He'd been to plenty of Nebraska football games as an unofficial visitor. He kept thinking an offer might come. As the calendar bled into November, and then December, nothing.
The frustration felt familiar for Lincoln Southwest's 6-foot-5, 280-pound lineman.
"It almost felt like they liked me but they weren't ready to ask me out to prom yet," Shefke said.
The Silver Hawk senior finally got his date to the dance Wednesday.
Shefke was one of about 40 players who participated in Nebraska's walk-on event at Memorial Stadium. Joined by some of the state's top unsigned prep football players, he met new head coach Scott Frost and listened as he spoke of the importance of NU's walk-on program and laid out his plan for the future.