ALLEN PARK -- Kelvin Sheppard is well aware of what’s happening down at his alma mater, LSU.
Heck, the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator even said if you cut him open, you’d see a “Liger” -- half (Detroit) Lion, half (LSU) Tiger.
Sheppard’s name has made the rounds on social media as a popular name to watch for the position after LSU fired coach Brian Kelly. There have been AI-generated photoshops of him back in the purple and gold on the sideline, and plenty of fans clamoring for his name to be at the top of the list.
Even New Orleans Saints defensive lineman and former LSU standout Davon Godchaux listed Sheppard’s name as someone he wants to see get a chance.
“I’m actually (interested in) the guy, an LSU alumni, Kelvin Sheppard, (who) has been doing an excellent job with the Detroit Lions,” Godchaux told The Advocate. “I don’t know if he has much experience to take the job as of right now, but he’s been doing a hell of a job with Detroit as a defensive coordinator.
“So he’s one of the guys for sure to look out for a future head coaching job, whether that’s college or the NFL ... Who knows. Whoever it is, he’s got to get us back to the promised land, which is a championship at LSU, for sure.”
Sheppard won a national championship as a standout linebacker down in Baton Rouge. He even returned as LSU football’s director of player development in 2020 before landing on Detroit’s staff.
It’s his connection to LSU and his work as defensive coordinator and standing as a fast-rising coach that make him a legitimate name to watch. But for now, Sheppard is worried about his job as defensive coordinator and beating the Minnesota Vikings.
“Obviously, I’ve kept up with them. That’s my alma mater. I keep up with them every year, every week,” Sheppard said on Thursday. “That place molded me into the man that I am today and still becoming. But you know, that school expects championships, and they should. We hoisted a trophy when I was there. They hoisted one after I left there. The standard down there. Just like we’ve created the standard here through hard work, through what you put out there are championships. It’s not just being around, it’s not being competitive, and it’s not winning.
“That’s what we put ourselves in position to do over the course of time is championships. And that school deserves that. That fan base deserves that.”
But Sheppard said he “can’t be interested in something I have no idea about.” The defensive coordinator said he’s tasked with another Tiger this weekend in Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, “so that’s what I’m interested in.”
“But the truth of the matter is nobody has contacted me about anything dealing with a job outside of anything I’m doing right now,” Sheppard said.
“And that’s the honest truth.”
Sheppard served as Detroit’s linebackers coach for four seasons before getting the promotion to take over as defensive coordinator. He’s shown an ability to make adjustments and change things up based on the opponent, no matter who is available or not.
The Lions are generating a ton of pressure and sacks through seven games. Aidan Hutchinson is playing like a superstar pass rusher once again. Al-Quadin Muhammad has been a true breakout on the other side of the defensive line. Jack Campbell has taken the next step toward becoming an all-around elite linebacker. And Sheppard has been able to get the most out of the “next man up” mentality, delivering the team’s best defensive showing of the year despite missing four starters in the secondary.
Sheppard served behind Aaron Glenn for four seasons in Detroit. Glenn’s name was a hot one on the NFL’s coaching carousel for his last couple of years as Detroit’s defensive coordinator, and Sheppard was taking notes and learning from Glenn in how to handle his name in the headlines, too.
“I’m very blessed and fortunate to hold the position that I do here as the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, a winning, soon-to-be-championship organization,” Sheppard said. “And I don’t take that lightly. And whether you’re in this position or you’re a QC (quality control coach) or you’re a janitor, if you start to look out for other things, you will lose the things that you do hold on to currently ... I’ve seen it happen to players chasing contracts, chasing plays on the field instead of letting things come to you when you put your head down.
“I didn’t get to this position by trying to be the defensive coordinator in Detroit. I got to this position by understanding what my role was within this organization. I got to this position by understanding you got to put your head down and go back to work, whether you have success or failure ... And whatever may lie out there for me, God willing, that’s going to happen through success in my current position, not through anything else, not by politicking for anything. Not by trying to set headlines a certain way, but by putting my head down and giving this organization the best version of myself. And that’s what I plan to continue to do.”
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