USC announces the addition of safety transfer Bryson Shaw
Transfer portal pickup No. 14 of this offseason is officially in as the USC Trojans announced the addition of former Ohio State safety Bryson Shaw on Friday.
Shaw’s commitment to USC originally took place this past Sunday, when his father posted the announcement to Twitter.
The 6-foot, 195-pound safety started 12 games for the Buckeyes last season and played in 21 total games at Ohio State. Shaw’s connection to USC is through defensive coordinator and safeties coach Alex Grinch, who served as the lead recruiter for Shaw while at Ohio State.
Shaw has three years of eligibility remaining at USC and is a solid addition to the Trojans’ locker room. He was a three-time Ohio State Scholar Athlete and two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. He was also an All-American lacrosse player in high school.
Shaw initially arrived at Ohio State as a three-star safety out of Potomac (Md.) The Bullis School. He held offers from Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and most of his regional schools.
Shaw’s Fit At USC
USC returns a couple of good, young safeties in Calen Bullock and Xavion Alford. But the USC coaches said repeatedly this summer that there isn’t a position on the roster where they wouldn’t want to add pieces.
Depth was an issue this spring as Alford and Briton Allen missed extended time due to injuries. That meant Bullock, Xamarion Gordon, Anthony Beavers and Micah Croom were the only available safeties for much of spring, with Oklahoma transfer Latrell McCutchin spending time at safety, corner and nickel.
USC will get an additional body this summer when incoming freshman Zion Branch arrives. But with the USC coaches in “win now” mode, bringing in Shaw and his experience makes a lot of sense. He’ll have an opportunity to push for playing time and, at the very least, be something of a veteran mentor for USC’s group of young safeties.
USC’s Transfer Portal Success
Shaw is the 14th addition from the transfer portal this offseason and he won’t be the last.
So far, the USC coaches appear to be hitting on a significant number of their additions.
Quarterback Caleb Williams looks like a future star with the Trojans. Running backs Travis Dye and Austin Jones turned a position lacking bodies into an absolute strength. Wide receivers Mario Williams, Brenden Rice and Terrell Bynum look like immediate contributors. And offensive tackle Bobby Haskins could push for playing time this fall when he returns from injury.
Defensively, Shaw is the first true transfer portal safety brought in by this staff. McCutchin received positive reviews for his play there, though it remains to be seen where his long-term future is in the secondary. Fellow cornerback Mekhi Blackmon was mentioned constantly by head coach Lincoln Riley as a standout on that side of the ball. Linebacker Shane Lee quickly became one of the faces of the program this offseason as he helps led the culture building. And edge rusher Romello Height stepped into a starting role very early. Defensive lineman Tyrone Taleni very much outplayed expectations after arriving with very little playing experience. And defensive lineman Earl Barquet flashed some as well.
