for 334 yards and one touchdown.
NFL Career Statistics
Regular Season Stats
Here are Sterling Shepard's statistics from his regular season NFL games:
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Y/G | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Y/G | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2016 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 65 | 683 | 10.5 | 42.7 | 8 | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 1.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | NYG | 11 | 10 | 59 | 731 | 12.4 | 66.5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 66 | 872 | 13.2 | 54.5 | 4 | 3 | 33 | 11.0 | 2.1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | NYG | 10 | 10 | 57 | 576 | 10.1 | 57.6 | 3 | 6 | 72 | 12.0 | 7.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | NYG | 12 | 12 | 66 | 656 | 9.9 | 54.7 | 3 | 6 | 49 | 8.2 | 4.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | NYG | 7 | 6 | 36 | 366 | 10.2 | 52.3 | 1 | 1 | −9 | −9.0 | −1.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | NYG | 3 | 2 | 13 | 154 | 11.8 | 51.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | NYG | 15 | 2 | 10 | 57 | 5.7 | 3.8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0.4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 90 | 74 | 372 | 4,095 | 11.0 | 45.4 | 23 | 24 | 186 | 7.8 | 2.1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
Playoff Stats
Here are Sterling Shepard's statistics from his NFL playoff games:
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Y/G | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Y/G | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2016 | NYG | 1 | 1 | 4 | 63 | 15.8 | 63 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | NYG | 0 | 0 | did not play due to injury | |||||||||||
| Career | 1 | 1 | 4 | 63 | 15.8 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Family Life
Sterling Shepard comes from a family of football players. His father, Derrick Shepard, also played wide receiver at Oklahoma and in the NFL. Sadly, his father passed away when Sterling was six years old. His uncles, Darrell and Woodie, also played football at the University of Oklahoma.
Sterling married model Chanel Iman on March 3, 2018. They have two daughters together: Cali Clay Shepard, born in August 2018, and Cassie Snow Shepard, born in December 2019. In January 2022, Sterling and Chanel announced they were getting divorced.
