Jay Shaw showed he was a different kind of football player from the first moment he met reporters after transferring to the University of Wisconsin.
The senior was speaking about his development as a player and what makes him the way he is on the field, which he admits can be mistaken as cockiness rather than confidence. He started shedding tears as he described how hard he’s worked to become a player coaches can trust.
“I love his personality, he's not going to hide anything, man,” UW defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said. “He's going to wear his heart on his sleeve. He's going to say what's on his mind. And I think it challenges guys sometimes who aren’t used to that type of personality, but I love it. He's been a lot of fun. And I think I've seen a lot of growth coming into this program from where he was Day 1 to where he is right now. It's exciting to see a guy who's a veteran, who is a mature kid, continue to grow on and off the field."
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In Shaw, the Badgers have a No. 1 cornerback who enjoys being isolated on the outside against a receiver. That's something they needed after the departures of multi-year starters Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams from last season, and a skill set that will be tested often when UW hosts Washington State (1-0) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Badgers also have a passionate player eager to learn all that Leonhard and UW cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat can teach him before he attempts to make the leap to the NFL. It was their guidance that brought Shaw east after spending his first five seasons at UCLA, where he earned AP All-Pac-12 second-team honors. Leonhard’s NFL-style defense took time to learn despite coming in with 43 games under his belt in the Pac-12.
“It's like I would hear Cover 3 … I’m thinking across the board, you play it the same,” Shaw said. “I’ve learned that, no, there’s different schematics. So during spring, learning, learning, learning. During the summer, I would just go home, watch videos on like Cover 3, Cover 4, Cover 2, see how (Wisconsin) are playing it. Really listening to coach Leonhard when he’s talking, taking notes.”
Shaw’s first game wasn’t perfect. He had a pair of holding calls on punt returns and let up three completions. But he had a near interception on the UW sideline after making an adjustment on Illinois State’s second attempt to beat him on a back-shoulder throw.
He becomes even more important to the team in a matchup against the Cougars’ Air Raid scheme while fellow senior cornerbacks Alexander Smith and Justin Clark are working to recover from hamstring injuries. Clark and Smith are considered day-to-day with their injuries, so Shaw being available in a week that the Badgers will face upwards of 75% passing plays is crucial.
Shaw got hooked to the challenges of football when he was 5 and watching his brother play. He loved the speed of the sport, and it became his outlet for his energy. He started as a running back but moved to the defensive side when he entered Centennial High School in Corona, California. He joked that everybody wanted to be a receiver in that offensive-minded program, so he had the best chance to play by working out at corner, the position his father, Ashley, played growing up.
He’s dying to tally his first interception for the Badgers to show what he can do as a playmaker.
“I played other sports growing up, but I had this conversation with my mom, I don't know what it is about football, but it's just … I think it's the pressure,” Shaw said. “Just the pressure, the excitement, just everything about it. … That ball in your hands is just a feeling I can't really replace.”
Shaw has a business-like approach to practice, Leonhard said, and it’s fueled by the knowledge this very likely will be his last college season and his desire to reach the NFL. Shaw gives Leonhard an example to point to for the Badgers’ young cornerbacks.
“You just say, 'Watch him,’” Leonhard said. “Just sit back, watch his technique. … I think that's huge for a team.”
Receiver Markus Allen told reporters that Shaw was his favorite cornerback to go against during training camp because he knows so many tricks to disrupt a route or challenge a catch. It forced Allen to improve and be more detailed, he said.
Shaw has been studying the Badgers’ scheme since he transferred this winter, but he’s also been learning about his teammates. He admits that at times there was an overload in trying to do both.
“I just had to get past that little feeling where it felt like everybody was kind of like, 'Who are you?'" Shaw said. "That put pressure on me and made me a little uncomfortable. But now that we’ve got past that point, I can kind of be myself and just fall into the brotherhood.”
UW coach Paul Chryst has seen Shaw fitting into the locker room and the dynamics of the Badgers’ program. Shaw’s teammates also feel closer to him now than they did earlier this season.
“Coming in, he wasn't used to our family aspect and our family brotherhood,” said Keeanu Benton, a senior defensive tackle and team captain. “So he kind of had to mold into it. And I think he's done a great job. He's matured a lot … so the sky's the limit for him. I think he's going to be a real good player.”
