North Carolina State University Athletics
Program Spotlight: Shea McKeen
10/15/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Patrick Norris, NC State Media Relations
You often find common themes in your stories after talking to football players each year for their senior game program feature – football not being your first love, having to go to a junior college, immaturity and having to grow up, second chances, a mother's strong influence - to name a few.
It isn't often that a single student-athlete covers all of those topics, however, but the long and winding road of NC State senior defensive end Shea McKeen hits all of those subjects and then some.
McKeen spent his childhood on the frozen lakes of south New Jersey playing ice hockey. He also played competitively year-round in the sport, traveling the country and Canada until his junior year in high school.
“Since I was six years old I always played ice hockey year-round, anytime I could,” McKeen said. “I was on so many different teams, I love hockey. There are actually some direct correlations between hockey and football. You have to learn to manipulate your body and other people while using your movement and agility to get free. I definitely think the aggressive aspect of hockey helped me get the mental edge and toughness I needed for football.”
McKeen would have to use his hockey-honed athletic ability on the football field to get to college.
“In my junior year it got time for me to start thinking about college,” McKeen said. “Coming from a single household, my mom raised me and we didn't have much money. I wouldn't have had much of an option for college unless I took care of it.”
His older brother Casey, a junior defensive end at Lafayette College, talked to Shea about playing football.
“Casey said that there were a lot of options in football for scholarships,” McKeen recalled. “I was 6-5, 205 pounds, and he said I had the frame to play so I just gave it a shot.”
McKeen said that coming from South Jersey limited his exposure because of a percieved lack of talent in the cold weather states. The now-hulking defensive end actually started out playing safety as a junior and then some tight end.
“My first looks [from colleges] really came at tight end,” McKeen said. “Schools wanted me to gain weight so I put on 50 pounds over the summer going into my senior year. I had to set my alarm for four in the morning to wake up and drink protein shakes, and then I would eat and lift almost non-stop during the day.”
By the time his senior year rolled around, McKeen had developed into a two-way threat at tight end, and eventually, defensive end.
“I knew it was the only way for me to get to college,” McKeen said. “It was a real tough decision for me, because during the fall - football season - was also when ice hockey season was going on. I had to make the decision to take a year off from hockey and see if football would work out.”
The recruiting process started to happen quickly during his senior year.
“I got my first offer in November and by the end of the year I had many offers to play across the country, and most of the big schools wanted me at tight end, McKeen said. “I made the decision to go to South Carolina because they wanted me to play defensive end.”
McKeen learned to love – and excel – at defensive end, recording eight sacks as a senior in only four games before an injury sidelined him. He would now take those talents to the SEC and the University of South Carolina.
Things didn't work out at South Carolina, however, and McKeen was ready to move on from that chapter in his life after one season with the Gamecocks.
“I went to South Carolina when I was 17,” McKeen said. “I was very young through high school. I got caught up in the atmosphere around big time football, being involved in the party scene and I didn't balance my time. I spent too much time going out and doing the wrong things. I didn't focus on what I needed to to be a good student and football player.
“I was immature and I didn't make good decisions off the field, and academically I didn't do what I needed to do.”
After leaving South Carolina to attend Nassau Community College, McKeen finally began to mature and develop into the student, person and player that he had hoped to become when he started playing football.
“At the time, as bad as it was, it was probably the best thing that happened to me now looking back,” McKeen said. “Being at junior college wasn't like being at a Division I program. I didn't have anyone holding my hand and walking me through what I needed to do. You have to register for your own classes, make your own schedule, you lift on your own and do everything on your own. You live on your own and eat on your own, there are no team meals.
“It was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. It was either go to a junior college and take care of business or I would never be able to play big-time college football again.”
McKeen's journey to NC State was also rooted in his decision to begin playing football late in his high school career.
“I was very familiar with coach O'Brien and most of his coaches because I was recruited by B.C. when I was in high school,” McKeen said. “I got real close with the coaches and as soon as NC State contacted me I was very excited. After I came down on my visit there wasn't much thought at all to it for me. I was close to committing to B.C. out of high school so I was real familiar with coach O'Brien.”
McKeen had managed to keep his dream of playing major college football alive and getting a second chance from another program.
“Once I went to the junior college I didn't expect much from any coaching staff,” McKeen said. “My situation wasn't about football and any new coach had to take a risk by taking me because of what had happened outside of football. When I was officially offered by coach O'Brien I had never really had that feeling of getting an absolute second chance, but I had that when he believed in me and asked me to join his program.”
Talk about second chances. McKeen's first game with the Wolfpack was against South Carolina, in Columbia, S.C., where his college journey began.
“It was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” McKeen recalled. “The starting quarterback, Tommy Beecher, was my roommate, and their starting running back was also my roommate. I had my first career sack and first career tackle-for-loss against my two former roommates. That was pretty special.”
McKeen translated that early success into starting the next nine games, before breaking his foot and missing the final three, including a bowl game against Rutgers.
During the 10 games of his junior year with NC State, McKeen racked up 29 tackles, including five for loss and two-and-a-half sacks to go along with seven quarterback pressures. He has now started 14 of 15 games in his Wolfpack career, including all five so far this season.
With the production and consistency that coaches covet being showcased on Saturdays, thinking ahead to playing on Sundays – in the NFL – would be the next logical step. McKeen, however, is focused on the rest of his senior season and then completing his course work to earn a degree.
