Nate Sheppard

Duke running back Nate Sheppard, wearing a white helmet, blue jersey and white pants, runs towards the end zone during the 2025 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, which Duke won 42-39 against Arizona State inside Sun Bowl Stadium.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke quarterback Darian Mensah, wearing a white helmet, black jersey and white pants, hands the ball off to running back Nate Sheppard, wearing the same uniform, during Duke's regular season finale against Wake Forest.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke running back Nate Sheppard, wearing a white helmet, white jersey and white pants, runs down the field with the ball in his arms and tries to avoid a tackle versus No. 16 Virginia in the 2025 ACC Championship Game.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke quarterback Darian Mensah, wearing a white helmet, white jersey and white pants, hands the ball off to running back Nate Sheppard, wearing the same uniform, during the ACC Championship Game versus No. 16 Virginia.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke running back Nate Sheppard, wearing a white helmet, white jersey and white pants, runs down the field with the ball in his arms and nears the end zone versus No. 16 Virginia in the 2025 ACC Championship Game.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke running back Nate Sheppard, wearing a white helmet, white jersey and white pants, runs down the field with the ball in his arms and tries to break a tackle versus No. 16 Virginia in the 2025 ACC Championship Game.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke running back Nate Sheppard, wearing a black helmet, white jersey and white pants, runs towards the end zone during the Blue Devils' 32-25 victory at North Carolina on November 22, 2025.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke running back Nate Sheppard, wearing a white helmet, jersey and pants, runs into the end zone for a touchdown at Clemson during the Blue Devils' 46-45 victory.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke running back Nate Sheppard scores his second touchdown during the Blue Devils' 45-21 victory at Cal on October 4, 2025.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke freshman Nate Sheppard runs down the field during his record-setting performance at Syracuse on September 27, 2025.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Freshman Nate Sheppard, wearing an all black Duke uniform, bursts through a hole against NC State on September 20, 2025.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke running back Nate Sheppard gets ready to catch a pass while Brian Parker II prepares to block for Sheppard.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke running back Nate Sheppard sprints down the field at Tulane.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Matt Craycraft and the Blue Devils celebrate a touchdown against Elon.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke running back Nate Sheppard runs up the field between two Elon defenders in his first game as a Blue Devil.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Nate Sheppard runs with the ball in his hand during the 2025 Blue & White Game.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Nate Sheppard looks to make a block during the 2025 Blue & White Game.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Position:
Running Back
Height:
5-10
Class:
Sophomore
Hometown:
Mandeville, La.

2026: Returning starting running back ... Freshman All-America pick by The Athletic in 2025 … Second Team All-ACC by the league and the Associated Press, as well as an Academic All-ACC selection, in 2025 … in 14 games (10 starts), has rushed 200 times for 1,132 yards (5.66) and 11 TDs while catching 37 passes for 286 yards (7.73) and one TD ... added one kickoff return for 22 yards (22.00) … blocked one punt, against Elon in 2025 … has amassed 1,440 all-purpose yards ... owns career per-game averages of 14.29 carries, 80.86 rushing yards, 0.79 rushing touchdowns, 2.64 receptions, 20.43 receiving yards and 102.87 all-purpose yards … has 12 career games with 30+ rushing yards, 10 with 60+, six with 90+ and three with 100+ including a personal-best 170 yards against Arizona State in the 2025 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl ... rushed for a personal-best two TDs four times in 2025, versus Syracuse, California, Connecticut and Wake Forest ... has nine career games with 2+ pass receptions, five with 4+ and a personal-high five against Wake Forest and Virginia in the 2025 ACC Championship Game ... has four career games with 30+ receiving yards including a personal-best 60 against Wake Forest in 2025 ... holds Duke freshman season records for rushing yards, rushing attempts, rushing touchdowns and 100-yard rushing games while owning the rookie single-game mark for highest average per attempt (11.20; vs. Syracuse in 2025) … on Duke’s single-game bowl record chart, ranks first in rushing yards, second in rushing yards per attempt (7.73), third in rushing attempts (22) and fourth in all-purpose yards (190)… on Duke’s career bowl record chart, ranks third in rushing yards, ninth in all-purpose yards and 14th in total offense (170) … has not lost a fumble in 239 career touches ... has played 611 career snaps.

