Shumpert open to all at the moment
Junior athlete Ashton Shumpert of Itawamba Agricultural (Miss.) isn't likely to pick a college anytime soon.
"I," he said Sunday, "plan on taking it all the way to February."
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According to Shumpert, one reason for this is that he really isn't sure which position he will play at the next level. A season ago, he was a running back and rushed for more than 900 yards. This fall, he also will see a lot of action at safety.
Asked if he has a position preference, Shumpert replied, "Not right now."
"My sophomore year, I played linebacker," he added. "And I played defensive end my freshman year. I think [learning to play safety] will be kind of easy."
Shumpert predicted he will "probably" get recruited at safety even though he is new to the position. Already, he has compiled some pretty impressive offers as Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State and Ole Miss have pulled the trigger.
"Georgia offered last week," Shumpert said.
At this point, no team stands out, he said. He added that Mississippi State and Ole Miss are recruiting him the hardest.
Thus far in 2012, Shumpert has made visits to three of the four schools that have offered him.
"I've been to junior days at Alabama, Mississippi State and Ole Miss," Shumpert said. "They were all about the same. I enjoyed myself, touring the facilities and talking to the coaches."
What's next?
"I might go to some spring practices at Alabama, Mississippi State and Georgia," Shumpert said. "I believe I'm going to Mississippi State on March 23. Then I think I'm going to Alabama on the 30th."
Keith Niebuhr can be reached at Keithrivals@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithRIVALS.