At the center of it all: Zach Shackelford among nation’s best at his position

By Riley Zayas

AUSTIN, Texas — Every team needs great leaders. They often are the glue that holds teams together, who show up early and stay late, those who embody the pride, passion and spirit of the program. Texas has found one in center Zach Shackelford, one of the most consistent, hard-working, well-rounded football players in the country. He goes by many different titles: senior, captain, scholar and yes, grillmaster.  

The senior recently received national notoriety when he was named a Senior CLASS Award finalist a few weeks ago. The unique award, which is given annually to a well-rounded senior in nearly every NCAA sport, is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. It acknowledges the athlete’s play on the field, but more importantly, their character off the field, and [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]performance in the classroom. If there is one Longhorn who deserves to follow in the footsteps of Colt McCoy and Emmanuel Acho, the only two Longhorn football players to be nominated, it’s Shackelford. 

“He’s a tremendous leader,” head coach Tom Herman said on seniorclassaward.com. “We think he’s as good a center as there is in the country. He’s brilliant when it comes to making calls.” 

As a high school senior out of nearby Belton high school, 6-3, 276-pound center nearly became a Kansas State Wildcat, even committing to K-State in 2015. But an offer from UT came not long thereafter, and just like that, the Horns secured a player who eventually would become one of the most decorated centers in Texas football history. As soon as Shackelford took the field in the burnt orange and white for the first time, he knew that he’d made the right decision to come to the Forty Acres.  

“My ‘welcome to college’ moment came when we were playing Notre Dame, first game of the season,” he said. “I was sitting on the sidelines after we scored on our first drive and during the TV timeout, the crowd started down the Texas Fight thing, and it was almost deafening. It was so loud, I was like, ‘Dude, this is crazy!’” 

As the seasons have gone by, Shackelford has slowly but surely emerged as a gifted and vocal leader on an offense that has gone through highs and lows over the past few seasons. Herman and the coaching staff know that whenever the offense is in need of a boost, Shackelford will be there to provide it.  

While the center often does not get the attention other positions often get, it is one of the most vital parts of any offense. After all, every play begins with the center, and hinges on him providing the quarterback with a good snap. Then, whether the play is a run or pass, he is directly involved. On run plays, the offensive linemen must pave a lane for the ball carrier, while on pass plays, theyhave to protect the quarterback and give him adequate time to get a good pass downfield. Simply put, without a dependable center, an offense can not function properly.  

“I think it’s a huge role,” Shackelford said. “If we don’t block the guys we need to, and deal with the responsibilities that we have, it can wreak havoc. But we take great pride in that, knowing that we’re such a big part of the offense, and it’s up to us to move people off the ball, create lanes for the running backs and protecting the quarterback, so it’s a cool aspect of being on the football field.” 

A perfectionist on the field, Shackelford takes that same attitude to the classroom, where he is about to graduate with a degree in corporate communication and a minor in American Sign Language. He has earned that degree while posting a 3.4 GPA and being named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll five times. Once his time in the gridiron comes to a close, he has set himself up in a good position, with the capability to do a variety of jobs, from real estate to business management with his expertise in corporate communication. 

“I want to be in a leadership role,” Shackelford said. “I have a passion for leading people, finding what makes them click and impacting people’s lives and motivating them.” 

Shackelford admitted that when he first arrived at UT, he the process of balancing his academic and athletic responsibilities to be challenging. 

“I had a little bit of trouble adapting at first,” he said, “but my dad is in the military, so adapting to new situations was kind of normal for me. 

“Time management is a big thing. That’s one big theme that I’ve learned, like when you have pockets of time, get the most out of them. I can’t necessarily sit down and do a seven-page paper at once. So I have to work on things little by little, weeks in advance, and then I’ll get the final product.” 

Shackelford’s heart for others extends beyond his family, friends and teammates and into the community around him. Each semester, the team does a community service project, and Shackelford has enjoyed being a part of each of them during his career. Recent projects have included cleaning up a street, helping out at the juvenile detention center and visiting children at hospitals. He said hospital visits have become some of his most memorable experiences with community service, because he feels like they really puts things in perspective.  

“I think it’s a cool opportunity that we have,” Shackelford said, “to influence kids and people in a positive way. You get to see kids who are going through rough stages in their lives and give them a little joy for a little while. It gives you a good perspective.” 

One of the biggest reasons Shackelford says he can play well on the field and has such a big passion for being active in the community is his strong Christian faith. The son of a military chaplain, Shackelford has Psalm 144 on his Twitter bio, a verse that talks about the Lord being a rock. He also mentioned that his faith helps him have a short memory on the field, not dwelling on mistakes, instead moving on to the next play, knowing that football is not what ultimately defines him.  

“I think it’s great being a Christian in college athletics, because no matter what you do, you’re ultimately judged by Jesus Christ,” Shackelford said. “You can mess up on the field or off the field, but at the end of the day you can be rest assured that the coaches, the fans … none of those people really have an impact on you because your sole focus is Jesus Christ.”   

For a player to be a true leader on a team for as long as Shackelford has, through different head coaches and changes in the program, it takes a unique set of skills. He said he feels honored to have been chosen as a captain by his teammates and takes his responsibilities seriously. 

“Making sure the culture (the captains have) set since I was a sophomore is being upheld and making sure guys are doing the right things on and off the field is important,” he said, “and just keeping it light and taking some of the younger guys under my wing and letting them know it’s going to be alright when they make mistakes and stuff like that.”

Ultimately, while Shackelford has been an integral part of numerous victories and the turnaround from a 5-7 season during his fresman to a 10-4 2018 campaign that ended with a win in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, wins and losses are not going to be his lasting legacy on the Forty Acres. People might remember him as a great player, but he’ll go down in history as a man of even better character.
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