It’s been an established sentiment in Columbus that once you turn a Buckeye, you should carry that lifelong loyalty- be it staunchly campaigning against the ‘team up north’ or a team with no rivalry history with Ohio State. It’s hard to say what took former OSU safety Bryson Shaw to ditch the loyalty, but he is making sure Buckeye fans hear his campaign against his old Columbus team.

A Buckeye fan on X was commenting on USC Trojans’ fate in the 2026 season to be an 8-win season. Bryson took no time to reply to him. “I guarantee you they beat Ohio State October 31st at home, btw,” Bryson wrote. “Crawford, Jide, Lucas, Shelby, and so on will have a field day with that front. You probably don’t even know who they are because you guys live in a bubble. I would research them.” But why support USC as a former Buckeye?

Bryson started his collegiate career at Ohio State in 2019 and spent three seasons with Ryan Day. His best showing also came at Ohio State in 2021 when he totaled 59 tackles, defended 3 passes, and notched an interception. However, in 2023, USC came calling when former OSU Co-DC Alex Grinch, who recruited Shaw, called Shaw to USC.

“Ohio State was my dream school,” Shaw said after committing to OSU in 2019. “It was the school I was waiting for. I didn’t think it was really going to pan out. And then Coach Grinch came in, and he called me like immediately once he got on campus, and he said like, ‘You need to give me a chance’.”

Bryson transferred to USC and spent three years in Los Angeles during the peak of his career, totaling 128 tackles and 5 defended passes. There, his relationship with the program solidified for good, and Bryson seemingly ditched his Buckeye fandom due to the relationships he built with his new team. The USC #23 vehemently defended his team, especially after losses like Colorado in 2023, and expressed appreciation for the direction the program was headed.

“I love these guys,” Shaw said about his teammates. “I love being part of this team. They brought me in right from Day 1…This group works very, very hard. I’ve been around winning programs, and this feels similar. It’s pretty easy to sell USC because of the history, and you look at the trajectories. I mean, these guys want to win.”

The relationships, the trust Shaw built with USC, and the time he spent probably led to the USC loyalty that he is showing today. Maybe the love for Ohio State is still intact, but USC stands at the top on his list, and that showed when he declared USC to win against Ohio State in 2026. USC will play Ohio State on October 31st at home, and it remains to be seen what will happen then.

Bryson Shaw is making a name for himself away from football

After finishing up his college career in 2024 with USC, Bryson quickly went on to prepare for the NFL draft. He was invited to minicamps with NFL teams, along with his teammate Kyle Ford. Shaw even attended a Giants minicamp along with Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart, whom the Giants drafted in the first round. However, Bryson’s NFL career didn’t pan out; he chose to move back to his old sport.

Premier Lacrosse League’s Boston Cannons announced the signing of Bryson Shaw to their lacrosse team. “Really excited and grateful for the opportunity to get back on the lacrosse field. I have missed the sport deeply, and going to give the game everything I have! Let’s roll!” Bryson announced. Notably, Bryson was a standout lacrosse athlete before transitioning to a football safety.

Bryson emerged as a top lacrosse recruit in just his freshman year and led his GEICO High School team to a national championship win. Bryson’s team defeated both Hill Academy and Salisbury High School in 2019 in back-to-back games. As a result, he won the 2018 and 2019 High School First-Team All-American honors but didn’t pursue the sport due to his 4-star safety rating as a football recruit.

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Despite a 6-year hiatus from the sport, expectations are high as Bryson embarks on his 2026 chapter away from football.