Shanley won over by Great Danes at official visit

Albany snagged a commitment from Paramus Catholic senior quarterback Steve Shanley on Saturday. Shanley committed to the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association) school while on his official visit this weekend.

“Coach Gatusso and his staff made me feel like a part of the family and they’re as genuine as they come. With the new staff I know that the program is going in the right direction.” Shanley said. 

Since taking over as the head coach at Albany in December, Greg Gattuso has built up a nice 2014 recruiting class. The former University of Maryland assistant has brought in several new coaches since landing at Albany.

“They have a bunch of commits from our league and North Jersey so I know that the talent is there.” Shanley said.

The Great Danes have earned commitments from two North Jersey recruits in St. Joe’s defensive end Anthony Paolello and Bergen Catholic outside linebacker Isaiah Powell.

Shanley was surrounded by a flood of Division 1 athletes during in his junior and senior seasons at Paramus catholic. He is the fifth Paladin to commit to a Division 1 program this year.

The Great Danes are a great fit for Shanley, a pro-style quarterback. They compete in the CAA, a conference which includes FCS finalist Towson, Maine, and New Hampshire.

“I truly believe the CAA is the best FCS conference and could easily compete with the likes of MAC schools and such.” he said. 

Shanley had offers from Murray State, Buffalo, and Central Michigan among others prior to committing to Albany.

“Albany hadn’t come into the picture until about 2-3 weeks ago, but it was top 2 after I met with the coaches the first time.” he said.

Shanley made a name for himself during his junior season when he threw for 21 touchdowns and over 1700 yards. More notably, he entered the 2012 state sectional final with just over two minutes remaining and engineered a game winning drive to remember.

Shanley had watched All-American Jabrill Peppers run the wildcat for most of the game and Paramus Catholic needed someone to take charge and help speed up the offense. Shanley went 7-7 on that drive, which ended with a 55 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyrone Washington. Shanley’s touchdown pass would ultimately give Paramus Catholic its first state sectional title since 1990.

This season, Shanley carried over his good pocket presence and helped Paramus Catholic to another sectional title over St. Peter’s Prep. He also improved his numbers by throwing for more than 1800 yards and 22 touchdowns.

There is no doubt that Shanley can be a premier FCS quarterback at Albany. He can make plays, use his feet, and knows how to read a defensive backfield. Definitely keep an eye on him as he will head up to Albany this summer and join a team with a lot of potential in 2014.