As seen on Recruit NoVA.com
It’s good to have choices, especially when it comes to the decision of where to attend college. It’s even better when one has seven Ivy League schools and a military academy on the list of potential college choices. Perhaps it is best when the eight schools are equally interested in having you attend their institution of higher learning, AND play football.
Mitchell Shinskie, a defensive lineman and tight end for Colonial Forge, has these choices.
Shinskie, who won the outstanding defensive lineman award at last weekend’s “Clash of the Titans” camp, has been compiling a “Who’s Who” list of academic powerhouse list of schools who are interested in his gridiron abilities. At 6’4” and 245 pounds, the junior is already large enough to be a force at defensive tackle or tight end on the FCS or BCS levels. His abilities on the field can benefit almost any program.
His academic prowess is equally impressive.
In a twist of fate, however, it was his absence from football last year that helped make him a red-hot prospect among the academically elite schools.
To hear Mitchell Shinskie retell the story, one fails to detect a sense of anger or regret.
“After my sophomore season, I was heavily recruited by Virginia Tech, U. VA, and Purdue,” said the honors student, who has six Advanced Placement courses on his academic record. “Then, a broken wrist bone last summer put it all on ice – just like my wrist!”
Undaunted, Shinskie pushed through his recovery, but some damage had been done. The interest from the first three courting schools subsided. “(The wrist) is 100 percent healed now, but battling back up recruiting boards is tougher than I thought. Since I did not attend camps last summer, no one really knows me.”
The anonymity carried through the first half of the 2016 season. “My stats were off last season, as playing in a cast will do that. I didn’t get the (numbers) they wanted to see.”
In spite of his reduced productivity, on the field, Shinskie learned a valuable lesson while recuperating.
“Everything your parents tell you about grades and their importance seemed to sink in.”
Shinskie was already an honor student, but he put forth an extra effort toward the books. The results were astounding. At present, he sports a 4.03 unweighted GPA that includes credit in a half-dozen AP classes. He plans to take seven more next year.
His standardized test numbers are also approaching the academic stratosphere. Shinskie has scored 1380 on the SAT, and aims to earn a 31 on the upcoming ACT.
Schools started noticing Shinskie again as 2017 rolled around. Along with the seven Ivy schools on board (to note, Brown is the only one who hasn’t extended a letter of interest), he is expecting to also hear from William and Mary, as well as Georgetown by week’s end. As Shinskie is learning, recruiting is a fluid process.
“It’s grueling. Ups and downs pretty much every week.”
Taking advantage of the offseason, the junior has been active in camps such as “Clash of the Titans.” Shinskie enjoyed many aspects of this year’s inaugural camp, held at Highland Springs High, near Richmond.
“I thought the entire experience was fantastic. The instruction provided was absolutely phenomenal. They had us running shuttles and drills that we would see in combines and camps thereafter, so it was a great practice.”
Self-aware as he is, Shinskie also noted the benefit in “allowing me to get my name out a bit more.”
Colonial Forge, under Coach Bill Brown, should be a favorite to make another deep run into the 6A state playoffs in 2017. The Eagles finished 11-3 last season, easily defeating Hylton (23-0), Thomas Dale (42-21) and Manchester (27-19) in the playoffs before falling victim to the juggernaut known as Oscar Smith 27-20 in the state semifinals, as Virginia’s all-time passing yard leading quarterback Shon Mitchell tossed four touchdowns, including the game winner to Khalil Perry in overtime.
Eager to put the sting of last year’s loss behind him, Shinskie has maintained the valuable lessons learned while sitting on the sidelines. His preparation for the upcoming season is moving along well.
“I can honestly say that I have never been as focused, in the classroom and the weight room. I’m on a mission. The team lost a lot of great players and leadership in its senior class, but we have some talented kids working to fill the void.”
Mitchell Shinskie remains optimistic about next year, even though there will be some changes.
“We have a new offensive line coach who has played at the highest level of the game, and a few returning starters on varsity. All in all, we’ll be just as good, if not better than last year.”
The order to improve will be a tall one. Last year’s Forge offensive unit lit up the scoreboard while averaging a shade over 35 points per game. Defensively, with Shinskie anchoring the defensive end spot, the Eagles allowed 15.6 points, with the shutout of Hylton, and All-State running back Ricky Slade, among the highlights.
Given his current list of interested schools, it will be intriguing to see what other schools will join the hunt for Shinskie’s collegiate services after an injury-free senior year.
