Tennessee’s coaches have sent out a slew of scholarship offers this week, and that trend continued on Wednesday when they extended an offer to a talented safety out of Maryland.
Bryson Shaw is a highly-rated safety/wide receiver who plays for The Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland. He’s currently committed to Wisconsin, but that didn’t stop the Vols’ coaching staff from send him a scholarship offer.
Blessed to have received an offer from the University of Tennessee! pic.twitter.com/Jy3ppKcTYc
— Bryson shaw (@bshaw272727) April 25, 2018
Shaw is rated as a four-star and No. 230 overall player according to 247Sports. They also have him as the No. 16 safety in the 2019 class. The 247Sports Composite rankings have him listed as the No. 661 overall player, however. He committed to Wisconsin in late January of this year, and he recently added an offer from Ohio State too. He also has offers from Maryland, Duke, West Virginia, and Virginia among others.
A look at Shaw’s highlight film shows why there’s such a range in his rankings. He certainly has four-star potential like 247Sports thinks, but his film only has limited defensive highlights. His tape shows more work on the offensive side of the ball. But regardless, Shaw has some real talent on either side of the ball. He’s a very quick player and is very physical despite being somewhat undersized from a weight perspective. Whether it’s on offense or defense, Shaw tends to seek out contact rather than going away from it. He has keen awareness on defense and is capable of reading quarterbacks effectively.
As a junior, Shaw totaled 30 tackles, two tackles for loss, three interceptions, two passes defended, and two forced fumbles according to MaxPreps. He also caught 27 passes for 473 yards and five touchdowns while also tallying 39 carries for 198 yards and a score. Additionally, Shaw returned 10 kickoffs for 182 yards and returned one of those for a touchdown. He also returned a fumble for a score.
Shaw not only plays football in high school, but he’s also a lacrosse player for The Bullis School. He had been receiving a lot of interest from Maryland’s lacrosse team, and the Terrapins’ squad had been ranked No. 1 in lacrosse this year for most of the season.
At 6-foot-2 but only 175 pounds, Shaw could use to add a few dozen pounds to his frame once he gets to college. But even with that lack of ideal weight, he plays well and is very physical. His lacrosse background plays into that.
Tennessee currently has four players committed in their 2019 class, and none are from defensive backs. The Vols will need to add a safety or two in their 2019 class as they prepare for the departures of both Todd Kelly Jr. and Micah Abernathy after the 2018 season. There’s also a chance junior Nigel Warrior will declare for the NFL Draft after this season as well.
