Shipley becomes Horns first commitment

For Jaxon Shipley, the recruiting race was over before it ever began.

Shipley, one of the top overall prospects in the Lone Star State, has been locked and loaded to become a Texas Longhorn commitment for several months, and on Friday he made it official during a meeting with Mack Brown.

The younger brother of Longhorn receiver Jordan Shipley, the Jaxon has known all along that he'd like to follow in his brother's footsteps and play for the Longhorns. So confident in his decision, in fact, Shipley has resisted communication with other programs and never even sent out a junior highlight film. His dream was to play at Texas, and as soon as the opportunity presented itself, Shipley wasted no time in accepting.

"It (the meeting with the coaches) went great," Shipley said shortly after meeting with Brown. "We came in, talked about everything and I made my commitment. I'm really excited about that.

"Coach Brown asked me if I'm ready, if I want to come here. I said 'yes sir,' and everyone was really excited about it."

Little does he know …

As one of the most watched prospects in the state for the 2011 recruiting class, Shipley's commitment has already set the Longhorn fan base abuzz. With his brother having recently completed arguably the best receiver career in the history of the Longhorn program, Texas fans are already celebrating knowing that Jaxon will also bring his talents to Austin.

The first commitment of the Horns' 2011 class - "That's a great honor," Shipley said - the choice to play for the Longhorns was an easy one for the blue-chip pass catcher.

"I'm excited about the coaches I'll get to play for. Seeing what they've done for Jordan, seeing everything coach Kennedy has taught him with precise routes and things," Shipley said. "And coach Brown, he's one of best coaches in nation. He's a great guy and I'm excited to play under him.

"It feels awesome. I'm pumped."

At 6-0, 175 pounds, Shipley is blessed with terrific speed, flypaper hands and the ability to get separation from defenders with his route running. He's already regarded as arguably the best pass catcher in the state, but Shipley wants to continue to improve.

"I just want to be known as a guy that can get my job done every single play. I'm trying to work on getting bigger in the off season, getting more speed," he said.