Shepherd attended North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia, where he was teammates with Ja'Wuan James.

In his sophomore season, North Gwinnett advanced to the GHSA Class 5A state championship game with 13–2 record, where they lost 34–6 to Valdosta Lowndes led by Greg Reid and Telvin Smith.

[3] As a junior, Shepherd helped North Gwinnett to a berth in state quarterfinals behind 10–3 finish, where they lost 20–3 to Alec Ogletree's Newnan.

[4] In Shepherd's senior season, North Gwinnett finished with a 13–1 mark, earning Region 7-5A championship while advancing to the state quarterfinals, where they lost 35–0 to Camden County.

[6] Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Shepherd chose Alabama over Georgia Tech, Clemson, South Carolina and UAB.