2021 RB Will Shipley Goes the Extra Mile for Notre Dame Commit Blake Fisher
College football recruiting is unique in many ways. Relationships are formed between recruits, coaches, parents and other recruits.
2021 Weddington (N.C.) running back Will Shipley and 2021 Avon (Ind.) offensive lineman Blake Fisher have formed a special bond as the 6-foot-7, 330-pounder would love to block for the speedster.
It's no secret Fisher has been one of the most aggressive recruits we've seen as he wants to build a special class and Shipley is a player who has embraced the Notre Dame commit.
In fact, Shipley went old school for Fisher's birthday last week.
"He sent me a card in the mail for my birthday," Fisher stated.
It started as somewhat of a joke, but it also shows the friendship is deeper than football.
"I figured out it was going to be his birthday on March 25th," explained Shipley. "He's a popular guy, so I knew he was going to have about 1,500 texts, Snapchats, Twitter messages and all that stuff.
"I didn't think he thought I was going to do it until I sent the card out. My mom and I joked about it because we tried to find the funniest card. I mailed it to him and it's just something he can have other than a text message that goes away in a couple of seconds. I wanted to let him know I appreciated his support throughout the whole process."
Fisher might be the only person to recruit the Weddington star harder than Notre Dame running backs coach Lance Taylor, but Shipley has never felt pressure to commit to the Irish.
"That's my guy right there," said Shipley. "The relationship we have been able to create through the recruiting process is nothing slight of him being one of my best friends. It's very easy to connect with him because he's going through the same process that I do. He's committed, but just to have the attention at a young age, it's nice to be able to relate to someone with the same surroundings.
"He's someone I can go to and talk to. He obviously wants me to be at Notre Dame, but he's not going to pressure me into anything. I can really talk to him about anything."
The card might have been funny, but Fisher also appreciated the message inside.
"He said he was thankful for us being able to meet and that we were brothers for life,” Fisher stated. “That was really it, but it's the little things that make me appreciate building these relationships and getting to know these different guys.
"Relationships go a long way. I was taken back. He took the time out of his day to write a message and send it. Not a lot of people would do that. For him to have done that, it makes me feel really good."
While the message was sincere, Shipley also knew if he had put 'Committed' inside the card, it could have made Fisher's day.
"I actually talked about that with my parents," laughed Shipley. "He would have been so psyched if I had done that.
"I wish I could have done it, but this process is going to take a little bit longer than that."