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You may remember when, shortly after being hired at Ohio State, Urban Meyer reached into Wisconsin’s recruiting class and plucked offensive linemen, much to the dismay of then head coach Bret Bielema. Bielema had some strong words for Meyer, calling the move “illegal” and harboring a bit of a grudge before leaving for Arkansas.
Meyer apparently never learned his lesson, because two head coaches later in Madison, Urban is still antagonizing the Wisconsin Badgers. Ohio State flipped a longtime Wisconsin commit as Maryland safety Bryson Shaw announced that he’d be playing his college ball in Columbus.
Please respect my decision. My recruitment is now closed. Go Buckeyes! pic.twitter.com/QBY5f2p9Jh
— Bryson shaw (@bshaw272727) April 28, 2018
Shaw is ranked 660th nationally, and 53rd among safeties in the 247Sports composite rankings, though their in-house rankings have him as a four-star, at 230th nationally. I would tend to agree with the latter more so than the former, and think that Shaw is in for a big jump this summer, if he chooses to attend the camp circuit.
Shaw is the seventh member of Ohio State’s 2019 class, and either the first or second safety in the class, depending on where Ronnie Hickman ends up. One of the top safeties on the board for Ohio State, Daxton Hill, recently included the Buckeyes in his top-six, so this commitment may show where the Buckeyes really stand with Hill.
Ohio State is looking to land a few safeties in this class, so I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Hill is still in play, as is Floridian Jordan Battle. When it comes to Shaw’s actual value on the field, he’s a very talented player. He fits the mold of a typical Wisconsin defensive back extremely well (take that as you will, and keep Jim Leonhard in mind), as he’s a big hitter, with a great knack for tracking the ball.
Ohio State is extremely excited to have him, and feel they’ve landed a bit of a diamond in the rough. You can watch his highlights below, and I’d highly recommend that you do.