GREENSBORO, N.C. — Travis Shaw, ranked No. 4 overall (No. 2 DL) for the Class of 2022, is a big man with a big personality, and production to match. The five-star recruit announced his commitment to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in mid-August, and is excited to play for Hall of Fame Coach Mack Brown. According to Shaw himself, the feeling of excitement was mutual as Coach Brown was brought to tears when he informed him of his commitment to join the university.

Shaw’s production, which over three years includes 160 solo tackles, 41 hurries and 17 sacks, sets him up to be the second highest rated player in the internet recruiting era for the Tar Heels. While this moment of realization is unbelievable for Shaw, it didn’t arrive without heavy emotions that brought him to tears when he announced his commitment.

“It’s the journey that I’ve been on,” Shaw said during his announcement. “Dealing with multiple injuries, from having knee surgery back in sixth grade and not knowing how that was going to turn out and battling different adversity.”

That “different adversity” Shaw alluded to included offseason surgery to his shoulder. This injury, which has caused him to miss the entirety of the current season to date, was sustained during the NCHSAA Class 4-A championship game victory.

Travis Shaw is supremely gifted physically, especially in regard to his lower body which is best represented by the fact that he also played basketball for Grimsley High School. Speaking of Shaw’s athleticism, Grimsely head coach, Darryl Brown, shared the following to Inside Carolina’s Kristyn Clark:

“He’s different. To be as big and as strong and as athletic as he is – the linebacker part comes from his sense of awareness on the field, understanding what offenses are trying to do to us, having just a great awareness of the game and what is going on. If you have ever watched him play basketball, he plays basketball like a point guard. He just has a unique knack for the game. Very intelligent player. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s dominant, he’s athletic, but he also has the mental side of the game.”

It bodes well for Shaw that his current coach and future coach think so highly of him, his abilities and his mentality. Coach Brown is an especially strong advocate. In the same interview with Kristyn Clark, coach Brown shared his thoughts during his initial interaction with Shaw:

“I walked in the gym and there was some 6-foot-4, 290-pound 7th grader running point guard and I was like, ‘Who in the world is that kid? And why is he playing basketball and not football?’ Next year he played football for Kiser and he was their quarterback. He’s very unique. He has a lot of God-given ability for sure, but he has worked and made himself better.”

Much attention will be directed towards Shaw as the Grimsley Whirlies get closer to playoff mode. He has been medically cleared to rejoin his undefeated squad this fall. The Whirlies are currently 8-0, with two games left in their regular season before the playoffs, as they look to defend their championship.

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