Texas Football: Zach Shackelford Signs with Tampa Bay

Texas center Zach Shackelford signed a free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft on Sunday.

“It seems to me like they have a good organization,” Shackelford said. “Obviously over the past week you’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about them. The offensive line coach called me and said I have an opportunity to compete for a roster spot. It was the best option for me, and I couldn’t pass up that opportunity, so it was just a combination of all of those things. I’m just ready to get started.”

Shackelford was a staple on the Texas offensive line, starting 40 games during his college career and quickly developing into a leader both on and off the field. He was a first-team All Big 12 Selection in 2018 and a Freshman All American in 2016.

“Captain Shackelford is as smart of an offensive lineman as I’ve been around,” Texas head coach Tom Herman said. “He made all the calls for our offensive line. He’s another guy that comes from a great home life. His dad is a military chaplain, and he grew up with a lot of structure and discipline. He’s a self-starter who is extremely strong and powerful, and just really knows how to play to his strengths. He knows what his strengths are, and he knows what his weaknesses are. He’s a guy that gets the entire offensive line going in the right direction. He’s athletic enough to move around a little bit, but strong and powerful enough to where if you put a 330-pound nose guard on top of him, he’s going to be able to hold his own against him.”

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