Centreville QB Jack Shields (Photo; Sheridan King/recruitNoVA)
ODU reconnects with NOVA through Centreville QB Jack Shields
by Andy Hilton, recruitNoVA
A little more than a week ago, Lake Braddock QB Billy Edwards (2021 QB 6-1 185) decommitted from Old Dominion.
Edwards was expected to be the “quarterback of the future.” An offer to play in the ACC with Wake Forest wooed Edwards away from the Monarchs, so the coaching staff had to act quickly to fill the void.
This is the norm in college football recruiting. Old Dominion already had a plan in place.
Centreville quarterback Jack Shields landed a PWO from Old Dominion prior to Thanksgiving. On Saturday morning, Shields announced his verbal commitment to the Monarchs.
Committed! 703➡️757#Makeit2e1gn #Reignon🔵🦁⚪️ @CoachKCampbell @RickyRahne @BallCoach_D @ODUFootball @CoachShields1 @NineintheBox @CoachP_eterson pic.twitter.com/Fhxu0B8ooB
— Jack Shields (@Jack8Shields) December 12, 2020
Jack Shields is a coach’s kid. His dad, Jon Shields, is the head football coach at Centreville. Coach Rahne and the Monarchs are getting a hard-nosed, dedicated football athlete.
“I’m super excited. I love the coaching staff (at ODU) and they have believed in me for a long time. I just want to go in and compete and work hard,” Jack said in a Saturday morning exchange with recruitNoVA.
“I will have an opportunity to compete. They don’t care if you’re a walk-on. If you’re the best guy, you’re going to play.”
Under a different coaching staff, quarterback Blake Larussa rose from walk-on to savior as he came off the bench to lead Old Dominion to a 49-35 landmark win over Virginia Tech in 2018. Larussa was 30 for 49 passing for 495 yards and four touchdowns against the Hokies. Virginia Tech was ranked as high as #10 nationally at the time.
Jack Shields is certainly capable of creating his own legacy at Old Dominion and earning the starter’s spot under head coach Ricky Rahne. A whole new era of Monarchs Football is underway at ODU.
“I’m really excited and can’t wait to get started,” Shields said as we closed the conversation.
Monarch fans are excited to see their team hit the field again, and Jack Shields will be in the mix next fall.
– Andy Hilton
