ATH Shevlin plays all over the field

2007 kicker and athlete Kyle Shevlin out of Elma (N.Y.) Iroquois Central has already received interest from schools across the country including his childhood favorite. What makes the 5-foot-10, 175-pounder with 4.5-second speed stand out and which schools have made an early jump at the junior?

"All kinds of colleges have sent mail including Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Rutgers and Boston College," said Iroquois Central head coach Frank Payne. "He hasn't shown a strong interest in any school yet as I think he wants to see what happens, but I know he's a big-time fan of Notre Dame."

Payne definitely feels his prospect can make it as a Division I kicker.

"He has an unbelievable leg, he can kick from any hash and is very good under pressure," he said. "In practice he kicked a 64-yard field goal and in one game this season he had a 52-yarder. He regularly kicks the ball out of the endzone on kickoffs and this year he has 30 touchbacks. What is even more remarkable is that he's only getting better as we continue to work on his technique."

Shevlin is much more than a kicker for Iroquois Central and hopes to prove that on the next level too.

"He always tells me he wants to be a player and not just a kicker," Payne said. "Playing quarterback for us this year he's thrown for 700 yards and eight touchdowns, he also has 300 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. He's added two interceptions on defense in part-time play and a fumble recovery.

"I don't think he'll be a college level quarterback, but he is a great athlete that could probably play receiver. He's really tough as it always takes three guys to get him down. He's also very competitive and loves to rise to the occasion and take on a challenge. When the game is on the line, I always want to get him the ball."

Shevlin was named first team all-Western New York kicker as a sophomore.

Payne has another potential junior prospect in 5-foot-11, 170-pound receiver Mike Perillo.

"I know he's getting looked at by Division II schools right now, but there's always a chance he could play at that level," he said. "What makes him stand out is that he has great hands and any ball that is near him he'll catch. He also runs great routes and is very coachable since he wants to be a coach someday so Mike sits down and watches film a lot."