Matthews (N.C.) Weddington class of 2021 running back Will Shipley was named the Gatorade Player Of The Year in North Carolina after a sensational junior season. He ran for 2,066 yards and 30 touchdowns, plus 582 receiving yards and eight more scores, to lead Weddington to back-to-back 3A North Carolina state championships.
"It's just an incredible honor," Shipley said. "I was just so excited. To get an award like that against so much great competition that were also nominated, it meant a lot to me."
Shipley hasn't landed too many new offers recently, mainly because all of the schools coming after him offered him well before his junior season even started. Now, college coaches just want his talents even more after seeing his sensational 2019 season.
Take Notre Dame for example. According to our count, Irish running backs coach Lance Taylor has been by Weddington High School a whopping total of six times since May of 2019. Basically every time Taylor gets an opportunity to go stop at Shipley's school, he makes the trip from South Bend to Charlotte.
Taylor was just in to see Shipley on Friday.
"It's great every time I get to speak to Coach Taylor," Shipley said. "I like him more and more each time I see him. I think it's really important to create relationships with someone you might be coached by for three or four years. Each time I see him, I think that relationship just develops more."
Shipley visited Notre Dame Oct. 12 to see the Irish take down USC 30-27 and loved his experience in South Bend. The four-star recruit met head coach Brian Kelly during the visit, and the staff pitched hard to Shipley why Notre Dame would be a great fit for him.
"Most of the pitching went down when I took my visit there, which was absolutely incredible," Shipley explained. "I got to do everything during the 12 hour day. But just getting to see him and talk about normal stuff, that always means a lot to me. It's not always about recruiting."
The 5-11, 200-pounder may just be Notre Dame's top offensive target in the 2021 class. That assumption can be made in part based on how often Taylor heads down to Charlotte to see the explosive back.
"I keep in really good contact with Coach Taylor," noted Shipley. "He does a really good job of texting me multiple times a week, just seeing what's going on. Being able to talk with him consistently and talking with Coach Kelly, it's always great. It's never dull with those guys. I appreciate every time I get to speak with them. They're very nice to my family and respectful to my time."
Shipley kept an eye on Notre Dame's 2019 season and liked how the Irish played.
"Their schedule was very, very tough," he said. "They suffered two tough losses. I was very impressed with how they handled their season."
He visited Clemson and N.C. State twice during the season since both schools aren't far drives. Shipley only saw Notre Dame once but hopes to get back to South Bend soon.
"I'm definitely going to in the offseason," Shipley said. "I'm really, really excited to get back there. Lacrosse takes up most of my spring, but I'm definitely going to get up there with my family."
The recruiting process for Shipley has been a wild one. I personally stopped in at Weddington High twice to see Shipley and his head coach Andy Capone during the 2019 football season. The amount of college coaches who come in during the contact period is high, and I was able to see coaches fly through Capone's office firsthand.
"It's been absolutely insane," Shipley said of his recruitment. "I never thought it would get to this point. I always appreciate it. My family and I realize that we're very blessed to be in the situation that we are. We're never going to take it for granted. It does get hectic with school and keeping up with all of the coaches."
Shipley hasn't announced a list of top schools, which has been another reason why coaches are still coming in nonstop. If these coaches still believe they have a shot with Shipley, they're going to still keep recruiting him.
The Rivals100 recruit's plan all along has been to announce a group of finalists after his junior season, which ended about a month ago, and then commit before his senior season.
"I'm keeping the same timeline," Shipley stated. "I want to sit down with my family and make it a smaller group of schools. It could go as far as me taking some official visits, or it could happen in early March. It's just whenever I feel 110 percent."
As far as schools that are safe bets to make his top group, Clemson, N.C. State and Notre Dame are often linked with Shipley, but Duke, Northwestern, Stanford, Virginia and others have recruited Shipley hard as well.
"You can look at the list of schools that have offered, and the highest education and best football programs are where he's going to be looking," said James Shipley, Will's father. "That's what excites him. He wants to play really competitive, high-end football at a really good educational institution."
Distance shouldn't be a factor for Shipley either.
"I'm definitely open to just about anything," he said. "I want to do what's best for me at the end of the day, whether that's in-state or all the way on the west coast at Stanford.
"It just has to be the perfect fit. There are a lot of opportunities on the table with each school being different in its own way. Academics is going to be a huge role. Relationships with the coaches, being able to see myself in the offense and how I feel around the players and campus -- things like that."
Rivals ranks Shipley as the nation's top all-purpose back and the No. 33 overall prospect in the 2021 class.
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