[This is the 17th and final installment in our annual series where The-Ozone looks back on each member of the previous season’s freshman class and the impact they had as rookies, as well as the impact they could have during the upcoming season. Up next is safety Bryson Shaw.]
At one point in his high school career, Bryson Shaw was committed to Maryland to play lacrosse. The Potomac, Maryland native attended the Bullis School, which is the same school that produced former Buckeye quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
Once he decided to pursue football in college, Shaw received offers from the likes of West Virginia, Duke, and Wisconsin. In late January of 2018, he committed to Wisconsin. About a week later, Ohio State threw its hat in the ring with an offer. In late April, Shaw decommitted from the Badgers and committed to Ohio State.
Four weeks later, Penn State offered Shaw, but he was solidly committed to Ohio State.
By the time Shaw signed with the Buckeyes, he was ranked the No. 45 safety and the No. 575 player in the 2019 class overall.
2019 Season
While he didn’t recruit Bryson Shaw, new Ohio State secondary coach Jeff Hafley was quickly impressed by him, and that was without ever seeing him play football.
Asked last year on signing day to give his impressions of Shaw and Craig Young, Hafley mentioned Shaw’s recent lacrosse game.
“Very athletic. Fast. Tough. Love football,” he said. “Look what Bryson just did in that lacrosse game. If you guys watched him move around, how athletic he was. He looked pretty good on TV. I watched his games and was excited for him. Great competitor.
“I think they’re two really good kids, so I’m excited. I can’t really tell you I’ve seen a whole lot of them playing football other than the film I watched when I got here since they were committed and signed. But I watched them work out yesterday and they’re talented guys. very talented.”
Shaw enrolled in the summer for the Buckeyes and was one of two safeties in the class. He ended up seeing action in three games and maintaining his redshirt.
Now What For Bryson Shaw
With the graduation of free safety Jordan Fuller, there is a job up for grabs this season for the Buckeyes.
That spot is expected to be won by Josh Proctor, but there is still a depth chart to build as well.
Ohio State will have four safeties on the roster this spring, barring anybody else moving over from cornerback. That does not include freshman Kourt Williams, who projects more to a bullet than a safety. The Buckeyes will then add at least one more safety this summer when Lathan Ransom enrolls.
There are a number of options for the Buckeyes at safety, but the jobs are all open. And they’re all significant. Proctor may have been Fuller’s backup last season, but he was on the field with the starters a number of times. The backup job is important and it’s wide open heading into the spring.
Regardless of what happens in the secondary, expect Shaw to be a solid contributor on special teams this season.