Mack Brown pulled out all the stops when he recruited Clemson running back Will Shipley to North Carolina in high school.

Shipley, who is from North Carolina, ultimately chose to play college football at Clemson.

But that wasn’t for lack of trying on Brown’s part. In a Sunday press conference, Brown recalled getting “close” with Shipley’s grandmother during his recruitment.

 

In the class of 2021, Shipley was a 5-star recruit, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. Shipley was the No. 2 running back recruit in the country and the No. 2 recruit in North Carolina.

If North Carolina would have been able to land Shipley, it would have been a massive in-state commitment. Nearly 2 years later, North Carolina will be going up against Shipley and Clemson at the ACC Championship Game.

So far this season, Shipley has a team-leading 1,092 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s been one of the most productive running backs in the ACC this season.

Kickoff from Charlotte is at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday night.