Bryson Shaw made his first career start against Oregon on Saturday.
The redshirt sophomore saw the opening reps at free safety for the Buckeyes in place of senior Josh Proctor, who was listed as a game-time decision on the Ohio State status report hours before kickoff. Proctor, who started Week 1 against Minnesota, suffered an apparent shoulder injury in the fourth quarter of last week's game, but was fully dressed in warmups.
Shaw saw 15 reps in the season opener and graded out as a champion, filling in for Proctor in the final couple Minnesota drives the game.
“Been waiting on my time and I feel like my time’s here, I feel like it’s arrived,” Shaw said Wednesday. “I know all the safeties have a lot to bring to the table, including myself, and I’m just excited for the future of this team and this secondary. I think we’re just getting started. I think this defense is very good, we have very high standards for ourself and I think you will see that.”
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day declined to comment on Proctor's health status throughout the week, but said Thursday he was pleased by Shaw's performance against the Gophers.
“He played well, graded out a champion. I think that’s an example of somebody that just kept working every day and didn’t complain, didn’t make it about him, just kept putting days in front of days,” Day said on 97.1 The Fan. “And because of that, he went out there and played well. I thought he tackled well, I thought he was where he was supposed to be, he makes the calls, so he’s a little bit of a calming force back there. Looking forward to a good year from Bryson.”
Shaw, a Maryland native, was a three-star recruit and the No. 575 overall prospect in the class of 2019. Shaw was also a lacrosse standout in high school at the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland.
