Aggies add 5-star offensive lineman

Chose A&M over: Georgia, USC, Ohio State and many others

Shanahan was an Aggie target for the better part of two years, even before he dominated the Rivals 5-star Challenge in Atlanta in 2021. Nearly everyone in the nation was after him, but A&M was consistently in the picture and eventually won out. He then became one of the key recruiters for the class, even after he suffered a knee injury that ended his senior season prematurely.

Projected 2023 role: Backup on the interior offensive line as he recovers from a torn ACL

I've seen Shanahan in person more than once and his game is simple: sheer power. He's going to push you around and there's not much you can do about it.

Keep in mind, Westlake is a 6A team, so they're going up against the best in Texas high school football. And he's just brutalizing these guys. In one instance, he wipes out future teammate Malick Sylla.

His upper body is very strong, but it's his lower body that sets him apart. His base is so powerful that once he gets moving, starts his push, he's going to move virtually anyone across from him. In most cases, they're going to be moved a distance. As you can guess, his punch is extremely powerful.

Shanahan's is a definite guard because of his limited speed, but his footwork is very good. His steps are short and he keeps his weight forward, so he maintains forward momentum.

I've seen Shanahan get annoyed at a Rivals camp and physically throw a pass rusher he thought had played dirty on a previous 1-on-1 matchup. That was all I needed to know in terms of him being a 5-star. But, oh by the way, he's a darned good football player too. There's only one offensive lineman I've seen at a Rivals camp who was Shanahan's equal in terms of strength: Bryce Foster. And there's a real good chance that those two will be playing next to one another starting next year.