Prior to his sophomore season, the chances of Independence lineman Aaron Shiflett playing college football were slim at best.
Three years of hard work and dedication completely changed that story for the Coal City senior.
Thursday afternoon in front of family, friends, coaches and teammates, Shiflett reaped the benefits of his hard work when he signed a National Letter of Intent to play football for Bluefield University.
“Of all the guys that have signed this year, I am probably the happiest with Aaron because I know how hard he worked and how underrated he was compared to the others. He is such a great kid,” Independence head coach John H. Lilly said.
While it was all smiles Thursday, the early days for Shiflett were tough.
“When he first came over here I was on him pretty hard, but I could see the potential in him,” Independence assistant head coach Kevin Grogg said. “The first week that he was here, he wanted to quit. In fairness, I was on him really, really hard. It was for his own good, but it took him a couple of weeks to figure it out.”
“When he came here he was really raw,” Grogg went on to say. “His footwork was terrible. Honestly about everything was terrible. We started him because we knew that he was going to be a good player, but we didn’t how far he would progress. We knew we had to put him on the field to get him some experience and it really worked out.”
Shiflett developed into a key component of a highly successful line that became affectionately known as “Grogg’s Hawgs”
“He was quiet and workman-like. He just did is job and never said much,” Lilly said. “The three years that he has been here, he has been nothing but a workaholic and a weight room junkie.”
Grogg’s Hawgs have been a key component for some monumental accomplishments in Coal City.
The Patriots have made three straight playoff appearances with the last two ending in the championship game at Wheeling Island Stadium.
Following a runner-up finish two years ago, Independence walked away with the coveted championship trophy this year.
“We would have never made it to Wheeling two years in a row without him,” Lilly said. “He is one of the most underrated players that we have on the team.”
The young men up front have also paved the way for back-to-back Kennedy Award winners.
“Being a lineman, you don’t really get the glory and all of the awards, but when you see all of the stats for the offense, you can really see what we have done for them,” Shiflett said. “They couldn’t have done it without us, so it is a really good feeling.”
Although he had a rough start to his career, Shiflett was rock solid during his senior campaign.
“I don’t think I had to say one thing to him this year. Not one time did I have to correct him or get on him because he progressed so much over three years,” Grogg said. “That has to do with him because he is such a hard worker and he soaked up everything. He is very intelligent and a team guy.”
Lilly sees good things for his lineman at the next level.
“Off the field he is very quiet, humble and very nice. You would love to be around him. He is not mean-spirited, but when he puts the helmet on, he flips the switch,” Lilly said. “He has a little nasty streak in him. When he puts the helmet on he is all business. He will get after it and he is very aggressive.”
The choice to play at Bluefield University was really not difficult for Shiflett.
“I went there for a visit and one of the coaches told me that he actually knew my family,” Shiflett said. “After I talked to him, the other coaches and some of the players, it felt like family and I fit in perfectly.”
The coach that was so hard on him in the beginning was all smiles watching Shiflett make his commitment to the next level.
“It has been a pleasure to coach him because he is such a good kid,” Grogg said. “After his sophomore season I felt like he could play in college if he wanted it and was willing to work hard. He really wanted to play college football, especially after last year, so I am really happy for him.”
