Russell Shepard knows how college football players think. When you’re a 5-star recruit, a former No. 1 dual-threat QB in the country, and someone who spends seven years in the NFL, it’s easy to believe football will always be the plan. That’s why when Texas A&M brought the former LSU star in as part of its player development program, his message to the Aggies players might be the advice they needed to hear.

In the video posted by Texas A&M, Shepard introduced himself and went straight to why he’s at the Aggies facility, saying, “I’m down here talking to the football team about the importance of ownership, transition from professional sports, college sports, and I’m just excited.”

Then, in his speech to Texas A&M players, he revealed how even NFL careers have expiration dates. Russell Shepard knew it while he was still playing. And unlike plenty of former players who wait until retirement to start planning, he began searching for opportunities while still cashing NFL paychecks.

“I was like, ‘Man, this is year eight for me. I got to figure something out.’ The writing’s on the wall. I said, ‘Okay, let me tap into other things,’” he said. “So I started reaching out to different people and I said, ‘What’s something that makes money, makes money when I’m asleep?’ They said, ‘Russell, you need to look at port-a-potties.’ And fast forward now, we’ve been open for about five and a half years.”

Portable toilets may not be everyone’s first choice of business. Nor is it a venture you’d expect from a former SEC star. But it worked pretty well. And that’s why Russell Shepard is urging the young Aggies players to think beyond football and have a plan intact. 

“Regardless of whether it’s your last year here, or you play another 15, 20 years, you can do it, and you can do whatever you want to do,” he continued. “If you do what you got to do and react the right way, depending on how this journey ends for you, you still can get everything that you want, but you got to react the right way and you got to start pursuing it and be aggressive. Chase uncomfortableness, fellas.” 

Shepard arrived at LSU in 2009 carrying huge expectations as the nation’s top-rated dual-threat QB. But it didn’t go as planned, and he didn’t even hear anyone call his name in the 2013 NFL Draft. But he joined Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent. Then he went to Tampa Bay, then to Carolina, and eventually to the New York Giants. He retired after earning nearly $10 million during his seven-year NFL career, but he already had a plan. 

The business idea came from literal trash during his days with the Giants. He saw the dirty garbage before collection and thought about how someone was making a fortune hauling it away. As Russell Shepard later recalled, he called around for advice and received perhaps the most memorable business recommendation imaginable.

“I know you see trash, but you need to look at s—.”

That later led to Shep Boys Waste Management in 2020, the same year he retired. Within four months, the business brought in about $18,000 per month, which shot up to $1 million by Year 2. His business idea may not be glamorous, but it is profitable. And it’s still one way to earn if the football dream doesn’t work out. 

Not every college football player fulfills their NFL dreams

College football spends every offseason selling NFL dreams, but the reality is much harsher. NCAA estimates indicate that only about 1.6% to 2% of college football players ever reach the NFL. Even then, even fewer stay there long enough to build generational wealth.

That’s why programs across the country expose players to alternative careers. Just weeks ago, Miami players visited the FBI’s Miami Field Office to learn about careers in federal law enforcement.

“Yesterday, it was ‘All about the U’ at FBI Miami when a group of University of Miami football players spent some time at our office to learn about FBI careers and to get an inside look at our capabilities,” FBI Miami posted on social media back in May. “The FBI actively recruits former college athletes as they possess many of the skills we are looking for in agents, including fitness, discipline, and teamwork.”

Russell Shepard’s story might be the most powerful example of that reality. The former LSU star didn’t become a billionaire tech founder or a TV celebrity. He just found an opportunity that most people wouldn’t even look for.