On Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012, Norristown seniors Brandon Shippen and Najee Harris were recognized at a special news conference for signing letters of intent to play football at the collegiate level.
Brandon Shippen – Temple University (Football)
Major: Sports Management
Final list of colleges: Temple, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Rutgers
Reasons for choosing Temple: “I chose Temple because it’s a big and upcoming university in athletics. Also, because the coaching staff is real, and they have the right mentality towards their players and program that every coach should have. This is the greatest recruiting class ever to sign to Temple in their history. Temple also has a great history in academics and has all the majors I considered on campus.
“I always dreamed of playing Division One football close to home with a big friend and family support system. My old teammates – Anthony Robey and Ikeem Boyd - play for Temple, and I love that I will have a chance to play with them on the next level. Temple was just the best place for me and will be a winning program for a very long time.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate football? “The progression that led me to playing college football started at birth. I always loved the sport even when I didn’t know much about it. I started playing at age seven for little league and loved it more each year. When I got to middle school, I started watching more college football.
“I always dreamed of being on TV and playing football in front of the whole nation and fans. I wanted to earn a free education through football – that was my main goal since then.
“The recruiting process was very smooth and exciting. The different coaches showed me so much love, but Temple stood out to me the most, which is why I gave my commitment to be a part of their program. Recruiting is a business, and I wanted to make my career with Temple.”
Coach Ernest Smith says: “The thing that stands out about Brandon is his athletic ability and how he’s worked hard since his freshman year to become the player that he ended up being in high school. He’s blessed with a lot of ability. He’s not only a good football player but a good track athlete as well.
“I remember his sophomore year and just watching him work out – he would make plays, and some of the assistant coaches would say, ‘Coach, we have a special football player.’ He saw a lot of time at defense as a sophomore for a team that won the conference championship. He had a key play at D-back in our Upper Moreland game to help us win the championship.”
About Brandon:
Favorite food: Cheesesteak
Favorite movie: The Lion King
Favorite music: Rap and R&B
Najee Harris – Wagner College (Football)
Major: Business
Final list of colleges: Wagner, Shippensburg, West Chester, IUP, Slippery Rock
Reasons for choosing Wagner: “Just the community of the school – it’s small, so I could really focus on learning more where I could actually have good relationships with my teachers who could keep track of me. It’s also a new environment. It’s in New York, and if I don’t go pro, which I hope to do, I could find a job in New York City. I just liked the football as a whole and also the players and coaches.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate football? “I actually started thinking about playing football in college this year because my junior year I got hurt, so I really thought that I pretty much was not known anymore, and I might as well just play for fun. At the end of my senior year, I had such a good season, and I was like, ‘I might as well continue playing football.’ After the season, I asked my coaches, and they said they were going to send my game film out to try and get me into different colleges. That’s when I really started thinking about playing football in college because after my junior year I thought I was just going to play my senior year for fun.
“In high school, I played defensive end, but our coach put me in some formations at linebacker because he had the idea that I would be playing that in college. They put that in my highlight tapes, and they want me to play outside linebacker next year.”
Coach Ernest Smith says: “Najee is a great young man. He’s a pleasure to coach. He’s the type of kid every coach enjoys coaching. He’s worked hard in the weight room and during the offseason. I couldn’t be any prouder of any student-athlete that I’ve coached. Whatever you ask him to do he’ll do it. He’s all about team. If we asked Najee to play long snap for us, he would if he could. He made plays, and that’s the key to success. He’s the type of player that made plays.”
About Najee:
Favorite food: General Tso Chicken
Favorite movie: The Sensations
Favorite music: Any kind of rap but the number one artist would be Rick Ross
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