WELLINGTON – The offseason has been good to Jaheim Shannon.
As the months have gone by, the Palm Beach Central incoming senior offensive lineman has gone from no offers to five total. He feels a level of appreciation of the recognition that he is getting for his talent.
At this time, Shannon (No. 2 offensive lineman; No. 13 overall player in Palm Beach County) has earned scholarship offers from Pittsburgh, Tennessee State, St. Thomas, Hampton, and Findlay. Of these five schools, Shannon has Tennessee State in the lead for his services right now.
“They all show love, but Tennessee State shows the most,” the 6-foot-4, 310-pound offensive lineman said. “They keep in touch with me.”
Part of Shannon’s recruiting status has to do with his junior season at Palm Beach Central. In 12 games played, he had 18 pancakes and allowed just 3 sacks, with his best performance coming in last year’s Class 8A-Region 3 semifinal round of the FHSAA playoffs against Deerfield Beach.
“It went great,” Shannon said. “Junior season was the season to put me on the map.”
Since the coronavirus pandemic has forced everyone to find creative ways to stay in top shape this offseason, Shannon has found a way to lose 20-30 pounds in the process. He accomplished this feat by waking up at 6:15 each morning to go for a run, resting afterward by staying hydrated with fluids, and then by working out at a gym in the afternoon.
And now that the FHSAA has decided to keep the start date for fall football practices on July 27 – a 10-5 vote by the Board of Directors made this possible on Monday night (July 20) – Shannon is happy for the opportunity to show off his slimmer physique on the gridiron.
“I like it because who knows,” Shannon said. “If we push it back to spring and it don’t get better now, we’re out of luck. And I think having it now will be better than what people making it seem like.”
Shannon hopes to improve on his performance across the board for his senior season at Palm Beach Central. And he is hoping that his team could make a deep 8A playoff run to close out his high school football career.
“Watch how Central shocks the county,” Shannon said. “When the season comes, watch how we turn up and be the best team in the county.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Gene Nardi
