Eric Shaw is less than a week into his senior year, and between now and his first game (August 22), he could place his name on some school's commitment list.
On July 19, the 6-foot-5, 205 pound athlete out of Notasulga (Ala.) Reeltown named his top seven schools.
Auburn,
Florida,
Kentucky,
LSU,
South Carolina,
Tennessee and
Texas A&Mmade that cut.
Shaw is not ready to publicly name one of those schools as his favorite, but in private, one, maybe two has started to pull away.
"There is one school in my mind a lot right now with another right there," said Shaw. "I have been talking to my folks about it a lot and praying about it, so I feel I am getting serious about committing.
"I have not ruled any school out or officially cut my list down, but I do have a couple of schools on top in my mind. I am going to keep talking about it, but I feel like I am getting down to the wire.
"It could happen before my first game. I just want to make sure I am ready first though."
Over the summer, Shaw spent time at Auburn, LSU,
Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M. He is regular contact with almost each school on his list, with head coaches
Gus Malzahn,
Will Muschamp and
Jeremy Pruitt involved for the Tigers, Gamecocks and Volunteers.
There are some common factors when talking Shaw's favorites. A lot offer the same things.
"It has really come down to how a school recruits me, how they want to use me and how I fit in. Most of the schools on my list want me as a tight end, so I look at how they use them, if they split the tight end out and things like that."
The environment is important too. That is what has helped
those schools pull ahead.
"I have visited a lot of schools and the vibe on campus has helped two schools take the lead," said Shaw. "There is no bad choice with the schools that want me, so I to find the things that separate one school.
"A couple of schools have really made me feel at home. How the coaches have made me feel really makes them stand out."
Shaw said the odds of him committing in August are "pretty high".