2025: Freshman All-America pick by The Athletic … Second Team All-ACC pick by the league and the Associated Press ... finished fourth in the balloting for ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year ... Academic All-ACC ... named the team’s offensive newcomer of the year … ranked No. 10 on the ESPN.com’s list of the top freshmen of 2025 … ranked No. 86 on Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) list of the 101 best players of the 2025 campaign … earned a PFF rushing grade of 90.0, which ranked sixth among Power Four running backs … posted a PFF total offense grade of 89.5, which ranked tied for fourth among Power Four running backs … among freshmen FBS running backs with at least 50 carries, recorded the fourth-highest PFF total offense grade and tied for the fifth-highest rushing grade … played in all 14 games and started the final 10 ... rushed 200 times for 1,132 yards (5.66) and 11 TDs while catching 37 passes for 286 yards (7.73) and one TD ... added one kickoff return for 22 yards (22.00) … blocked one punt … amassed 1,440 all-purpose yards ... after becoming a starter in game five, averaged 94.40 yards per game and 1.10 touchdowns per tilt during the final 10 contests of the year … rushing yardage total is the sixth most in a year in program history and made Sheppard the only 1,000-yard rookie rusher in Blue Devil history … in ACC history, rushing yardage total is the ninth most by a league rookie … in 2025, ranked second in the ACC in total rushing yards, third in all-purpose yards, third in all-purpose yards per game (102.87), sixth in rushing touchdowns and ninth in yards per carry average … in only conference games, ranked second in the ACC in total rushing yards (735), fifth in rushing touchdowns (8) and 14th in yards per carry average (5.00) … among rookies nationally, ranked second in rushing yardage, third in rushing yardage per game (80.86) and fourth in rushing TDs … among ACC freshmen, ranked third in total receptions, trailing only Miami’s Malachi Toney (WR; 109) and Wake Forest’s Chris Barnes (WR; 39) … turned in 12 games with 30+ rushing yards, 10 with 60+, six with 90+ and three with 100+ including a season-high 170 yards against Arizona State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl ... rushed for a year-best two TDs four times, versus Syracuse, California, Connecticut and Wake Forest ... caught 2+ passes nine times, 4+ five times and tallied a season-high five grabs against Wake Forest and Virginia in the 2025 ACC Championship Game ... collected 30+ receiving yards in four games with a year-best 60 against Wake Forest … lone receiving TD of the year came at Tulane … in Duke single-season history, ranked tied for ninth in rushing touchdowns and 10th in rushing attempts … tied the Duke record for most games with 1+ reception in a season with 14 … reception total is tied for the eighth most by a Duke RB in a year in program history … set Duke freshman season records for rushing yards, rushing attempts, rushing touchdowns and 100-yard rushing games (3) while owning the rookie single-game mark for highest average per attempt (11.20; vs. Syracuse) … also on Duke’s freshman season record charts, ranked second in points scored (70) and all-purpose yards and tied for fifth in receptions … in week five during first career start, rushed 15 times for 168 yards and two TDs while catching four pass for 33 yards in a 38-3 win at Syracuse ... the rushing and all-purpose (201) yardage totals marked the fifth most by a Blue Devil rookie in a game while the rushing yards per attempt average set the Duke rookie record … following game against the Orange, was tabbed the ACC Rookie of the Week and ACC Running Back of the Week … in the ACC Championship Game, ran for a touchdown and caught five passes to become just the second individual to accomplish both in the league’s title tilt, joining Florida State’s Dalvin Cook in the 2014 game versus Georgia Tech ... against Arizona State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, rushed for 170 yards, the third most by an ACC freshman in a bowl game since 1996, trailing only James Conner (Pittsburgh; 229; 2013 Little Caesars Bowl) and Lamar Jackson (Louisville; 226; 2015 Music City Bowl) … paired with Anderson Castle (12) to form Duke’s first ground attack that featured two or more backs with 10 or more touchdowns each … combined with Castle to catch 54 passes, tied for the eighth most by a Duke running back duo in program history ... paired with Cooper Barkate (WR; 72) and Jeremiah Hasley (TE; 40) to catch 149 passes, the seventh most by a Duke WR-TE-RB combination in a year in program history … combined with Barkate to catch 109 passes, tied for the ninth most by a WR-RB combination in a year in program history … one of just five Duke true freshmen to letter and appear in more than four regular season games, joining Bryce Davis, Bradley Gompers, Andrew Pellicciotta and Elliott Schaper ... on Duke’s ACC Championship Game record charts, ranks first in rushing yards in a half (40; 2nd), total rushing yards (97), rushing attempts in a quarter (7; 4th), rushing attempts in a half (10; 2nd), total rushing attempts (21), highest rushing yards per attempt (4.62) and all-purpose yards (128) and is tied for first in most rushing touchdowns (1), most pass receptions in a quarter (3; 2nd) and most pass receptions in a half (5; 1st) … on Duke’s bowl game record charts, ranks first in rushing yards, second in highest rushing yards per attempt (7.73), third in rushing attempts (22), third in rushing yards in a quarter (76; 4th), third in rushing attempts in a half (14; 2nd), tied for third in most rushes of 15+ yards (2), fourth in all-purpose yards (190) and tied for seventh in rushing touchdowns (1) … on the field for 611 snaps … enrolled at Duke in January 2025.

PRIOR TO DUKE: Lettered four seasons at Mandeville under head coach Craig Jones ... rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com ... rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports.com and ESPN.com ... charted as the No. 14 prospect in the state of Louisiana by Rivals.com, the No. 19 prospect by 247Sports.com and the No. 28 prospect by ESPN.com ... the No. 24 running back prospect according to Rivals.com and the No. 32 prospect according to 247Sports.com ... a 2023 all-state honoree ... two time all-district and all-parish selection ... during junior season, totaled 1,816 rushing yards and 32 ground touchdowns while adding 316 receiving yards and four scores ... accumulated 2,132 yards from scrimmage and averaged a TD every eight touches ... helped the Skippers win five of their final six games and advance to the 2023 Division I Non-Select state semifinals as a No. 21 seed ... during the playoff run, totaled 801 rushing yards and 13 TDs to earn Allstate Sugar Bowl Amateur Athlete of the Month for November, 2023 ... as a sophomore, accumulated 1,685 offensive yards with 1,139 rushing and 546 receiving and 25 total touchdowns in 10 games ... earned five additional varsity letters as a member of the basketball team (two) and track & field program (three) ... three-time regional qualifier in the 110-meter hurdles ... also advanced to the regional event in the long jump (junior) and 300-meter hurdles (freshman).

PERSONAL: Son of Rebekah Boyd and Willie Sheppard ... mother played volleyball at Louisiana Tech ... father lettered four years (1999-2000-01-02) as a defensive back at Louisiana Tech and earned second team All-Western Athletic Conference accolades in 2002 ... brother, Will, played the 2024 season as a wide receiver for the Colorado football program after lettering four years at Vanderbilt (2020-21-22-23), earning second team All-SEC honors in 2022 and finishing career tied for third in school history with 21 touchdown receptions as well as becoming the eighth receiver in Vanderbilt history to eclipse 2,000 career receiving yards.