Will Shipley Named Inaugural 2021 Adopt-A-Player
In a post last week I introduced you to the Adopt-a-Player concept. In a nutshell, we randomly select a top high school prospect and follow his football career. Well, the stork made his delivery. I present to you the inaugural 2021 Adopt-a-Player:
Will Shipley
5’-11” 200 lbs
Position: RB
Hometown: Weddington, NC
Commit Status: Clemson (signed May 5, 2020)
Will Shipley – Get to Know Him
Will was born August 29, 2002. He attended Weddington High School in North Carolina as a straight-A student. Will led his 2019 high school football team to an undefeated 16-0 record and state 3A title – the school’s second straight state title. Will signed his commitment to play college ball at Clemson on May 5, 2020.
Shipley is also an exceptional lacrosse athlete and received college offers for that sport as well. He helped his team win two state lacrosse titles.
Will ran indoor track as a sophomore and displayed strong track times. He posted a personal best of 6.36 in the 55-meter dash in the 2019 Charlotte City Championships.
My take: I’ll be cheering for the kid. There’s a lot to like about him. If I were a scout, I’d check out his teammates on the offensive line for prospects as well. On most of Shipley’s runs, the holes created by the O-line are big enough for the proverbial truck to drive through. Shipley’s speed obviously gives him a huge edge among high school players. My hope is that his speed will translate into success on the D1 level as well. I’d like to see a little more wiggle, but the scouting reports assure that Shipley has good vision, reads his blocks, and finds daylight. They also say he demonstrates good balance and is tough to bring down.
Shipley is clearly a hard worker. It will be exciting and fun to follow his football career and watch him develop as a player.
Career high school football stats:
| SEASON | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | REC | YDS | AVG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 (Freshman) | 109 | 690 | 6.3 | 5 | 19 | 423 | 22.3 | 8 |
| 2018 (Sophomore) | 206 | 1417 | 6.9 | 19 | 31 | 406 | 13.1 | 6 |
| 2019 (Junior) | 188 | 2066 | 11.0 | 31 | 34 | 582 | 17.1 | 9 |
| 2020 (Senior) * | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 503 | 4173 | 8.3 | 55 | 84 | 1411 | 16.8 | 23 |
* – Did not have a 2020 high school season due to COVID-19 pandemic
Sports Stars of Tomorrow Feature on Will Shipley:
An Introduction to Will Shipley from Scott Fisher’s YouTube Channel:
Will Shipley Official Commitment Video: