Newton’s Kevin Shorter Talks Texas Offer + More

Newton ATH Kevin Shorter. (Courtesy 247Sports.com)

Thanks to a recent surge, Newton's Kevin Shorter has taken over the offers lead among East Texas recruits.

The 6-foot, 190-pound athlete holds 22, including an offer from Texas that came Wednesday afternoon during a visit with Longhorn defensive line coach Bo Davis.

"(Davis) wasn't supposed to come to Newton but the running back coach (Larry Porter) told him to come by and check on me because (Davis) was in Jasper meeting with Terrell (Cuney, a Texas commit)," Shorter told ETSN.fm on Thursday afternoon. "(Davis) asked me, 'Are you really interested in Texas?' and I said, 'Yes, sir.' He called the running back coach and said, 'coach (Porter) just said he's got an offer waiting on you at Texas.'"

Shorter verified that exchange twice.

Texas' running back offer is the latest in a flurry of offers for Shorter, who has received eight offers in a span of about a week. Nebraska offered Shorter this past Saturday. Shorter told ETSN.fm last Wednesday morning that Army, Clemson, Florida State, Mississippi State, Ohio State, and San Diego State had offered him, pushing his offer list to 20 at the time. Shorter’s entire offer list is listed below.

The recruiting process is taking its toll on Shorter, he said.

"It's starting to get on my nerves a little bit, getting five different calls every day of the week from numbers I don't know," Shorter said. "I've gotta answer the same questions over and over. It's crazy."

Shorter has already visited LSU and Texas A&M and named them among a list of schools in which he's most interested, which also includes Arkansas, one of the first schools to heavily recruit him.

"I wanna go visit Oklahoma and (Texas) Tech, Clemson, Florida State," said Shorter, who also has an invitation from Texas to a June 9 camp.

Shorter, who said conference affiliation does not matter, has been recruited at multiple positions, which reflects his play for Newton. This past fall, he led the Eagles with 1,810 yards and 31 touchdowns on 151 carries, averaging 12.0 yards per carry. He also caught 15 passes for 315 yards — 21.0 yards per catch — and four touchdowns and made 58 tackles and three interceptions from his safety position.

Nevertheless, Shorter's college home is likely on offense.

"Mainly running back. Some schools are saying slot receiver," said Shorter in reference to which positions most offers are coming. "Some ask if I like defense and I say, 'Not that much,' but I'll play it if I have to."

Shorter offered a timetable for a possible commitment.

"It's probably gonna be in the summer, late in the summer, when I get my main three schools and go visit them and choose after that," he said.

Shorter is the centerpiece of what appears to be a loaded 2013 Newton team.

The Eagles will lose Arkansas cornerback signee D.J. Dean at quarterback and corner, plus Lamar-bound defensive end Romando Stewart and Southern Arkansas-bound linebacker Corey Jenkins. But Shorter and classmate Brandon Johnson (5-9, 180) combined for more than 3,000 rushing yards in 2012. Linebacker Anthony Hadnot (5-11, 225), who holds a McNeese State offer, had more than 100 tackles and double-digit sacks.

Newton, which went 13-1 last season and lost to Cameron Yoe in the Class 2A Division I state semifinals, also has a promising 2015 class. Athletes Roney Elam (6-2, 165) and Calum Foster (5-11, 175) and offensive lineman Brent Simmons (6-2, 275) will be key pieces this fall.

"I think this team is gonna be the team to take it all the way," Shorter said. "Everybody that's coming back really played a lot on both sides. We got our whole offense back and our secondary back except for D.J. Everybody knows what to do if we get in a situation like we did against Cameron Yoe. I think this is the team. We're gonna go all the way."