About Shawn
Graduated Niles West H.S. - Skokie, IL in January 2010 - 2 years All Conference; three-star recruit by Scout.com and Rivals.com ... Rated the 16th-best offensive guard nationally by Scout.com ... Ranked the 37th-best offensive guard nationally by Rivals.com ... Rated the 18th-best prospect in the State of Illinois ... Named a Top Offensive Lineman by MaxPreps.com.
Allowed only one sack in 131 pass attempts as a senior ... PrepStar All-Midwest Region ... Recorded 35 tackles and one sack as a senior on the defensive line ... High school coach was Curtis Tate. Chose Illinois over Indiana, Purdue and Iowa.
University of Illinois - 2010 - Enrolled early at Illinois in January 2010 and participated in 2010 Spring camp. Redshirted .. 2011 - Redshirt Freshman: Member of the practice squad ... 2012 - Sophomore: Played in one game, logging 17 snaps in victory against Charleston Southern ... 2013 - Graduated in August with a degree Political Science and Minor Native American History
Enrolled at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota in 2014 to play football with his remaining eligibility and to further his education majoring in teaching.
Shawn Always gave 156%.
Shawn believed in helping others and giving back.
Personal: Son of Sue and Al Afryl, Brother of Justin.
"All of us in the Fighting Illini football family are greatly saddened by Shawn’s passing last night. He was a great teammate and a dedicated student. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Tim Beckman - Head Coach - University of Illinois
"In the time Shawn was on campus, he showed a lot of people what a great fit he was going to be not only for our football program but for our campus as well. He did an excellent job as a counselor during our team camps, and his leadership qualities and maturity were a valuable asset to our successful camps. He will be sorely missed."
Tom Sawyer - Head Coach - Winona State