Dillard pipeline still going strong with Shivers

AUBURN | Shaun Shivers never saw Dillard High School football in its prime, but he's heard so many stories.

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His mother graduated from Dillard, located in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He was coached as a youngster by former Auburn All-America safety Brian Robinson, another Dillard graduate. He more recently was coached by another former Auburn safety, Junior Rosegreen, who also graduated from Dillard. In fact, several Dillard graduates played football for the Tigers — Otis Mounds, James Bostic, Frank Sanders, Stanley McClover, Pat Sims, Harry Adams, Antoine Carter.

"Most people from Dillard came here," Shivers said Saturday. "They keep Auburn in my head."

Shivers, who attends Chaminade-Madonna College Prep in Hollywood, Fla., located eight miles south of Dillard High, said second-hand familiarity with Auburn piqued his interest initially. Then he visited and was blown away by what he saw. He was so mesmerized that he committed last October and hasn't stopped talking about his affection for the Tigers.

Some programs have been put off by his pro-Auburn stance. Florida State pursued Shivers ardently last fall and this spring, but their calls have been less frequent of late. He said Saturday that only Utah and Kentucky have maintained dogged pursuit.

"I'm 100 percent Auburn," he said. "That's what I tell people all the time. That's where I am."

Shivers is something of an enigma on the camp circuit, where he shines as a receiver out of the backfield and in the slot. At 5-foot-5, he lacks usual size at both positions. Still, he's among the fastest sprinters in all of Florida and those hands are something special.

Asked Saturday what role he expects to handle on the Plains, he was open-minded.

"Slot, running back, kick return, punt return," he said.

With his college decision made, Shivers says he's been working hard behind the scenes to help the Tigers sign players who aren't as certain about their futures. During the Tigers' cookout Saturday, Shivers said he focused on influencing safety Jamien Sherwood and wideout Seth Williams toward accepting Auburn's scholarship offers.

"We need those two guys," Shivers said. "I think we'll get them."

Shivers said he's planning to attend two Auburn home games this fall and then will make an official visit in January. He's on track academically to graduate early, but said his desire to compete throughout the 2018 high school track season will push his Auburn enrollment date into next summer.