Sophomore Russell Shepard will move to wide receiver when the LSU Tigers football team opens spring practice today. (Getty Images)

The LSU Tigers football team gets spring practice underway on Monday, and, already, the Tigers are shifting people around to new positions.

Head coach Les Miles announced Wednesday that former five-star quarterback prospect Russell Shepard will move to wide receiver after spending his freshman season at the quarterback.

"He's all at wide receiver," Miles said told reporters. "He'll get ball handling and running back play as a sidelight to his receivers position."

Shepard played a variety of roles during his freshman season at LSU, including quarterback, running back and receiver. He recorded 277 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 45 carries. He also caught five passes for 45 yards.

"This gets him on the field every down," Miles said. "So if he starts with base at wide receiver, then we think that it allows us to play him."

Shepard also averaged a team-high 6.2 yards per carry during the 2009 season and was electrifying when he was on the field.

Coming out of high school, the Rivals recruiting service named him the top dual-threat quarterback in the nation and the seventh-best overall prospect nationally.

The move also solidifies junior Jordan Jefferson's hold on the starting spot at quarterback.

"I think Jordan Jefferson with a year under his belt can expect to reap some of the reward of his experiences," Miles said. "To me that's a spot where we have to be better. I think that he'll continue to progress and give us much better quarterback play."