Terence Shaw, II '16 Recruiting Profile

Coaches, thank you for taking the time to view my profile. 

My number one goal is to continue excellent academics at your university if given the opportunity.  I am aware that this is important in order to be eligible to play at the college level.  I will never take such an opportunity lightly.  As an Athlete, I know scholarship opportunities are an investment and I want to make sure that I am on top of my game academically and physically for my team.  I want to be an athlete that Coaches can be proud of on and off the field.  I know that it is important to stay focus to achieve my goals.  I continue to demonstrate Leadership in the classroom and on the football field, which has resulted in me being assigned the position of Team Captain on every football team I played for from Youth Football to Middle School to High School.

I plan to major in Pre-Med, Neuro-Science or Biology with my specialty being Orthopedics in Medical School.  The reason for me selecting this major is because in 2009 my friend injured his knee during a football game, which ended his season.  Later, I learned that he had a meniscus injury to his knee.  I started browsing the internet to learn more about the meniscus, which led me to research the prevention of sport injuries.   A year later, I started training with Velocity Sport Performance and learned more about  sport injuries and prevention.  The more I learned about sport injuries and prevention, the more I wanted to become an Orthopedic Surgeon.   I wanted to make sure that my major would always keep me involved in something that I love "football", because to be honest, no one knows how long their football career will last; therefore, when my career comes to an end, I want to be able to regroup and move forward.  I know that in order for me to reach my goals that my grades and college entry exams must be my number one priority.  I am an honor roll student with a Weighted GPA of 6.25/6.0 and a Cumulative GPA of 6.0/4.0.   I was recently inducted into the National Honor Society, which is a great honor.   I plan to take duel credit courses during my Senior Year of high school. 

I have a story behind why I love the game of Football, which I believe makes me very interesting, and definitely worth a look see from colleges.  At the age of 8, I was given the opportunity to play Running Back.  This was my dream position.  I was never the biggest kid on the team, but heart and quickness has always been on my side.  I remember my Mom telling me that you have to take on the biggest kid on the field to get the job Terence.  A few days before my first tryouts as Running Back, my Mom had me outside for hours practicing; knocking over our trash cans full speed.  The next day I was on a mission to take on the biggest kid on the field, and the rest is history.  From that day forward, I had to fight and prove to Coaches from Maryland (hometown) to Texas that I was the better Running Back by taking down the biggest kid on the field.  Today, I can still hear my Mom saying to me "meet the defender in the hole T.J. not at the line of scrimmage."   She would say "T.J., don't wait to feel the pain, cause the pain."    As a result, I have been the Lead Running Back for every team I played on, from Youth Football Leagues to Middle School to High School . 

When I took on the responsibility of being a Running Back for the first time, I recall my Coach telling me that there are a few important things that make a good Running Back, causing havoc in the hole with speed and quickness while protecting the ball.  He said in order to cause havoc, you must be strategic, have a lot of heart, quickness and speed.   My Coach told me that most kids in youth football learn to run outside only, but he wanted me to run the ball up the "gut" because he said that the outside will not always be there when I get older.  He was right.  Because of my heart, vision, and ability to protect the ball, I have caused major havoc in many holes, and by the time the defender touch me, I have either made the first down or the touch down.  My number one goal is to protect the ball while moving it up field on every play.  I believe that I am not just a Running Back, but a Smart Back with a lot of heart and vision to move the ball up the field.  I am a student of the game, clearly understanding every aspect and every position.  I like to think of myself as the Russell Wilson of Running Backs, under the radar because of my size, but can play the game smart, tough and with a lot of vision.   I believe my talent, character, athleticism and academics will make me a good candidate for any team willing to give me the opportunity to play at the next level.