Shannon signs with Windsor
Jacob Shannon’s quest to play football at the post secondary level began to gain traction last summer while playing for the Niagara Spears varsity football team.
“Coming out of Grade 12, I had a couple people who talked to me and I went to camps at Queen’s in Grade 11 and Grade 12. It kind of happened all at once,” the 12B student at Saint Michael said.
After three or four games of the Spears’ season, six or seven universities expressed an interest in him and the 6-foot-3, 265-pound defensive lineman went on a bunch of game day visits.
“My main goal was to play university football and I was working really hard at it and then it all happened,” he said. “I was a little worried and certainly in Grade 12 I had to keep my grades up to give me a chance to go.”
In November, he received an offer from Windsor and then Laurier made him a scholarship offer right after Christmas.
“I was wondering if it was going to happen or if wasn’t going to happen because everyone was ‘Come to the game days’ and I would go to them and nothing really came from them except for Laurier and Windsor.”
The 18-year-old Niagara Falls native decided two weeks ago that Windsor would be his football home for the next four or five years.
“Debating it was the toughest decision in my life. One night I was in the shower and it was ‘I’ve got to go to Windsor.’ ”
The wet decision was clearly difficult.
“The coaches on both teams were great to me and the money from both was very solid. What it came down to was Windsor was giving me the best opportunity to play my first year. I could have competed at Laurier but they wanted me to red-shirt my first year. Windsor wanted me to come in right away and compete hopefully play some games.”
Shannon plans to work hard from now until training camp in the summer to make that a reality.
“I am going to work and work out as much as I can. They want me to come up in late March and do a spring camp and then there’s training camp in August. Working out I can build my strength but I am going to play Spears to get football knowledge up.”
Shannon feels he has improved his game a lot in the past year.
“It’s night and day. Last year I was very sloppy with my footwork and during the Spears season we had line coaches and I got my footwork down. I also think I am about 25 pounds heavier than I was last season and I have moved from the outside to the inside. Playing on the inside, I get to do a lot more.”
His goal for his freshman season is to play.
“I want to contribute and I want to hopefully get lots of sacks.”
He is looking forward to Windsor.
“I just want to get down there and compete.”
He will be missed at Saint Michael.
“Jacob has been a two-way starter and captain at Saint Michael for all four years. He is a positive team member and works hard at becoming the best player he can,” Saint Michael coach Brian Carter said. “Windsor is getting a dedicated and team-oriented person. We wish Jacob all the best in his educational and football journey at Windsor University.”
Shannon started playing football in Grade 10 at Saint Michael and the following spring he started suiting up in travel football with the Niagara Spears.
He originally started in football because of his friends.
“All the boys I knew in elementary school, we played football at recess so we all wanted to play. We had a sick junior team back then and then I just stuck with it. They didn’t but I kept playing.”
His love of football is simple.
“You get to hit people and it’s a laugh. It’s pretty fun.”
