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Parker Shattuck is ready to make the next step. The soon-to-be LaGrange High senior committed to playing football at South Alabama starting in 2024.

“I wanted to go ahead and make a decision before the season started and this felt like the best fit for me,” Shattuck said.

The defensive end made an official visit to South Alabama last week and quickly made his commitment known after making the visit. The kicker? He already knew he was South Alabama bound based on his connection with the coaches, school and area.

“I took an unofficial visit a little while back and they showed me the facilities and the town and it just felt like home,” Shattuck said. “The city and the people really stood out to me.”

That comfortability factor helped lead Shattuck to making his college commitment before his senior year officially starts, a decision that has helped lift some of the stress and weight of making such a decision off his shoulders.

“The process has been good to me and I’ve had a lot of people after me, but I really wanted to make a decision before the season,” Shattuck said. 

South Alabama told Shattuck that the Jaguars would put him in the best position to make plays. That position is likely defensive end/outside linebacker as it is Shattuck’s most natural position, a position he has played since middle school in fact. Shattuck also sees his fair share of reps at tight end, but he feels he belongs on defense, clobbering opposing quarterbacks.

Shattuck had a monster junior season that put him on Division 1 teams radars, but it did not come out of nowhere. Shattuck buckled down and took the game more seriously in 2023.

While Shattuck may have one eye on the future, he has one eye on the present as well. He has put in the work this offseason to help achieve the goals the team has set out to achieve in 2023.

“I’m excited for my last season here and we want to go out there and win a region title,” he said. “After that we can worry about chasing a state title, but right now we are focused on winning a region championship.”

This evolution in how he approached the game paid dividends last season. Now, he wants to improve and take his game to new heights in his final season with the Grangers and he believes he is perfectly poised to do just that.

“I can’t take any plays off,” Shattuck said. “It was like that before, but now that I’m a senior and a leader for this team, I can’t be seen taking it easy. I have to give it 100% every snap.

“I’ve been working with coach [Tyler] Eady in the weight room and I feel faster and stronger going into this season.”

Shattuck’s time as a Granger is winding down. He will be an early enrollee at South Alabama starting in the spring semester and is in his final months in high school, a prospect that has not sunk in yet. 

Being a Granger has meant everything to Shattuck through the highs and lows.

“It really is the best feeling to be a Granger,” he said. “I’m looking forward to this season. We were not happy with how the season finished last year and we are working to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”