Cliff-notes: The first big news story from a massive visit weekend involves Belton (Belton) 2016 offensive lineman Zach Shackelford, who became the 14th member of the Texas class and the fourth offensive linemen when he announced his commitment on Twitter.
Rankings: Shackelford is rated as a three-star prospect, and the No. 31 offensive guard prospect in the country. Rivals.com rates him as the No. 89 player in the state of Texas, and he’s currently outside the LSR100.
Key Offers: A longtime Kansas State commitment before his flip to Texas, the Belton native also holds offers from Arizona State, Houston, and Oklahoma State among others. Of note, Tulsa extended a scholarship offer to Shackelford. Obviously, two key members of that offensive staff, including offensive line coach Matt Mattox, are in Austin.
Evaluation: Although he played a lot of tackle in high school, Shackelford projects to be more of a guard/center-type of prospect. On tape, the first thing that stands out about the newest Texas commitment is that he’s not just satisfied with a good block. He wants to bury his guy into the turf, and truly does play to the whistle.
Shackelford is at his best when he’s moving forward as a run-blocker, and is able to engage a defender and use his strength to his advantage. As a junior, Shackelford wanted to lunge at defenders too often and showed slow feet at times. However, he improved in a very noticeable way as a senior when it comes to things like pass-protection, footwork, and balance when trying to deliver a hit on opponents. He almost looks like a different player.
At the line of scrimmage, Shackelford shows some intelligence as an offensive lineman, including one instance when he allowed Kendell Jones to charge at him before cutting the massive defensive lineman with relative ease.
Why it matters: The Longhorns needed to take a large offensive line class, and Shackelford gives them a versatile prospect that can fill a number of roles. In addition to that, it appears like Texas added a player that really improved from his junior to senior season.
Enjoy: This is Belton’s game against Jones, Rahssan Thornton and Killeen Shoemaker. You can go to his page (No. 77 on tape) and watch individual senior games and compare them to his junior highlights.
Rankings: Shackelford is rated as a three-star prospect, and the No. 31 offensive guard prospect in the country. Rivals.com rates him as the No. 89 player in the state of Texas, and he’s currently outside the LSR100.
Key Offers: A longtime Kansas State commitment before his flip to Texas, the Belton native also holds offers from Arizona State, Houston, and Oklahoma State among others. Of note, Tulsa extended a scholarship offer to Shackelford. Obviously, two key members of that offensive staff, including offensive line coach Matt Mattox, are in Austin.
Evaluation: Although he played a lot of tackle in high school, Shackelford projects to be more of a guard/center-type of prospect. On tape, the first thing that stands out about the newest Texas commitment is that he’s not just satisfied with a good block. He wants to bury his guy into the turf, and truly does play to the whistle.
Shackelford is at his best when he’s moving forward as a run-blocker, and is able to engage a defender and use his strength to his advantage. As a junior, Shackelford wanted to lunge at defenders too often and showed slow feet at times. However, he improved in a very noticeable way as a senior when it comes to things like pass-protection, footwork, and balance when trying to deliver a hit on opponents. He almost looks like a different player.
At the line of scrimmage, Shackelford shows some intelligence as an offensive lineman, including one instance when he allowed Kendell Jones to charge at him before cutting the massive defensive lineman with relative ease.
Why it matters: The Longhorns needed to take a large offensive line class, and Shackelford gives them a versatile prospect that can fill a number of roles. In addition to that, it appears like Texas added a player that really improved from his junior to senior season.
Enjoy: This is Belton’s game against Jones, Rahssan Thornton and Killeen Shoemaker. You can go to his page (No. 77 on tape) and watch individual senior games and compare them to his junior highlights.
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