[1] He played baseball and ran track, but only began football prior to his sophomore year at Wall High School.
[2] In the summer prior to his junior year, Shimko would long snap to his father 400 times each day (200 for each field goals and punts).
[4][5] Ranked a five-star recruit, the seventh-best long snapper by Rubio's camp and the fifth-best by 247Sports, he committed to play college football for the NC State Wolfpack.
[4][6][7] Shimko became a starter at NC State as a true freshman in 2019, serving as the long snapper for all 108 of the team's kicks.
[8] The following year, he was a second-team All-American selection by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and was a semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award, given to the best long snapper nationally.