Texas Football: Zach Shackelford garnering unanticipated national hype

The projected starting senior center for Texas football in 2019, Zach Shackelford, is racking up the national accolades ahead of this coming season.

An unexpected source for hype for Texas football in the midst of summer workouts came from rising junior center Zach Shackelford. There are a lot of looming question marks for this Texas football offensive line entering the 2019 campaign due to the loss of three starters from last season.

When it comes to a center, or really any offensive linemen, like Shackelford getting hyped up there’s two main sources that generates it. The NFL Draft and national media can create the touting for a center that gets them into the spotlight in the college football landscape. Offensive line is generally limited as to how much hype they can get in college football.

Shackelford had a solid second-year with Texas in 2018. A rousing improvement for the Texas offensive line last season was partly due to the progression of Shackelford anchoring the middle. The pocket protection for star quarterback Sam Ehlinger and the push for the ground game for running back Keaontay Ingram really helped the offense stay balanced and take overall big steps forward in 2018.

Insight into Shackelford’s progression up to the point of summer workouts was spotlighted thanks to 247Sports earlier in the offseason. National preview magazines like Lindy’s and Athlon Sports also give additional excitement for what Shackelford brings to the table.

Here’s a look into what the national media and the hype for the next level is shaping up to be for junior Texas Longhorns football center Zach Shackelford this coming season.