Four-star linebacker Bradley Shaw has committed to Arkansas over Clemson and numerous other schools.
Shaw, 6-0 and 220 pounds, of Hoover, Ala., had scholarship offers from Arkansas, Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, Notre Dame, Auburn, Florida, Texas A&M, Stanford, Ole Miss, Southern Cal, South Carolina, Tennessee and other programs.
He signed with the Razorbacks on Dec. 20, the first day of the early signing period last week, then went public with his decision on Christmas.
Shaw made an official visit to Fayetteville in June and made a return visit for the BYU football game on Sept. 16. He also made official visits to Notre Dame and Clemson.
He was recruited by Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, defensive coordinator Travis Williams, special teams coordinator Scott Fountain and defensive analyst/assistant linebackers coach Jake Trump. Shaw said Pittman's and Williams' interaction with his family during his official visit to Fayetteville in June was a factor in his decision.
“Really it was Coach Pittman and Coach T-Will,” Shaw said. “I could tell they’re genuine people from them talking to me. The way they interacted with my mom, especially, I could see out of the corner of my eye, like, them speaking to my mom and talking to my dad, and from Coach T-Will holding my nieces and them being able to trust him, they showed a lot of love and never stoped showing love.”
Shaw played in the recent Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game in Hattiesburg, Miss., with Arkansas defensive line signee Kavion Henderson. He said the chance to play with Henderson and other signees, along with the current players on campus, fueled his desire to be a Razorback.
“The group of guys we have coming in and the group of guys that are there,” Shaw said. “I talked to Kavion at the Alabama-Mississippi [All-Star] Game. He’s always been in my ear. He was telling me to come be a part of something big. There’s a lot of opportunities for you here and they’ll maximize you and you have great coaches behind you and beside you.”
He recorded 109 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 quarterback hurries and 1 pass breakup this season. He plans to play in the All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Jan. 7.
ESPN rates him the No. 6 inside linebacker and the No. 188 overall prospect in the nation in the 2024 class. Seeing the fan support at the BYU game also had an impact on Shaw.
“The fans support us,” said Shaw, who will report to Fayetteville after the spring semester. “I considered when I was at the game, they were very, very supportive and very into the game. You can tell they really care about us and care about the players and they want to see us win.”
Shaw’s parents were “most definitely” on board with his decision.
“They wanted me to go where I felt at home,” he said. “It’s me having to spend the time there. They wanted me to make the decision myself and they would support me 100% no matter where I go.”
On3.com's industry ranking rates Arkansas’ recruiting class No. 26 nationally and No. 14 in the SEC. The Hogs have 17 signees and one commitment in the 2024 class.
Shaw is the sixth 4-star prospect to sign with the Razorbacks, according to On3.com’s industry ranking.
Rivals and 247 Sports have Arkansas with eight 4-star recruits.