Which years would Wisconsin football have made the playoffs if there always were 12 teams?
Good news for the Badgers
The College Football Playoff Board of Managers on Friday gave the University of Wisconsin program an easier path to the playoffs in future seasons.
The board’s decision to expand the playoff field from four to 12 gives the Badgers and others around the country hope to win a national title even if they don’t win their conference crown. The board voted for a 12-team model consisting of the six highest-ranked conference champions and six highest-ranked at-large teams. The expansion will take place in 2026, or possibly earlier if TV contracts and other considerations get ironed out sooner.
First-round games will be on campus sites, so Camp Randall Stadium potentially could host a playoff game this decade. Ohio State (four times), Michigan (once) and Michigan State (once) are the only Big Ten teams to have made the playoffs, and the 2016 Buckeyes were the only non-conference-champion from the Big Ten to represent the league in the playoffs.
The Badgers have been on the doorstep of the College Football Playoff before, but if the 12-team format existed in the past, UW would’ve made the tournament numerous times. Here are the five most recent times the Badgers would have been playoff-bound had 12 teams qualified for the playoffs.
2006
Season resume: 11-1 overall, 7-1 Big Ten, tied for second in Big Ten
Why UW would get in: The Badgers were the fifth-highest-ranked team that wasn’t a conference champion. This selection process would’ve been difficult because it was before all the Power Five conferences had league title games.
What made the Badgers good: A strong offensive line anchored by Joe Thomas (72 above), an All-American and Outland Trophy winner at left tackle, helped an offense that featured tailback P.J. Hill (39 above) and tight end Travis Beckum. The defense allowed just 11 points per game in the regular season. However, the Badgers only played one AP-ranked team — No. 6 Michigan at The Big House — and it was their only loss.
2010
Season resume: 11-1 overall, 7-1 Big Ten, conference co-champs with Michigan State and Ohio State
Why UW would get in: The Badgers were the highest-ranked team of the three Big Ten co-champs, sitting at No. 5 in the final BCS bowl standings and earning a trip to the Rose Bowl.
What made the Badgers good: A stellar backfield of Montee Ball, John Clay and James White led the way while quarterback Scott Tolzien completed 72.9% of his passes, a school record that still stands. J.J. Watt (above) had 21 tackles for loss en route to being an All-American. UW scored 43.3 points per game that regular season, including 83 against Indiana, the most in UW history.
2011
Season resume: 11-2 overall, 6-2 Big Ten, Big Ten champions
Why UW would get in: The Badgers were the sixth-highest ranked conference champion.
What made the Badgers good: Russell Wilson (above) put together the best season by a quarterback in program history, setting school records in passing yards, touchdowns and efficiency. Montee Ball, James White and Melvin Gordon ran wild in the backfield and UW scored 44.1 points per game. Linebackers Mike Taylor and Chris Borland tallied more than 140 tackles apiece. UW only lost heartbreaking shootouts to Michigan State and Ohio State.
2017
Season resume: 12-1 overall, 9-1 Big Ten, conference runner-up
Why UW would get in: The Badgers were the second-highest-ranked team to not win a conference title. The Badgers had an undefeated regular season featuring two wins over ranked opponents, and their lone loss was a one-possession game against a one-loss Ohio State team.
What made the Badgers good: The emergence of freshman running back Jonathan Taylor (above) buoyed the offense and a veteran defense under first-year coordinator Jim Leonhard kept teams off balance. Only three opponents scored 20 or more points against UW, and the Badgers were 2-1 in those games. Taylor averaged about 6 yards per carry and quarterback Alex Hornibrook had 21 touchdown passes in the regular season.
2019
Regular season resume: 10-3 overall, 7-3 Big Ten, conference runner-up
Why UW would get in: The Badgers were the third-highest-ranked team to not win a conference title. Two of the Badgers’ losses were to Ohio State, a team ranked first or second in each of the six CFP polls.
What made the Badgers good: A stellar defense posted four shutouts and Jonathan Taylor put together a second Doak Walker-award winning season. Linebackers Zack Baun (above) and Chris Orr became menaces to opposing quarterbacks, posting double-digit sacks each. The Badgers tallied ranked wins against Michigan, Iowa and Minnesota, the last of which clinched the Big Ten West division.