Michigan receives verbal from Shawn Conway

Jim StefaniFeb 20, 2010

Birmingham Seaholm WR Shawn Conway (6-4, 185, 4.50) just committed to Michigan today while attending the Wolverines’ Junior Day in Ann Arbor. Conway is a two-sport star who also excels in basketball.

A relative sleeper, at least to some, in the recruiting world, I have been tracking him for over a year, even before he transferred to Seaholm after his freshman year from Detroit Cass Tech.

One analyst who I respect, Scott M. Burnstein of the Oakland Press, had this to say about him last August: “I was out at Seaholm practice this morning and let me tell you, junior wide receiver Shawn Conway is the real deal holyfield. This kid runs like a gazelle, has hops like Kobe Bryant, and hands the size of King Kong. On one play, I saw him catch the ball in traffic and then drag three teammates an additional 20 yards before being brought down. Defensive Coordinators, far and wide across the state of Michigan, – watch out!……..On the basketball court, Shawn Conway is the undisputed genuine article – an athletic wing, who can play inside and out and as a sophomore last season helped the Seaholm Maples to the first conference championship in quite some time. On the football field, however, he is an unknown commodity and the definition of a sleeper. This is primarily because the 6-4 split end/defensive back has only played in 2 varsity football games in his first two years of high school, due to a transfer at the end of his freshman year from Cass Tech in Detroit to Seaholm in Birmingham to be closer to his family and first cousin/teammate Richaud Pack (a top-tier hoops recruit). That all said, when the curtain finally does come down on Conway’s HS football career in the fall of 2010, he could wind up being one of the best players in the county, not to mention the state, certain to earn offers to play at the next level. Maples head coach, Chris Fahr, believes right now, even minus the experience and exposure factor, Conway is one of the ten best players at his position in Michigan. Simply put, this kid’s a warrior. he can go deep or across the middle. he’s not afraid of contact like some other finesse wideouts his size/caliber and he’s said to have big hands, a big heart, and a true passion for the game. and we already know about his great jumping ability from his gravity-defying dunks during last year’s basketball campaign, so the fade route on the goal line is certainly to become a staple in the Maples’ red zone packages this year and next. Playing on defense, Conway has the potential to be a lockdown corner, already slated to take on the opposing team’s best receiver. Conway is such a sleeper, he didn’t even make my pre-season top 40 for ‘09. I did the rankings based on past-performance,, and since Conway, doesn’t have much of a on-field resume at this point, i was forced to leave him off. If Conway shakes out as advertised – which i am quite certain he will – there’s little doubt in my mind, that he will be at the top of the pre-season ranking for 2010. I also predict, Conway, along with senior QB Jack Quigley and a stellar sophomore class, will restore the Maples program – the 2nd winningist program in the county over the past 20 yrs, but coming off a tough ‘09 where they were only able to muster one win – to its past gridiron glories sooner rather than later. With the addition of fully-eligible Conway, look for Seaholm to challenge for a return to the playoffs this year and be a top county power in 2010.
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