beryirish
Dry Land Is Not A Myth!
- Messages
- 5,949
- Reaction score
- 539
ESPN Article
Aziz Shittu never stops working
By Sean Ceglinsky
ESPNLosAngeles.com
Archive LOS ANGELES -- When it comes down to having plenty on ones proverbial plate, Atwater (Calif.) Buhach's Aziz Shittu has enough. More than enough. More than most, in fact.
Nevertheless, the 6-foot-2 and 275-pound defensive lineman has been willing to take on more. The highly-touted 2012 prospect rarely, if ever, takes a break.
Lately, seemingly no one has been as busy as Shittu, who has attended numerous camps and combines over the course of the past couple months. While most of his peers rest, something he should likely be doing as well, Shittu continues showcasing his skill set.
"I don't believe in days off," said Shittu, a one-time Stanford commit who recently opened up the whole recruiting process and has more than 20 scholarship offers.
"My thing is, I want to outwork my opponent. There's always some guy out there trying to get better, so that means I have to work twice as hard. There's always room for improvement. If you think your game is perfect, your should quit playing football right now."
With more than a few well-known players in attendance at last week's USC Rising Stars Camp, Shittu figured out a way to separate himself from others in the crowd.
Observers had their respective eyes on the skill position players. ESPNU 150 members Nelson Agholar (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley Prep School), Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick (Rocklin, Calif./Whitney) and Robert Lewis (South Gate, Calif./South East) were the main attractions.
Defensively, most of the attention was directed towards ESPNU 150 players such as Jabari Ruffin (Downey, Calif./Downey) and Scott Starr (Norco, Calif./Norco)
Still, the consensus afterward appeared to be that Shittu's performance at the USC Rising Stars Camp was just as good, if not better, than the rest of the group.
"When I step on a college campus, I want to leave an impression on the coaching staff that's there," Shittu said. "With USC, the Trojans said they liked what they saw from me. They said I have a chance to be a great player for them. Stuff like that means a lot. They think highly of me and we're talking about USC, that program has a lot of prestige and history."
The fact he did well in Southern California shouldn't come as a major surprise to most in the know considering the success he enjoyed at one of the recent Nike Football Training Camps, along with his subsequent workouts at the Cal and Stanford Camps, respectively.
It's as if Shittu has been a man on a mission. Give him the chance, the stage to shine and show what he's capable of doing, and he'll take advantage of the opportunity.
"A top 10 defensive tackle prospect, Shittu needs to add more mass but he is a competitive kid who displays the tools to be stout against the run as well capable being able to apply pressure as interior pass rusher," said Craig Haubert, a national recruiting analyst for ESPN. "This defensive tackle class features some prospects capable of harassing quarterbacks as interior pass rushers and you could certainly include Shittu in that group. He flashes an understanding of how to attack blockers and can be violent and active with his hands to help him work past and be able to get in the face of the quarterback."
Shittu is one of the nation's top recruits at his position, tackle, ranking No. 8 on the ESPNU150. Also worth mentioning is his spot as the country's No. 88 player overall on the list. College coaches and scouts typically monitor every move made by the unsigned standout.
Most believe him to be in the same category as pass-rushing counterparts such as Eddie Goldman (Washington, D.C./ Collegiate Academy), Malcom Brown (Brenhan, Texas/Brenham), Quay Evans (Morton, Miss./ Morton) and Isaac Gross (Batesville, Miss./South Panola).
"As a defensive tackle Shittu possesses good initial quickness and is capable of getting penetration and being a disruptive presence," Haubert said. "While he may lack some of the sheer mass of the some of the prospects ranked ahead of him he does show that he can play with leverage and use his hands and also be a tough customer when taking on blockers."
Closer to home, Shittu is widely recognized as one of the best around on the West Coast. In terms of top tier interior lineman on the defensive side of the ball, it appears as if Ellis McCarthy (Monrovia, Calif./Monrovia) is the lone individual who offers up any competition.
Beyond those two prized prospects, the drop-off is quite substantial.
That's not to say second-tier defensive tackles such as Justin Solis (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake), Dwight Melvin (Laveen, Ariz./Betty H. Fairfax) and Tyrone Holmes (Eagle Point, Ore./Eagle Point) do not offer some value to prospective schools all across the country.
Bottom line is this: Each individual is a notch, or two, below Shittu.
Suppose that best explains why he has a laundry list of potential suitors. Powerhouse programs Auburn, Florida, Michigan, Penn State and USC have offered him a scholarship.
Most of the Pac-12 Conference schools desire a commitment from Shittu. And the same thing can be said about Boston College, Boise State and Tennessee, among many others.
Miami, Notre Dame and Oregon have also expressed varied levels of interest.
"I'm talking to a lot of schools, things are happening fast right now," Shittu said.
According to Shittu, plans about his future are on hold for now. A decision about his all-important final destination figures to be made at some point in January, possibly February.
In the meantime, it's business as usual for Shittu, which essentially means he figures to be particularly busy at one of the country's top camps or combines in the near future.
He wouldn't have it any other way, after all.
Shittu is scheduled to attend The Opening, yet another high-profile NFTC event, on July 5-9 in Oregon. Beyond that, all signs point to him making his presence felt at the Top Gun Camp, presented by Football University towards the end of the month, on July 21-23 in Virginia.
"I never take a day off, that's just how I am, and one of these days, all of my hard work is going to pay off," Shittu said. "My goal is to show everyone out there what I can do, and eventually, make it to the next level. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.
"These camps and combines are great. It's a chance to perform when the brights lights are on. The focus is always on you. If I play within myself, do the things I know, everything will work out. I know I can play with the best players in the country, I'm out to prove that."
