Mississippi player Deterrian Shackelford (38) celebrates during a trophy presentation after the Chick-fil-A Kick Off game in Atlanta. (DM Photo / Cady Herring)
A lot has happened to D.T. Shackelford in his six-year career at Ole Miss.
A strong freshman campaign in 2009, where he played in 11 games and had a total of 20 tackles, two tackles for a loss and one interception returned for a touchdown earned him a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team.
Shackelford took a big leap in 2010, where he played in all 12 games and recorded 48 total tackles.
His career took a drastic turn in 2011, however, when he tore his right ACL in spring practice, which caused him to redshirt and miss the entire season. He may have not been on the field in 2011, but he was still a vocal leader for the team and was awarded the Chucky Mullins Courage Award in 2011.
Shackelford would also miss the 2012 season due to offseason surgery to his right ACL.
After the devastating injury, he came back stronger than ever in 2013, where he played in every game at linebacker and defensive end and had 44 total tackles for the season.
There seem to be no setbacks for Shackelford this season, as he said that this is the healthiest he has felt in a while.
“I feel good,” he said. “All the ups and the downs, where I’ve been at in this league, I’m very blessed to be in the position I’m in now. My body feels about as good as a sixth-year senior body could feel.”
Shackelford has seen a lot of defenses over his six years in Oxford. How the defense has played so far in the first two games of this season has encouraged him, but he also knows there is room for improvement.
“We play hard, play to the snap,” Shackelford said. “We still have things that we can correct, but I feel like we’re playing as a unit. You don’t see one person making all the plays, but you see other people making plays as well. That’s always a great sign. We can take a step into being one of the best. We have to continue to work every day.”
One player who has really grabbed Shackelford’s attention on defense is junior defensive back Mike Hilton.
“When I first came in, I used to call him rookie all the time. I came in, and he was a little guy,” Shackelford said about Hilton. “He’s a baller. You can’t measure his size. He’s got the heart of a lion. I really love the way he plays from me seeing him grow from where he’s at to now being a junior and playing lights out like he does.”
Shackelford believes that the 2014 defense has the potential to be the best since he’s been here.
“I feel like we have the potential, but potential hasn’t been done yet,” Shackelford said. “You have to remember that it is only potential, and you have to go out there every day during practice and work on it. Every Saturday you have to prove yourself. I feel like that’s an important thing for this team because complacency is everywhere. At the end of the day, I feel like we can have a very good defense.”
