TJ Shanahan is never one to back down from competition, and he showed that again over the weekend. Despite being one of the country’s top-ranked prospects, Shanahan showed up at Sunday’s Rivals Camp Series Dallas event ready to back up his lofty ranking and he did just that, taking home offensive line MVP honors.
For Shanahan, it was more of the same after he dominated on the Rivals Camp circuit in 2021.
“I feel like I’m a technical but aggressive football player and I feel like I put that on full display,” Shanahan said following Sunday’s camp.
The Austin Westlake standout has more than 50 scholarship offers and while he’s keeping an open mind, he does say that he’ll begin to narrow his focus in the coming weeks.
“I would say right now I’m looking at every school but I think I’m going to slim it down to about 10 pretty soon, and I think there’s a good chance Texas will be on there,” Shanahan said.
As for a commitment timeline, the Rivals100 member and five-star prospect is considering a couple different options. He could do it in the coming months or he could take it all the way until the early signing period.
“I’m not sure 100 percent yet. I might commit before my senior season or on December 16,” Shanahan said. “So depending on when, I might take two (official visits) in the fall and three in June.”
With the Longhorns expected to make his top 10, Shanahan said there are a few different reasons that have Texas under consideration, starting with offensive line coach Kyle Flood.
“I think coach Flood, the way he coaches says it all. I think he’s one of the best coaches in America at the offensive line position,” Shanahan said. “I really like him and I’m a big fan of coach Sarkisian. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Texas, especially from (UT signee) Connor Robertson. I’m definitely fond of Texas and it’s only like 15 minutes away from my house.”
The Texas staff invited Shanahan to come by for a visit next weekend but Shanahan said that’s unlikely to happen. He does plan to swing by the UT campus soon though to catch up.
A former Westlake teammate of Robertson and fellow UT signee Ethan Burke, Shanahan has high praise for the Longhorns’ incoming defensive end.
“We went after it every day. Ethan was one of the best defensive players I’ve ever gone against,” Shanahan said. “He just plays so nonchalant and has so much finesse, it just kind of messes with offensive linemen. He did that all year. The Hays game, Lake Travis, Denton Guyer, Katy – whatever game it was. He’s a great football player and I think he’s going to do well at Texas. The same thing for Connor Robertson.
“I definitely got a lot better competing against (Burke). He’s one hell of a player.”
Shanahan, who ranks No. 8 on the Rivals100, is still formulating which schools will make his top 10 cut, but he listed programs like Texas, Georgia, Utah and Texas Tech as ones that will receive strong consideration.
