Walk-on cornerback impresses in Garnet & Black game
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Cornerback Jared Shaw is tired of seeing the tag “walk-on” before his name in newspapers.
“It’s always in the back of your mind,” Shaw said. “Sometimes you feel like, ‘Well, why do I have to be labeled walk-on every time?’ Every time someone comes up to me, it’s like, ‘Here’s walk-on Jared Shaw.’ I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m part of the team, too.’”
Shaw will not only be part of the team in the fall, but he’ll have an opportunity to see the field and be part of a secondary that struggled in the Garnet & Black spring game.
If it’s any indication of the kind of impact that Shaw has had in practice, USC coach Steve Spurrier thought someone was referring to him as opposed to starting quarterback Connor Shaw after practice one day.
“He’s just a good football player,” Spurrier said. “That’s the way to describe him. I think he played some safety there later, so safety or corner — he can play them both.”
Along with an interception in the end zone of the spring game, where the Black team beat the Garnet team 38-24, Shaw has had several interceptions throughout the spring practices, including one in the second scrimmage.
Winning an award for being the most improved cornerback, Shaw transferred from Newberry in 2009, so he was not eligible to compete in that season. He played in two games in 2010, but left the team in August of last season.
“This spring, I felt like I came out and made a few plays, and then the next day, I feel like I would come out and make a few mistakes,” Shaw said. “This whole spring I was trying to be more consistent as a player. I’ve been here a while, so it’s time for me to come out and not make dumb mistakes and not get beat and stuff. I feel like I did improve a lot this spring.”
Defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward was not pleased with the way his secondary performed overall, but also said he wasn’t concerned. Among the things that disappointed him were veterans giving up the deep ball, like the first play, a 70-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Damiere Byrd.
At the same time, Ward said he got excited just watching the defensive lineman stretch before the game. The two top defensive linemen, Devin Taylor and Jadeveon Clowney, didn’t see much playing time, which made it easier for the offense to have its strong outing. Though Clowney played, Ward said he told Clowney that he knew he was taking it easy on his tackle, Brandon Shell, who is also his roommate. In the season opener at Vanderbilt, that won’t be an issue.
“I’m not the guy who’s going to have sleepless nights,” Ward said. “It’s going to be those guys on offense who know that No. 98, (Taylor), is on one side and No. 7, (Clowney), is on the other side. That’s two bookends that I’m glad we have on our team.”
Ward also acknowledged that he had some veteran leadership missing from the spring game, such as seniors D.J. Swearinger and Akeem Auguste, who have been injured in the spring. Both are expected to start. Linebacker Shaq Wilson did not play either because he was at a friend’s funeral.
As far as Shaw, Ward likes to play a lot of guys in the rotation because if one of the four starters in the secondary gets injured, then he has someone with experience. Ward said that if Shaw continues his pace, then he’ll have a spot in that rotation.
“Jared is a playmaker,” Ward said. “Jared is not afraid to make plays. Especially in the back end, a lot of people play tentative. That’s not Jared. If you tell Jared something, if you coach him on technique, then that’s what he’s going to do. If you do that and [are] disciplined, no matter how fast you are or how big you are, if you trust what your coaches tell you, then you’re going to make plays. That’s what Jared has done.”
Though Shaw has grown tired of having the walk-on tag attached to his name, he said it makes him work harder as his mother does not want to pay his tuition again. Shaw’s real desire, though, may be coming to fruition.
“As a walk-on, we all know it’s our goal to earn a scholarship, but more than that, I would just love to play,” Shaw said. “I would take my few reps on kickoff over a scholarship any day just to be out there with my teammates and travel with them every week. That would be over money every day.”