Interview: 2018 Recruit Rocky Shelton Continues Miami Area Top LB Trend

 

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

The state of Florida always produces top talent for college football teams across the country to fall over on the recruiting trail. In the Miami area, top Division-I coaches can head south down the I-95 to add difference makers at wide receiver, running back, defensive end, anywhere in the secondary, and especially at linebacker. Another top linebacker out of south Florida ready to continue the trend is Class of 2018 prospect Rocky Shelton.

Shelton has the size and speed to play multiple positions at the next level. Listed at 6’0”, 209 pounds, Shelton displays great instincts, speed, quickness, and power tracking down ball carriers in the run game and dropping back into coverage against the pass. During his sophomore season, Shelton came up with 36 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks, one pass defended, and one forced fumble helping St. Thomas Aquinas bring home another Florida state championship beating Viera High School 45-10 for the trophy.

The stats on Shelton are slightly misleading. The Raiders scored an average of 35 points a game while stuffing the opposition to just 11 points per contest putting the starters on the sidelines for much of the second half of all their games.

The Raiders 13-1 run in 2015 gave college coaches extra game footage on Shelton to help fast-track the evaluation process. The Fort Lauderdale area recruit already has 12 scholarship offers on the table from some of the top programs in the nation. The list includes LSU, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, Louisville, N.C. State, Missouri, Florida Atlantic, Maryland, Syracuse, Michigan State, and Florida State.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I sat down with Shelton to talk about his growth on the field at linebacker, his offseason workouts, and received a recruiting news update.

Interview

Rocky, you came on strong during the 2015 season, especially towards the end of the year. Did you know going into the schedule that you would be a starter during your sophomore year?

“No I didn’t actually. I had a feeling that I might at some point, but the guy in front of me was older and I knew the coaches wanted to play him first.”

When did you start working your way into the role of a starter?

“About a quarter way into the season. Coach started putting me in more and then they started me.”

What were some of the things you learned quickly making a jump from freshman ball to the varsity level with St. Thomas Aquinas?

“My freshman year I played freshman ball but did not make the JV team. I moved up to varsity once my freshman season was over during the playoffs. I started to grow my skills more at the start of my sophomore year. Reading the offensive lineman became clear for me. I started doing that more and everything became easier.”

What are some of the things you feel you do well on the field right now as a linebacker?

“Right now, I’m quick, I can get around the offensive linemen and I can go through them if I need to, and I can read plays well.”

Which are you better at right now, stopping the run or covering the pass?

“I think I’m good at both because I’m fast and I’m not small so I can defend the run.”

Have you maxed out in any of the primary football lifts this offseason?

“I have not maxed our recently. If I had to guess, my bench right now I can do 315 pounds a couple of times. With my squat, I can squat 405 pounds 10 times. I have not maxed out on power cleans. We do that for reps not for maxing out.”

What are your goals for the 2016 football season?

“My goal is for the team to win another state championship. I have not set personal goals yet.”

Will we see you playing other positions next season? Will you move to the outside at linebacker, to safety, or will we see you on the offensive side of the ball?

“I should still be at middle linebacker. I can play outside linebacker if the coaches need me. Where I play may change depending on how everyone does.”

When you started to realize that you were about to take the state title game, what was that feeling like for you?

“It was great. That was my first state championship. I started the game – it was terrific. We knew we were going to win, but it was still a great feeling.”

Did you have a good game?

“Yes I did. I had seven or eight tackles, a sack, and some other good plays.”

How many offers do you have right now?

“I have 12 offers.”

Are any of the schools pushing a little bit harder than the others trying to land a verbal commitment from you?

“They are all pretty even right now.”

Are there any schools recruiting you hard but have not offered you yet?

“Michigan – they are the big one right now.”

Are you going to any college camps this summer?

“I am going to N.C. State, North Carolina, Michigan, Oklahoma, and FSU (Florida State), and maybe Florida.”

Have you taken any unofficial visits yet?

“Last year I went to Ohio State, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, and there were two more that I can’t remember right now.”

How did was your visit to Tennessee?

“It was a good visit. I went to a camp there too. I liked the stadium. The coaches were great. Everything was good about the visit to Tennessee.”

What about your visit to Ohio State? How did that go?

“Ohio State was great. I went right after the championship. The facilities were nice and the coaches were nice.”

Do you have any unofficial visits coming up separate from the camps you may attend?

“Not that I have planned.”

 

When you visit the various campuses during the upcoming camps or when you work with the different coaches at the camps, what are you looking for during that time as a prospective recruit?

“I want to learn more about the campus life, how close everything is to campus. I want to learn more about the coaches, the academics, and all that good stuff.”

Do you have a GPA you don’t mind sharing?

“I have a 3.0.”

Have you taken the ACT or SAT yet?

“I took the SAT but have not received my score yet.”

Is there a next level player you enjoy watching play the game? Anyone you learn from watching the older guys work?

“I know everyone says it but, Ray Lewis. I like Ray Lewis. I don’t watch linebackers that much. I like watching physical safeties play. I like watching them come downhill and hit.”

Do you participate in any other sports for St. Thomas Aquinas?

“I practiced with the track team.”

Which events?

“The hurdles – the 100 and 300 hurdles.”

Who has made the biggest impact on your football career so far?

“Besides my dad (Darrell), no one really. He pushes me on the field. He is always there for me when I need him.”

Rocky, thanks for your time today and good luck at all the upcoming camps.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: maxpreps.com; No. 44 Rocky Shelton flips a ball carrier.

Photo credit: maxpreps.com; No. 44 Rocky Shelton stuffs another play on the sidelines.

Photo credit: twitter.com; No. 44 Rocky Shelton between plays.