Texas still pursuing Zach Shackelford. They sent a coach (Matt Maddox) to visit with Zach on Sunday. I feel good that he sticks with his commitment, but this is interesting news nonetheless.
Also came across this really cool article on Zach
THE LOWDOWN ON OG/C ZACH SHACKELFORD FROM A FORMER MEMBER OF THE TEXAS STAFF
Once I saw Texas had offered 2016 OG/C Zach Shackelford and that “Shack” was playing at Belton, where former Longhorns’ quality control assistant coach Bob Shipley (father of Jordan and Jaxon Shipley) is now the head coach, I rang him up. First of all, I love Bob Shipley because there’s no wasted motion. He tells you like it is. No BS. (And, by the way, he says Jaxon is doing well on the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad and has been taken under the wing of Larry Fitzgerald, who includes Jaxon in his regular golf group.) If Bob Shipley didn’t think Shackelford, currently committed to Kansas State, could play at a high level for Texas, he would say so.
But Shipley said Shackelford, who will play center or guard in college, has the talent, work ethic and tough temperament that Charlie Strong is looking for. “Shack is a quiet guy, easygoing guy off the field. Never in trouble. Good student,” Shipley said. “He’s not one of those guys who screams and yells out on the field or anything. He just really plays hard every single snap. He’s an offensive lineman with a defensive lineman’s mentality. He’s just very aggressive. He loves the contact. He loves to mix it up and try to dominate everyone he goes against. From my experience – the two or three months I worked with Charlie – I just think he fits what he (Strong) wants in terms of being physically and mentally tough. We coach ‘em hard. We get in their grills, and he responds to it well. Some guys pout and get their feelings hurt, and he doesn’t at all. Of course, you don’t have to get on him much.”
Shipley said Shackelford got the best of 2016 4-star DE Rahssan Thornton of Killeen Shoemaker (committed to LSU) and has dominated the ends he’s faced while playing tackle this season. “He’s really smart and understands the game,” Shipley said. “He’s always had good feet, but I think he’s quicker than he was last year. He runs well for a big guy. The O-line coach from Michigan was in here in the spring, and he said, ‘I love this guy. He’s got an NFL ass.’ I don’t know what an NFL ass looks like, but apparently Shack’s got one. He’s got kind of a high butt. Really strong, muscular. Some of those big guys don’t have a butt. But he’s got a bubble butt – apparently an NFL ass."
Shipley said Shackelford has taken the lead on a movement by the coaches and players at Belton to bring a tougher mindset to the program. “Shack loves the game and really works on every play to break the will of the guy across from him,” Shipley said. “He’ll get some 15-yarders every once in a while. But I’d rather say, ‘Whoa,’ than ‘Giddy up.’ Our whole team, after last season, we realized we weren’t mentally or physically tough enough,” Shipley continued. “And Shack has been great for the rest of the team. He kind of personifies what we want our kids to be like."
“He got a 15-yarder in our last game - drove a guy and picked him up and slammed him on the ground. A lot of times they’ll call him for holding, because he’ll block a guy five or 10 yards and then he’ll basically just pick ‘em up and body slam him, jump on top of ‘em and try to break the other guy’s will. I don’t like the 15-yarders. Sometimes they don’t come at the best times. But when you’re preaching toughness to your kids all the time, you don’t want to squelch that.”
Also came across this really cool article on Zach
THE LOWDOWN ON OG/C ZACH SHACKELFORD FROM A FORMER MEMBER OF THE TEXAS STAFF
Once I saw Texas had offered 2016 OG/C Zach Shackelford and that “Shack” was playing at Belton, where former Longhorns’ quality control assistant coach Bob Shipley (father of Jordan and Jaxon Shipley) is now the head coach, I rang him up. First of all, I love Bob Shipley because there’s no wasted motion. He tells you like it is. No BS. (And, by the way, he says Jaxon is doing well on the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad and has been taken under the wing of Larry Fitzgerald, who includes Jaxon in his regular golf group.) If Bob Shipley didn’t think Shackelford, currently committed to Kansas State, could play at a high level for Texas, he would say so.
But Shipley said Shackelford, who will play center or guard in college, has the talent, work ethic and tough temperament that Charlie Strong is looking for. “Shack is a quiet guy, easygoing guy off the field. Never in trouble. Good student,” Shipley said. “He’s not one of those guys who screams and yells out on the field or anything. He just really plays hard every single snap. He’s an offensive lineman with a defensive lineman’s mentality. He’s just very aggressive. He loves the contact. He loves to mix it up and try to dominate everyone he goes against. From my experience – the two or three months I worked with Charlie – I just think he fits what he (Strong) wants in terms of being physically and mentally tough. We coach ‘em hard. We get in their grills, and he responds to it well. Some guys pout and get their feelings hurt, and he doesn’t at all. Of course, you don’t have to get on him much.”
Shipley said Shackelford got the best of 2016 4-star DE Rahssan Thornton of Killeen Shoemaker (committed to LSU) and has dominated the ends he’s faced while playing tackle this season. “He’s really smart and understands the game,” Shipley said. “He’s always had good feet, but I think he’s quicker than he was last year. He runs well for a big guy. The O-line coach from Michigan was in here in the spring, and he said, ‘I love this guy. He’s got an NFL ass.’ I don’t know what an NFL ass looks like, but apparently Shack’s got one. He’s got kind of a high butt. Really strong, muscular. Some of those big guys don’t have a butt. But he’s got a bubble butt – apparently an NFL ass."
Shipley said Shackelford has taken the lead on a movement by the coaches and players at Belton to bring a tougher mindset to the program. “Shack loves the game and really works on every play to break the will of the guy across from him,” Shipley said. “He’ll get some 15-yarders every once in a while. But I’d rather say, ‘Whoa,’ than ‘Giddy up.’ Our whole team, after last season, we realized we weren’t mentally or physically tough enough,” Shipley continued. “And Shack has been great for the rest of the team. He kind of personifies what we want our kids to be like."
“He got a 15-yarder in our last game - drove a guy and picked him up and slammed him on the ground. A lot of times they’ll call him for holding, because he’ll block a guy five or 10 yards and then he’ll basically just pick ‘em up and body slam him, jump on top of ‘em and try to break the other guy’s will. I don’t like the 15-yarders. Sometimes they don’t come at the best times. But when you’re preaching toughness to your kids all the time, you don’t want to squelch that.”
