AUSTIN, Texas -- One of the top prospects in East Texas in the 2014 class, Newton athlete Kevin Shorter, spoke with SB Nation Recruiting on Friday while at the state track meet.
Kevin Shorter still has the LSU Tigers as his leader
There have been no changes at the top of the Newton (Texas) athlete’s list in nearly two months.
A four-star prospect by 247Sports, Shorter has over 20 offers, but reiterated that the LSU Tigers are still the leader for his services.
"I went to watch an LSU spring practice, that's when I got the offer," he said. "I like the way they practice; they have the music going and it's like a loud game. It's loud there, so you have to practice when it's loud so you can focus on what you're doing during the game."
Asked what else he likes about the Tigers, Shorter was quick to point out the academic center, noting that there’s no reason for anyone to fail with the academic support staff Les Miles and company have put together in Baton Rouge.
The other schools standing out for him? Texas A&M, Georgia, Baylor, Arkansas, and Miami.
The coaching staff is what the Newton product likes about the Aggies, as he said that they “feel like family already.”
He didn’t recall the date of his last visit -- it could have been the early March Junior Day that produced his offer and led him to briefly name the Aggies his leader before picking up his LSU offer. On a visit with one of his coaches, he spoke with head coach Kevin Sumlin.
There was some dispute several weeks ago about whether Shorter picked up a Texas offer early in the spring evaluation period. He clarified on Friday that he does not have an offer, but is high on the Texas board at running back. With the Longhorns looking for two more running backs in the class, there’s a solid chance that Shorter could pick one up in the near future.
He took the opportunity to visit with new Director of Player Personnel Patrick Suddes before he registered for the state track meet and planned on catching up with running back coach Larry Porter on Saturday. Suddes took him on a tour of the facilities, which Shorter said were the best that he’s seen so far.
The ‘Horns are still rather on the outside of his recruitment at this point, in part because they haven’t extended an offer, but also because Shorter is still working on building a relationship with the Texas coaching staff since the Longhorns only recently entered his recruitment in any significant way.
Arkansas is a school that is thought to be in strong position with Shorter, in part because his cousin, DJ Dean, is a 2013 signee. Shorter is set to go on his first trip to Fayetteville when Dean enrolls in July, but he’s already established a good relationship with new head coach Bret Bielema and his staff.
The offense is also appealing to him as a pro-style attack that would allow him to play wide receiver at times and also focuses on running the ball between the tackles on a consistent basis.
Listed as an athlete, Shorter has the build to eventually play cornerback, as he’s high cut and has long arms, but every school is recruiting him either as an athlete or as a running back who can also line up at wide receiver at times. Shorter said that he would like to play offense in college.
The 2A silver medalist in the long jump is planning on having a busy summer showing off his skills at a number of camps, including Texas, TCU, Baylor, and LSU, though he isn’t planning on working out during his time in Baton Rouge.