That is what makes him a success story among today's student-athletes.
You often find common themes in your stories after talking to football players each year for their senior game program feature – football not being your first love, having to go to a junior college, immaturity and having to grow up, second chances, a mother's strong influence - to name a few.
It isn't often that a single student-athlete covers all of those topics, however, but the long and winding road of NC State senior defensive end Shea McKeen hits all of those subjects and then some.
McKeen spent his childhood on the frozen lakes of south New Jersey playing ice hockey. He also played competitively year-round in the sport, traveling the country and Canada until his junior year in high school.
“Since I was six years old I always played ice hockey year-round, anytime I could,” McKeen said. “I was on so many different teams, I love hockey. There are actually some direct correlations between hockey and football. You have to learn to manipulate your body and other people while using your movement and agility to get free. I definitely think the aggressive aspect of hockey helped me get the mental edge and toughness I needed for football.”
McKeen would have to use his hockey-honed athletic ability on the football field to get to college.
“In my junior year it got time for me to start thinking about college,” McKeen said. “Coming from a single household, my mom raised me and we didn't have much money. I wouldn't have had much of an option for college unless I took care of it.”
His older brother Casey, a junior defensive end at Lafayette College, talked to Shea about playing football.
“Casey said that there were a lot of options in football for scholarships,” McKeen recalled. “I was 6-5, 205 pounds, and he said I had the frame to play so I just gave it a shot.”
McKeen said that coming from South Jersey limited his exposure because of a percieved lack of talent in the cold weather states. The now-hulking defensive end actually started out playing safety as a junior and then some tight end.
“My first looks [from colleges] really came at tight end,” McKeen said. “Schools wanted me to gain weight so I put on 50 pounds over the summer going into my senior year. I had to set my alarm for four in the morning to wake up and drink protein shakes, and then I would eat and lift almost non-stop during the day.”
By the time his senior year rolled around, McKeen had developed into a two-way threat at tight end, and eventually, defensive end.
“I knew it was the only way for me to get to college,” McKeen said. “It was a real tough decision for me, because during the fall - football season - was also when ice hockey season was going on. I had to make the decision to take a year off from hockey and see if football would work out.”
The recruiting process started to happen quickly during his senior year.
“I got my first offer in November and by the end of the year I had many offers to play across the country, and most of the big schools wanted me at tight end, McKeen said. “I made the decision to go to South Carolina because they wanted me to play defensive end.”
McKeen learned to love – and excel – at defensive end, recording eight sacks as a senior in only four games before an injury sidelined him. He would now take those talents to the SEC and the University of South Carolina.
Things didn't work out at South Carolina, however, and McKeen was ready to move on from that chapter in his life after one season with the Gamecocks.
“I went to South Carolina when I was 17,” McKeen said. “I was very young through high school. I got caught up in the atmosphere around big time football, being involved in the party scene and I didn't balance my time. I spent too much time going out and doing the wrong things. I didn't focus on what I needed to to be a good student and football player.
“I was immature and I didn't make good decisions off the field, and academically I didn't do what I needed to do.”
After leaving South Carolina to attend Nassau Community College, McKeen finally began to mature and develop into the student, person and player that he had hoped to become when he started playing football.
“At the time, as bad as it was, it was probably the best thing that happened to me now looking back,” McKeen said. “Being at junior college wasn't like being at a Division I program. I didn't have anyone holding my hand and walking me through what I needed to do. You have to register for your own classes, make your own schedule, you lift on your own and do everything on your own. You live on your own and eat on your own, there are no team meals.
“It was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. It was either go to a junior college and take care of business or I would never be able to play big-time college football again.”
McKeen's journey to NC State was also rooted in his decision to begin playing football late in his high school career.
“I was very familiar with coach O'Brien and most of his coaches because I was recruited by B.C. when I was in high school,” McKeen said. “I got real close with the coaches and as soon as NC State contacted me I was very excited. After I came down on my visit there wasn't much thought at all to it for me. I was close to committing to B.C. out of high school so I was real familiar with coach O'Brien.”
McKeen had managed to keep his dream of playing major college football alive and getting a second chance from another program.
“Once I went to the junior college I didn't expect much from any coaching staff,” McKeen said. “My situation wasn't about football and any new coach had to take a risk by taking me because of what had happened outside of football. When I was officially offered by coach O'Brien I had never really had that feeling of getting an absolute second chance, but I had that when he believed in me and asked me to join his program.”
Talk about second chances. McKeen's first game with the Wolfpack was against South Carolina, in Columbia, S.C., where his college journey began.
“It was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” McKeen recalled. “The starting quarterback, Tommy Beecher, was my roommate, and their starting running back was also my roommate. I had my first career sack and first career tackle-for-loss against my two former roommates. That was pretty special.”
McKeen translated that early success into starting the next nine games, before breaking his foot and missing the final three, including a bowl game against Rutgers.
During the 10 games of his junior year with NC State, McKeen racked up 29 tackles, including five for loss and two-and-a-half sacks to go along with seven quarterback pressures. He has now started 14 of 15 games in his Wolfpack career, including all five so far this season.
With the production and consistency that coaches covet being showcased on Saturdays, thinking ahead to playing on Sundays – in the NFL – would be the next logical step. McKeen, however, is focused on the rest of his senior season and then completing his course work to earn a degree.
That is what makes him a success story among today's student-athletes.
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