Recruiting Report: Shea Albrecht (2021)

Finding a 6'4 280 lb. 2021 OL/DL from a program that has produced multiple D1 athletes the past few years without an official offer is without a doubt a rarity, but to my surprise I learned that Orono's Shea Albrecht does indeed match this description. I feel honored to be able to interview Albrecht in what is forsure the beginning of his recruiting process, and learned a lot about the Blue-Grey All-American in an exclusive interview with Northstar Football News. Check out what the junior had to say about his football background, the 2019 season, and his recruiting process below. NFN: Tell our readers a little bit about yourself and your experience playing football, Shea. Albrecht: "I'm from Orono, Minnesota and I've been playing football since 4th grade and I knew then and there that this was what I wanted to do for a long time. Some fun facts about me are that I seem to have this fear of butterflies which is pretty funny for someone of my size. I also wrestle and play baseball. If I could sum up football for me in one word it be "competition." I believe that in order to be a great athlete you need to have a very competitive mindset. I'm 6'4 280 lbs., and I ran a 5.3 40. I don't have a lot of defensive stats from last year because I played mostly offense but if you could make pancakes a stat, I'd have a lot of those." NFN: What do you like about football? And describe for us Orono's season last year as well as your performance personally. Albrecht: "I think that competition is a big part of my game. I believe in order for me to have a big game, I got to wait it more than anyone on the field. Our team last year was very successful in producing college athletes. Unfortunately we lost to SMB in the semifinals and cut our season shorter than we thought it would be. I think some highlights of last season were the Chaska game at home where we stunned a 5A team. Another would be our homecoming game where we won in OT. And finally the Holy Angels game where we had beat them when they were the "best team" in 4A. Personally I feel that my season last year was a stepping stone to what the future holds. I believe I can play at a very high level and I never feel that I'm "out" of a game or competition." NFN: What are your expectations for the 2019 season and how was your team's offseason? How has the first half of the season gone so far? Albrecht: "My expectation for my team would be the state championship. I know that everybody in the state is shooting for this, but I believe that our group of guys has worked harder and pushed each other harder than any other team in the state. I think this puts us ahead and we continue to strive through the adversity thrown at us. In the offseason I improved on my strength significantly. I think that's one of the only aspects of my game that holds me back from being the best offensive lineman in the region. Playing for Orono is something I'll never forget. The first half of our season didn't go as planned. We lost our first 3 games to some tough teams. I believe that me and everybody on our team has figured it out and you'll see a different Orono football team in the second half of the season." NFN: Walk us through your recruiting process so far and what you're looking for in a college! Albrecht: "Currently I have not decided on what schools I'm going to really look at but I believe that I can compete with anybody in the country. I haven't given a lot of thought about D2 or D3 but I will never count those schools out. I believe that no matter what level you are at you can make it through hard work and effort. A couple of schools have sent me gameday invites. I went to around 5 camps this past summer (Iowa State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, US National Team tryouts, and Blue-Grey All-American tryouts) and I think that my recruiting process might be starting slower that I thought but I'm starting to prove my skills to schools. One thing that did surprise me at first about the recruiting process was the small specifics that go along with it. Rules that you have to follow in order to stay eligible." If I were a coach at any level reading this, I would make sure to check out Albrecht's midseason highlights below. His aggression and mindset would be a valuable asset to any college program. Midseason Hudl: <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10629159/5d801bad3453c20dd41487e9">https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10629159/5d801bad3453c20dd41487e9</a>