Shelley off to quick start

Frisco (Texas) Lone Star 2017 quarterback Jason Shelley jumped on the national scene when he received an offer from the Clemson Tigers in early March.

The 5-foot-11, 160-pound dual threat quarterback was coming off a strong 2013 season which saw him throw for over 1300 yards, rush for another 800, and account for 19 touchdowns, but it is safe to say the scholarship offer definitely caught Shelley and his family a little off guard.

"I was really surprised him being so young, with him being a freshman," Shelley's father, Jason Shelley, said. "I'm pretty familiar with the recruiting process having gone through it myself. It's changed a lot of course in 20 years, but just as far as the attention you start to get when you get that recruiting attention and for him to get that as a freshman I was a little surprised.

"He still feels he has so far to go as far as where he can be as a player and the work he still has to continue to be a better person which will make him a better player. It was surprising but at the same time really exciting for him, myself, my wife, and our whole family."

While he was surprised, the elder Shelley, who played his college days at Central State before going onto an extensive professional career, had a feeling early on his son might have special abilities on the football field.

"Well, it's funny because I talk about it with my older brothers and my younger brother and we all talk about it. I knew right away," Mr. Shelley said. "I was a young man and still playing ball myself when we had him and he was always in the locker room. He was always around the guys.

"I played receiver so I taught him how to run a curl route at three years old and he could run it turn around and catch it with his hands.

"He always wanted to have the ball every play. He wanted to be the quarterback. He always wanted to be the leader and I knew he wanted to be a quarterback right away. So we got him signed up at four and he played quarterback for a little flag football team in Arlington and it was funny how serious he was about playing. He's always just kind of taken to it."

Not only has he been serious about his football pursuits, but he has shown high level instincts on the field, and is a naturally gifted athlete. It kind of runs in the Shelley extended family which boasts NBA and WNBA players, a Heisman trophy winner, and multiple generations of college football experience.

As the recruiting process begins for the Lone Star standout quarterback, he is excited, and looking forward to what lies ahead.

"It felt good," Shelley said. "It showed me hard work had paid off for a little bit, and it just makes me want to get better and better and hopefully get some more offers from some other schools."

In addition to his play on the football field, Shelley also competes in basketball and baseball, and this summer he will have no problem staying busy between 7-on-7 football, summer baseball, and hopefully a few summer camps.

"This summer I'm trying to go to a few camps, but I'm trying to play baseball so it may not be a lot of camps," Shelley said.

Recently he attended the NFL Prep 100 series in Dallas and this summer he will most likely attend camps in the region such as Oklahoma, TCU, or Texas.

He knows he has plenty of work to do over the next few years, and this summer he hopes to improve on as well as off the field.

"I'm really just trying to focus on being a better person and being a better athlete," Shelley said. "Just being better at everything and be the best I can be."