Top Wolfpack Target Shipley Chooses Clemson
Will Shipley might be a legacy whose parents both graduated from NC State. But when it comes to his college football career, his legacy will be made at a different school.
The top-ranked all-purpose back in the country and No. 1 recruit in North Carolina announced his college choice on Tuesday, choosing Clemson over the Wolfpack.
Shipley’s decision was yet another setback at the hands of the Tigers for coach Dave Doeren’s program -- this one perhaps more disappointing than any suffered on the field over the past few years.
Shipley, from Weddington High School in Matthews, represented an opportunity for State to land an elite-five star prospect from within its own backyard. Instead, he’ll spend the next four years at an ACC Atlantic rival, twice coming to Carter-Finley Stadium to play against the Wolfpack.
In addition to Clemson and State, he also had offers from Notre Dame, Clemson, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Stanford.
Shipley rushed for 2,066 yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior in 2019 while posting 10 100-plus yard games for a team that went 15-0 on the way to a second straight 3AA state championship. He also caught 34 passes for 585 yards and eight more scores.
Because of his versatility and his 5-foot-11, 200-pound stature, the five-star prospect has drawn comparisons to Carolina Panthers' star Christian McCaffery.
Shipley accounted for 271 yards and four of his team's five touchdowns in its 34-14 state championship win against Lee County last December. It was a game played at Carter-Finley.
Afterward, Shipley said it meant a lot to have such a big game on the Wolfpack's home field, telling reporters afterward that "coming here as a young kid," he'd dreamt of playing "on a field like this."
He’s a dream he’ll get to realize during his college career -- only wearing orange rather than red and white.
