WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Recruiting: Schools have eye on South Stanly's Shankle

By Sammy Batten

Apr 30, 2008

Luke Little has been a busy man this spring, serving as head coach of the South Stanly High School baseball team and host for a stream of college football coaches who have visited the campus.

“We were supposed to start our conference (baseball) tournament yesterday, so I was dealing with whether or not we could play on the field,’’ Little said Tuesday. “Then I also had five major college (football) coaches come by.

“I didn’t even get to see my classes.’’

Little also serves as South Stanly’s head football coach, which is why he was entertaining assistants from Clemson, N.C. State, North Carolina and Texas A&M on Monday.

Members of those coaching staffs and others began pouring into the town of Norwood since the start of the NCAA evaluation period to recruit South Stanly’s two-way star, Terry Shankle.

Shankle, a 5-foot-11, 165-pounder, was selected Stanly County’s Player of the Year as a junior. He caught 47 passes for 957 yards and scored 12 touchdowns as a wide receiver on offense, and added 78 tackles and produced 15 interceptions that tied him for the state lead as a safety and cornerback on defense.

The performance has earned Shankle scholarship offers from the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Florida, North Carolina, N.C. State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M among others.

Many recruiting analysts regard Shankle as the best cover corner in the state this year.

“Texas A&M told me they were visiting three kids in North Carolina, and that Terry was the No. 1 lockdown corner in the nation that they wanted,’’ Little said.

A tryout at quarterback

Little actually considered making Shankle a quarterback when he arrived at South Stanly last year from Whiteville. Shankle didn’t play offense in his first varsity season as a sophomore.

“My philosophy is you put your best athlete at quarterback,’’ Little said. “I realized he could do a little more than the other guy and I wanted to play them both, so I put him at receiver.

“He is by far our best athlete. He has the speed and everything.’’

Shankle, who has been timed at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash, gave two examples of his talents last season during the state 1-A playoffs.

“In the first round of the playoffs we were being shut out 2-0 at halftime,’’ Little said. “In the second half, we threw two little short screen passes to him and he went about 70 yards with both of them. We wound up winning, 13-2.

“In the third round against Lakewood, we were leading 14-12 at halftime. The only two ways we scored were when he intercepted a pass and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown and right before the half when he took a punt back about 70 yards.

“So, you can see, he can score from anywhere on the field.’’

Clemson, Florida, N.C. State and UNC are schools Shankle has expressed an early interest in, but Little said that could change as his offers increase.

“He’s getting calls from Southern Cal, Texas, everywhere,’’ Little said. “I think he’s still pretty wide open at this point.’’

Shankle isn’t the only Rebel Bulls player college recruiters have their eye on, according to Little.

Junior Detric Allen, a 6-2, 180-pounder, served as quarterback in South Stanly’s spread offense last season. Allen completed 109 of 187 passes for 1,649 yards and 21 touchdowns.

“When Carolina left yesterday they said they thought they’d offer him as a junior,’’ Little said.

Deacons score again

Wake Forest has received a commitment from another prominent Virginia prospect.

Zach Thompson, a 6-5, 250-pound defensive end from Stone Bridge High in Ashburn, Va., has joined the Demon Deacons recruiting Class of 2009 over offers from Boston College, Maryland, N.C. State, Syracuse and Virginia. He is the second player from Stone Bridge to commit to Wake, joining teammate and linebacker Mike Olson.

Thompson was a first-team all-state selection as a junior in helping Stone Bridge to the state championship. He collected more than 50 tackles and had four quarterback sacks.

The commitment from Thompson increases the Wake Forest recruiting class to five.

Fayetteville Observer writer Sammy Batten can be reached at battens@fayobserver.com or (910) 486-3534.