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People SearchFind an individual who either played a sport or was a member of a support group. Search by last name by clicking on the first letter of the person's last name.
Mr. Julian Shankle
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Home Phone: -- Football: Q&A with Julian Shankle – starting running back for Georgia game Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • September 4, 2010 For the first time in his UL career, junior tailback Julian Shankle will be in the starting lineup today against Georgia. The Grand Prairie, Texas, native has faced many obstacles to make it this far. He recently sat down with The Daily Advertiser to talk about his journey from Texas to the Ragin’ Cajuns. Question: What was your reaction when you found out about being the starting tailback? Answer: I was excited. This is going to be my first start since I got here. I’ve been dreaming about this ever since I came to UL. I’m just thinking about getting out there for the first play and ripping off some nice runs and having a big game. Q: You’ve been banged up a lot in college. What were some of those past injuries? A: Every spring it seems like something happens. In my first spring, I broke my right ankle and had surgery. My second spring I sprained my right wrist. This past spring I bruised my ribs. That was actually the most painful injury I’ve had. Q: You almost didn’t get to Lafayette. How did the recruiting process unfold for you? A: I was actually committed to Rice University during the season, but at the time I didn’t have the ACT score. They ended up dropping me because they didn’t think I’d get it. I eventually did, but it was too late for them. I was going to go to Prairie View A&M, but UL called me that same week and asked me to come up here on a visit and I signed here. Q: How many tattoos do you have and which one means the most? A: Right now I have five. My favorite one is my first one. On my right arm, I have Philippians 4:13 with a cross and added some wings and the verse. It reminds me to keep on pushing and always strive for whatever you want to achieve. Q: Who is your role model and why? A: I would say my dad (Anthony Shankle). I look up to him and try to be just like him. He’s a strong man and knows how to be the man of the house and support us. He’s been there for me since Day 1. Q: What do you want to do after football? A: Whenever I’m done playing football, I plan to go back home and get my MBA at either SMU or TCU. SMU is my first choice. * * * * * * * * * * * Football: Junior Shankle wins RB battle Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • September 2, 2010 Following a fierce battle during UL’s preseason football camp, junior Julian Shankle won the right to start at tailback Saturday on the road against nationally ranked Georgia. Just don’t blink during the game. Otherwise you might miss junior college transfer Kevis Streeter or freshmen Aaron Spikes or Rob Walker sneak onto the field. “Julian Shankle will start the game, but don’t turn away because the next one may be in there because that’s the way it is,” Bustle said. “Those four kids have really worked extremely hard, and they are very talented.” Shankle is the veteran of the foursome and the lone back with only Division I-A experience but has battled injuries throughout his career. The Grand Prairie, Texas, native has played in seven games each of the past two seasons and gained 155 career yards on 41 carries. After Sunday’s practice, the coaches gathered the running backs and announced that Shankle would start against Georgia. It will be the first start for the former Rice pledge since rushing for 867 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior at Class 5A South Grand Prairie High School in 2006. “I was excited,” Shankle said about learning he would start Saturday. “This is going to be my first start since I got here. I’ve been dreaming about this ever since I came to UL. “I’m just thinking about getting out there for the first play and ripping off some nice runs and have a big game.” Competition for the starting job was strong, Bustle said, but the coaches felt that the 5-foot-10, 197-pound Shankle earned the chance to start the season-opener. “He (Shankle) has a little more maturity and has been in the system a little bit longer,” Bustle said. “But I promise you, you could list them as or, or, or and or. I just think him being a little older and around the system a little longer probably gave him a bit of an edge.” Bustle expressed some concern about his new-look offensive line, which has three first-year starters. He added that the running backs could help the offensive line with some solid on-field production. Streeter rushed for more than 1,400 yards in two years of junior college. Last year, the 5-8, 187-pounder rushed for more than 700 yards and accounted for 12 touchdowns at Iowa Western Community College. Spikes, once committed to Texas Tech, combined to rush for 2,807 yards and 16 TDs as a sophomore and junior as Pinkston High School in Dallas, Texas. A nagging ankle injury limited his playing time in the backfield during his senior season, yet the 5-10, 197-pound Spikes was still rated a three-star recruit. Walker is the only one of the four backs from the area after a stellar career at Mamou. The 5-8, 183-pounder rushed for 3,897 yards and 51 TDs over his final two prep seasons and was also a three-star prospect. “They all bring something different to the table,” Bustle said. “Kevis Streeter is an extremely talented back and has probably caught on the quickest. Rob Walker being there last spring surely helped him, and Aaron Spikes is a guy that is very talented with the ball in his hands and hasn’t quite caught on as much as we would like but it’s enough for him to play. “They all bring a little something different as far as mentality to the game, but they all bring great feet to the game.” After Sunday’s announcement, Streeter took the time to congratulate Shankle for winning the starting nod. That’s a reflection of the tight bond and respect shared between the four backs. “I’m behind the coach’s decision 100 percent,” Streeter said. “No matter who won the starting job, we were all going to be behind them. Now we all have to go out there and continue to compete.” While Shankle will start, Bustle expects all four backs to play against Georgia. “We’re going to roll some guys in there,” Bustle said. “I don’t know how exactly. If a guy gets hot, I promise you we’re going to leave them in there.” As for Shankle, he expects the continuing competition in the backfield to be a good thing. “I haven’t exactly separated myself from everybody else like I wanted to,” Shankle said. “They’re still pushing me, but that’s only going to make me better.”
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