Shotwell shines at Shrine Game, wins Tillman Award

It was a memorable week for Cal Poly senior football player Kyle Shotwell.

As one of only four players not from a Division I-A school to play in the 82nd annual East-West Shrine Game on Saturday, the linebacker led all players with seven tackles (five solo). He was also voted by the all-star game’s coaches and selection committee as the Pat Tillman Award winner for showing character and work ethic.

“I was pretty happy with my performance,” Shotwell said Sunday in a phone interview. “I thought that I definitely did a good job out there.”

Shotwell helped the West beat the East 21-3 in front of 23,554 fans at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The game was nationally televised on ESPN.

But more importantly, he showed versatility in playing all over the second level of the defense.

After racking up 122 tackles and seven sacks to lead Cal Poly to a 7-4 record this past season, Shotwell took home the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in I-AA. That productivity came while playing virtually the entire season at middle linebacker.

But the 6-foot-1, 235-pound Shotwell started Saturday at weakside linebacker and made the transition smoothly.

“This week I was playing the ‘will’ linebacker,” Shotwell said. “I fit into that position pretty well. I actually really enjoyed it. I could play outside linebacker.”

Along with the Senior and Hula bowls, the East-West Shrine Game is crucial for players such as Shotwell trying to raise their stock in the eyes of scouts for the NFL Draft, which will be held this year from April 28 to 29. The last two winners of the Buchanan Award – Cal Poly linebacker Jordan Beck (2004) and defensive end Chris Gocong (2005) – parlayed performances in the East-West Shrine Game into becoming third-round draft choices of the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively.

Shotwell said roughly 300 scouts watched the teams practice from Jan. 15 to 17. At the end of that process was a scrimmage, in which he returned an interception for a touchdown.

“That’s like a culmination of the practice,” Shotwell said. “I did pretty well at the scrimmage.”

Although the West’s head coach was Dan Reeves, who played or coached in an NFL-record nine Super Bowls, Shotwell said he spent more time working with West linebackers coach Mike Singletary.

Singletary, the assistant head coach and linebackers coach of the San Francisco 49ers, is a Pro Football Hall of Famer and widely considered the best middle linebacker in the modern NFL era for his playing days with the Chicago Bears from 1981-92.

“He was in my ear quite a bit,” Shotwell said of Singletary. “He was pretty tough on me but I was told by multiple people at the end of the week that he thinks a lot of me.”

The No. 1 aspect Shotwell said he learned from Singletary is the intensity necessary to play at the next level.

“The majority of people can’t get away with being a good athlete,” Shotwell said. “It’s the guy who’s going to be intense.”

Shotwell said his biggest strength at this point is the ability to get to the football in a hurry and wrap up.

As for an area to improve, Shotwell said he has to remind himself not to try to do too much.

“What I’d like to work on is my ability to get off blocks,” he said. “There was one play where I tried to take the fullback on and make the tackle, and at that level, it just doesn’t work.”

Shotwell’s roommate during the week was USC outside linebacker Dallas Sartz, who racked up 70 tackles and seven sacks this season.

“We got along really well,” Shotwell said. “(Sartz) actually follows Cal Poly football because he has a lot of friends who go to Cal Poly.”

So early in the draft process, it is unclear when Shotwell is projected to possibly be selected.

Some draft Web sites, however, such as NFLDraftScout.com, have Shotwell’s stock on the rise. He is ranked as the No. 30 small-school prospect by DraftShowcase.com and is listed as a “small-school sleeper” by DraftDaddy.com.

Dave Thompson, one of FFToolbox.com’s draft columnists, wrote of Shotwell: “A bit undersized for linebacker by NFL standard but clearly can get the job done.”

Shotwell was interviewed last week by representatives of the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore uses a 3-4 base defense similar to Cal Poly’s double-eagle flex scheme, which goes from a 3-4 to a 5-2 front during the course of a game.

Shotwell’s agent is Ryan Tollner, whose Rep1 Sports Group boasts clients such as Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell, Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Leonard Davis, Oakland Raiders linebacker Kirk Morrison and Beck, among others.

The East-West Shrine Game is played to raise money and awareness for 22 North America-based Shriner Hospitals, which provide free burn and orthopedic care to children. It has raised more than $14 million and led to treatment for more than 750,000.

Shotwell had the opportunity to interact with and sign autographs for several of the hospitalized children during the week.

“It was an eye-opening experience,” Shotwell said. “It made me feel extremely blessed for what I have. It breaks your heart to see kids like that, but it’s inspirational. They’re the true heroes. They’re fighters, warriors and it’s really inspiring to see.”