re: 2017 Football Recruiting Thread ["N$D Bryant" Edition]

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John Samuel Shenker’s recruitment is coming full circle.

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound tight end out of Moultrie (Ga.) began conversations with Auburn during his sophomore year of high school — as a baseball player. Shenker committed to the baseball Tigers that school year. About a year and a half ago, Shenker de-committed when he decided to take the football route at the next level.

Spencer’s recruitment picked up with communication with several schools. He started talking with Auburn tight ends coach Scott Fountain shortly after Landon Rice left the program. Early in 2017, Shenker has received offers from Western Kentucky, Wake Forest and FAU. He took an official visit to Georgia Southern.

On Monday, new Auburn offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey stopped by to see Shenker and extended the tight end an offer.

“Well it’s kind of funny that it happened this way,” Shenker said. “Oh, I was so happy. It’s a great school. It’s the school I always wanted to go to when I was a young little boy. It was a great feeling (to get the offer). … I didn’t think it would happen as a football player.”

Lindsey’s first 2017 offer since taking over as offensive coordinator gives some insight into what he wants from the position. Auburn has hesitated with fullback Chase Lasater, which shows the Tigers might go in another direction. Lasater said Sunday that part of the holdup was the Tigers’ potential desire to add another tight end instead of a fullback. Shenker’s offer supports that theory.

But Shenker sees himself more as the blocking type. Under head coach Rush Propst at Colquitt County, Shenker served in an H-back-type role, which included mostly blocking responsibilities. He was split out wide at times and offers that versatility if requested, though the addition of the pass-catching Salvatore Cannella in this class makes Shenker feel like a yin-and-yang addition at tight end.

Lindsey told Shenker he’d use him primarily as a blocker.

“He said he thought I was a guy who could do a lot of different things. I can block down the field. I can block and be an H-back. I can be a tight end. They can split me out, so that’s what he’s looking for,” Shenker said. “I’m more of a H-back blocking. During my high school career, I’m mostly doing motion stuff at H-back. I’m more in the trenches.”

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