Flying Under The Radar: Olympic Heights (FL) 18' TE Shane Ellis (6-3, 225)

Olympic Heights HS (Boca Raton, FL) hybrid athlete Shane Ellis, is without a doubt, one of the top, but yet overlooked H-Back (tight end/fullback) prospects in the country. Ellis sports a 3.4 weighted GPA and on his first attempt, scored a 1050 SAT. He's currently receiving interest (mail envelopes) from FIU, Purdue, Cincinnati, Louisville, NC State, UCF, FAU, Arizona St. and Stetson. The three-year varsity starter, made it known, he's thankful for head coach Chris Kokell -- who has revived a once (1-19) football program that was outscored (425-3) into a playoff contender, and most importantly, gave, Ellis, a once starting center at 5-foot-10, 170-pounds as a freshman -- a shot at playing tight end, and the rest would be history. Since, the transition, Ellis has grown to be 6-foot-3, 225-pounds with sub 4.7 speed, and has earned 2nd team all-county both his sophomore and junior seasons. Ellis, who's known for his ability to block, registered 25 pancakes the past three seasons as well as pulling in five receiving touchdowns and 63 catches (26 sophomore & 37 junior). This off-season, as the starter for both Palm Beach Fire and Florida Fire 7 All-Stars 7v7 football teams -- Ellis has showcased a nice blend of speed, strong hands and the ability to get open and score touchdowns. Ellis caught 59 passes and scored an eye-opening 25 touchdowns, as one of the little-known prospects who made a name for himself. Florida Fire founder and National Champion Dennis Marroquin, praised his play this off-season, including his dominance at the Pylon Tournament. Ellis 4.4 shuttle and 4.7 speed reminds you of a lot of Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. He has the ability to play fullback, tight end and "sneaky" athleticism at wide receiver within the red zone, the same way the New York Giants once used Jeremy Shockey, against smaller defenders.

You know, you can play when you break the huddle with four-star offensive recruits such as wide receivers: Mark Pope (Miami Southridge), Daquaris Wiggins (Miami Southridge), Gurvan Hall (Palm Beach Lakes) and Elijah Moore (St. Thomas Aquinas). Ellis is your complete tight end. He thrives in blocking and has earned all-county back-to-back seasons as well as earning the starting position for a well recognized 7v7 All-Star football program, that's year in and out, assembled with the cream of the crop, when it comes to power five conference talent. Ellis models his whole style of play after Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs), who wore the No. 18 jersey at Cincincintti before being drafted into the NFL. He's someone still waiting on his first offer. Which I find hard to believe. He's squared away academically, has done everything he needs to do in equipment and 7v7, and can impact a team on offense, doing all the little things correctly. HUDL: http://www.hudl.com/video/3/5291227/57bc7807e97a832a08391dcd Twitter: @ShaneEllis_18