Driver immediately closed in on Shepherd, lifting him over his head and choke-slamming him into the turf.

As he slammed the cornerback into the ground, the crowd erupted into chaos while Driver shrugged his shoulders.

Shepherd popped up from the ground, ready to go at Driver after the slam, but his teammates held him back.

Officials called a personal foul because of the dirty takedown, but the penalty wound up being a non-factor in the Rebels’ 38-3 victory over Ballard, improving their record to 4-1.

Driver, a senior who plays on both ends of the ball at Boyle County, was named Kentucky’s 4A Player of the Year in 2025 after putting up 875 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns, 67 tackles and five interceptions.

He was also named USA Today’s All-American Preseason Third Team.

Driver has run into other conduct issues on the field this season, however. He was ejected following two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties during the Rebels’ Week 3 matchup against Lexington Catholic.

Driver was suspended for the following game, which was Boyle County’s only loss of the season so far.

Before committing to Oklahoma in March, Driver was heavily recruited by Kentucky, saying that the program’s new leadership took a more active approach compared to former Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops.

“When Mark Stoops was there, they recruited me a little bit, but they stopped. That brought it down. When Will Stein and the staff came in, it opened my interest more,” Driver told On 3’s KSR+ in March. “I feel like I’d fit well because of how he’s used his tight ends at Oregon, like [Kenyon] Sadiq.

“They used him a lot, as well as the tight end before him.”