A.Q. Shipley talks Drew Allar, Kyler Murray, pickleball

A.Q. Shipley talks Drew Allar, Kyler Murray, pickleball originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

A.Q. Shipley was a busy man on Saturday in Arizona, running the 4.2-mile Pat’s Run in the morning before turning his attention to pickleball in the afternoon.

Shipley, the former Penn State star, participated in the celebrity match at the sixth annual Phoenix Children’s Hospital Pickleball Championships at Center Court Pickleball Club in Scottsdale.

Shipley played alongside former tennis star Jack Sock as Phoenix Children’s Hospital raised money for the Hope Fund, which helps invest in equipment, research and clinical trials to benefit patients of the hospital.

“It’s an amazing event,” Shipley told Sporting News. “It was a no-brainer. (Event organizer Andrew) Cheney, his daughter and my daughter are the same grade and play together on sports teams. It was a no-brainer. I’ve become tight with Jack over the years, too. He’s gotten me into pickleball. It was a lot of fun, and obviously doing it for charity is great.”

Shipley said he’s become an avid pickleball player, using it to stoke his competitive juices and stay in shape.

“I was done running when I was done playing, but I was like, ‘Well, I can’t just gain weight doing no work,’’’ Shipley said. “Drew (Stanton) hit me up. He was playing a lot of pickleball. He was like, ‘You’re such an athlete that your hands are going to be really good. Just come out and play, and you’ll figure it out. I’ll teach you the game but eventually you’ll fall in love with it.’ And that I have. It’s been fun.”

Shipley was wearing a Penn State shirt during the event and spoke about the draft prospects of Drew Allar. The Nittany Lions’ quarterback was inconsistent in college, but Shipley believes he does have a chance for success in the NFL once a team prioritizes developing his skillset.