Matthews (N.C.) Weddington five-star running back Will Shipley wants to come out of the coronavirus pandemic in better physical shape than he came into it, so he is taking advantage of all the down time he has during quarantine in order to make that happen.

Shipley, one of Clemson’s top targets in the 2021 class, is getting plenty of use out of the weights and other workout equipment he has at home and exercising outside the house regularly as well.

“I have a really nice setup thanks to Santa last Christmas,” Shipley told The Clemson Insider, laughing. “So, I’ve got a really nice bench/squat rack, treadmill, peloton and then a couple recovery things like a sauna and a hot tub. And then we have a bunch of accessibility to fields all around my house just a couple miles away, so I’ve been trying to get a lift and some field work in every day, and staying healthy, really just watching what I eat, watching what I put in my body, how much I do eat. Just things like that to try and come out of this thing better than I came into it.”

The nation’s top-ranked all-purpose back and highly coveted recruit stands about 6-feet tall and currently tips the scales around 200 pounds, which is close to his desired playing weight.

“Right now, I’m right at 5-11.5 – almost 6-foot, not there yet – and I’m weighing right at 200 pounds, between 200 and 205,” Shipley said. “I played last season between 205 and 210, which is ultimately what I want to play at in college. Anywhere between probably 205-215 I think is my ideal weight, I think on the lower side of that depending where I do go and the coaches’ preference. That’ll play a big role into it, but with that being said, I think that I’ll be able to have a lot better 205 in college than I do now with the strength program, controlling what you eat, things like that. So, I think that my 205 in college will be a lot better than my 205 now.”

In addition to diligently working out, Shipley is working hard to improve specific parts of his game as he looks to cap off his high school career with a bang during his upcoming senior season.

“I think the first thing I would say is my route-running,” he said. “I’ve never really focused in and dialed in on that. I’ve kind of just taught myself through YouTube videos, so I’ve been reaching out to a lot of the coaches I speak to, a lot of the wide receiver coaches that I speak to, getting as many tips as I can, asking them to send any videos they have my way. So, I’ve been really focusing on that lately, and I think I’ve already improved a bunch over the past couple of weeks. Next, I would probably say lateral quickness inside the tackles, being able to push the line, make a lateral cut and then get vertical as quick as I can. And I think the third and last thing that I’ve really been focusing on is I would say my motions and what I do before the line of scrimmage. My stance last year was a little bit too high. I needed to correct that. I need to get lower in my stance and I just need to make my first three or four steps more efficient. So, those are really the three things I’ve been focusing on a lot.”

As a junior in 2019, Shipley rushed for more than 2,000 yards and ran for 30 touchdowns with an 11.0 yards-per-carry average. He also registered nearly 600 receiving yards and added eight more scores through the air while leading Weddington High to a 16-0 record and the Class 3AA state championship.

In case you missed it, Shipley also recently spoke to TCI about the latest in his recruitment.

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