Recruiting: Kenny Shaw Update

Kenny Shaw - WR
Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips HS

-Jason Roberts, Prism Press Group

Given our organization’s association with the Central Florida National Football Foundation / College Hall of Fame Chapter, it was a true treat when, for the last interview of the day, PRISM Press Group was provided the opportunity to speak with one of Central Florida’s best at the wide receiver position in Shaw.

The six-foot, 170 pound youngster noted that he hasn’t committed to any school yet, and will likely not do so until January, when he’s scheduled to participate in the Under Armour All-American High School Football Game.

Still, we were able to glean that Florida State appears near-and-dear to Shaw’s heart, particularly after hearing him describe a visit to Tallahassee in which he was able to don a FSU helmet while walking out onto the field at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Given the above, it’s important to note that there’s more substance to Shaw than just the helmet and uniform he might wear come the fall of 2010; he states he really loved the support that the surrounding community in Tallahassee provided the FSU football program and felt a tremendous connection with the man that would serve as his position coach should he end up playing for the Seminoles, Lawrence Dawsey.

Florida, Georgia, and Alabama also remain in the mix for Shaw at this point, but, given the discussion had on Saturday after the Southeast won the Gridiron Kings championship game, it is hard to imagine the youngster having a change of heart and going anywhere else other than Florida State.

Shaw showed his knowledge of the game in discussing what made the West squad he and his teammates readily defeated by a score of 32-0 in the first game of the day a much stronger opponent in a rematch in the deciding contest Saturday afternoon.  Shaw expressed that he felt the Southeast might have shown its opponent too much, too early during the first game of the day, and admitted that he felt most of the Southeast’s receivers had trouble catching the West’s defenders off-guard during the first half of the championship contest.  Still, he felt that enough had been done in terms of adjustment in the second half to compensate, and expressed he had complete confidence in his coaching staff ability to lead the Southeast to victory when the defense forced a turnover on downs with just over five minutes left in the game and the score knotted at 6-6.

In terms of what makes Shaw stand out as a recruit?  Ask him and he’ll tell you he feels it has a lot to do with the way he runs routes and the degree of speed he brings after bringing in a pass.  Don’t let the 4.6 40-yard dash quoted by most recruiting services fool you; Shaw can flat out fly, and easily eludes pursuing defenders, both at the point of attack and with sharp cuts that more times than not move him easily past an intended tackler.

We also took a moment to ask how he felt about the state of Central Florida high school football and whether or not he felt that it was too often overlooked for more well-known players from the southern part of the state.  He agreed wholeheartedly that this was the case and voiced a desire to such a scenario changed.  He stated too that he felt a great sense of responsibility in representing the quality of player that Central Florida high school football programs can manufacture.  As such, he heads into fall with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and hungry to prove even more than he has already (64 passes, 913 yards, 10 touchdowns in 2008) that rising stars can be found even in the most unexpected of geographic locales.

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