Penn State commit Ejani Shakir is a speedy receiver who’s finding his place at Winslow Township
Shakir is one of the top players in New Jersey, and for his senior year he has transferred to a Winslow Township program that has a Penn State influence.
Ejani Shakir still vividly remembers the moment in late April 2021 when he found out he had received an offer from Penn State.
At the time, Shakir was a sophomore at Pennsauken High School who was already making a name for himself on the recruiting trail. The 6-foot tall wide receiver had already drawn offers from Rutgers and Pitt and had become a four-star prospect.
Though it wasn’t his first offer, Shakir’s Penn State offer felt different. The reactions from those around him were larger, and even though Shakir didn’t watch much college football, he was familiar with Penn State’s history in the sport.
“It was crazy, I remember when [Pennsauken] coach [Clinton] Tabb told me to call him, and I couldn’t believe it,” Shakir said. “It was just like, ‘That’s a big school to me.’ I mean, there’s so many people congratulating me.
“I started doing my research, started visiting the school a lot, and it was just everything everybody said it was and more.”
After receiving his offer, Shakir visited Happy Valley several times. There was one visit that stood out: Penn State’s 2021 White Out game against Auburn.
“The atmosphere was crazy,” Shakir said. “I’ve never been to a college game ever, so for that to be my first experience, that was more than I could ask for.”
Shakir committed to the Nittany Lions in May, just over a year after receiving his offer from James Franklin’s program. He’ll look to join an elite history of wide receiver talent at Penn State, with the program having produced several college stars and NFL standouts in recent years.
The Atco native has several parts of his game that mirror those Penn State greats, which includes the likes of Chris Godwin and Jahan Dotson. Those similarities were one of the first things that stood out to Jason Handy, the wide receivers coach at Winslow Township High School, when Shakir transferred to Winslow ahead of this season.
Handy’s first exposure to Shakir had come on film. Ahead of Winslow Township’s regional championship game against Millville, Handy saw tape of Shakir facing Millville. Though parts of Shakir’s game had stuck out on film right away, it wasn’t until Handy saw Shakir in person that he truly appreciated what Shakir could bring to Winslow.
“Ejani, just with his skill set, he is in my eyes almost a can’t-miss talent,” Handy said. “Him transferring in was a surprise for us, and with him coming in, it really just enhanced our receiver room.”
Handy, a lifelong Penn State football fan, also drew the comparisons to some of those Nittany Lions wide receiver greats.
“He gives off some big-time comparisons to past receivers at Penn State, such as Chris Godwin, KJ Hamler, and Jahan Dotson,” Handy said. “He gives you traits from all three of those guys.
“Hamler was known for his explosiveness, so that’s a trait [Shakir] brings. Dotson [is] a big-play receiver [who] can make good catches and catch-and-run with the ball, and Godwin, for anyone that knows him, [plays] with toughness.”
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Shakir’s speed and explosiveness are part of what helped him skyrocket up recruiting rankings to the No. 3 spot in 247Sports’ 2023 New Jersey player rankings. That athleticism traces back to Shakir’s time at Pennsauken, where he ran track in addition to playing football.
Tabb also coaches track at Pennsauken, and he got Shakir involved early on. Shakir excelled. As a sophomore, he ran a 21.82 in the 200m and a 48.89 in the 400m. Shakir thinks that running track and learning the importance of speed early has helped him on the football field, especially late in games.
“It just prepared me for a lot because track, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but it really is mentally,” Shakir said.
In addition to showcasing his speed, Shakir has also demonstrated his lead-by-example style. This season, Shakir will balance being a first-year member of Winslow’s program with his status as the most veteran player in the wide receiver room.
So far in offseason and preseason workouts, Shakir has struck that balance by giving full effort in every practice on every play. That approach to practice has been especially instrumental as Shakir serves as a model for the younger wide receivers, a group that includes junior Kenneth Everett and sophomore Cameron Miller, both of whom have drawn offers from Penn State.
“He’s somebody that comes to work every day and wants to get better every day,” Winslow Township coach Bill Belton said. “He’s getting adjusted to what we do. He’s not somebody that really has a lot to say, he’s just been keeping his head down and just grinding away.”
Belton, who is in his first season as the head coach at Winslow Township, developed an early trust with Shakir. Belton was a running back at Penn State from 2011-2014, and that shared Penn State connection helped Shakir fit in with Winslow Township and its culture.
“He’s family now, and he’ll be family going [to Penn State],” Belton said. “It’ll be a great opportunity for him. I know with this season coming up, he’s really looking forward to finishing his last year at Winslow and then preparing himself to go up to Happy Valley.”
Said Shakir: “[Winslow Township’s] motto is brotherhood, accountability, and perseverance. I really love that. That’s always what I wanted, to be a part of a football team, feel like it’s a brotherhood and [that] we accounted for each other and we all prevail.”