Connor Shaw ranked 4th in 107.5 The Game's Top 30 Gamecocks
In honor of the 30th South Carolina football season in the SEC, 107.5 The Game will be ranking the top 30 players in program history. Legendary Gamecock football quarterback Connor Shaw checked in at No. 4, one spot ahead of his former teammate Melvin Ingram.
At Flowery Branch High School, Shaw played for his father, Lee and had a phenomenal career. During his sophomore season, he slotted at wide receiver and finished with 1,200 yards catching. Moving back to his trademark position for the last two years of high school, Shaw threw for 5,300 yards, which helped him gain some offers from colleges.
As a three-star prospect, Shaw received offers from Georgia Tech, Stanford, Wake Forest, West Virginia and East Carolina. He ultimately committed to Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina football program in 2009. When he arrived on campus in 2010, he would backup Stephen Garcia, who helped the Gamecocks reach the SEC Championship. When he did play in that first year, Shaw completed 23-of-33 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown. He also proved to be very mobile, rushing for 165 yards, which translated an average of 5.2 yards per run.
Once again, Shaw found himself waiting for his turn in 2011 while Garcia led South Carolina a perfect 4-0 in September. However, after a bad outing against Auburn, Garcia was benched and Shaw took the reins. In his first start against Kentucky, he threw for 311 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 54-3 win. He’d go on to lead the Gamecocks an 11-2 record and a Citrus Bowl win over Nebraska. Shaw finished with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 14-6 while throwing for 1,448 yards. He also ran for 525 yards and eight touchdowns.
With Garcia out of the picture, South Carolina finally became Shaw’s team in 2012. Besides two mid-October losses, Gamecock football went on to win 11 games for the second straight season. It culminated in back-to-back wins against archival Clemson and then Michigan in the Outback Bowl. Shaw threw for 1,956 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Shaw’s senior year with the program would be a memorable one. After falling to Arkansas a week earlier, Shaw wouldn’t be able to start against Missouri due to illness and a sprained left knee. With Dylan Thompson struggling, Shaw came in to save the day to help his team overcome a 17-point deficit. South Carolina went on to beat the No. 5 Tigers 27-24 in double overtime. From there, the momentum carried all the way through the end of the regular season, with the Gamecocks defeating Clemson 31-17. In his final collegiate game, Shaw helped take down Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl by running for a touchdown, throwing three touchdowns and catching a touchdown. As a result, he was voted the game’s most valuable player.
In that final season, Shaw threw for 2,447 yards with 24 touchdowns and one interception. For his career, he finished a perfect 17-0 at Williams-Brice Stadium and 27-5 overall, making him the school’s winningest quarterback.
After his college years, Shaw moved onto the NFL where he went undrafted and was picked up by the Cleveland Browns. He spent a majority of the 2014 season on the practice squad, before getting his first opportunity. Due to injuries to Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer, Shaw started the season finale against the Baltimore Ravens. In that first start, he completed 14-of-28 passes for 177 yards and an interception.
On June 30, 2016, the Browns released Shaw, paving the way for the Chicago Bears to acquire his talents. However, injuries would keep him on the sidelines, resulting in his release on September 8, 2017.
With his professional career behind him, Shaw found his way into the coaching ranks with the Furman Paladins. He became the team’s tight end coach, but resigned before the start of the 2018 season. Two years later, he returned to his alma mater as the director of player development. On November 16, 2020, after Will Muschamp’s firing, Shaw was promoted to the interim quarterbacks coach. After Shane Beamer became the next head coach, Shaw remained with the program in 2021. He served as the director of football relations where his duties dealt with recruiting and current player relations.
In February 2022, Shaw stepped down from his off-the-field role within the South Carolina football program.
