Wisconsin football recruiting: UCLA DB Jay Shaw announces transfer to UW

Always on the hunt to further improve their roster, the Wisconsin Badgers added graduate transfer cornerback Justin Clark from Toledo earlier this month. The move added some valuable experience to the defensive secondary in an attempt to fill the void left by Caesar Williams and Faion Hicks.

On Tuesday evening, the Badgers dipped back into the transfer portal, securing another cornerback commitment, this time from UCLA defensive back Jay Shaw.

A multi-year performer for the Bruins, Shaw is another talented option for Hank Poteat and Jim Leonhard to work with given his experience. After redshirting his first year on campus while at UCLA, Shaw went on to play in 43 games in four seasons with 16 starts. Also a valuable special teams contributor, he checks a lot of boxes for the Badgers and seems to be a really nice addition.

This past season he had a team-high three interceptions and was a second-team All Pac-12 selection by PFF and the AP. A former 4-star prospect coming out of high school, Shaw has one year of eligibility remaining with the Badgers. At 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds he possesses solid size, and he has excellent ball skills given his six career interceptions.

Dean Engram and Alexander Smith are arguably the top two cornerbacks returning for Wisconsin, but the infusion of talent between Shaw and Clark should definitely add some depth and competition to the room. Based on resume alone, Shaw seems to be a big addition for the Badgers, and I don’t think the staff is done exploring the transfer portal this off-season either.