Cal Adds Size in the Backfield With Grad Transfer Running Back

It what will likely be the sole scholarship graduate transfer to join the Cal roster in 2020, Bradrick Shaw yesterday pledged to spend his last year of football eligibility playing for the Golden Bears.

Shaw, who grew up in Alabama playing for national power Hoover High School and turned down a scholarship offer to play for the Crimson Tide out of high school, wowed as a freshman in Madison, with 457 yards rushing to go along with 5 touchdowns and a 5.2 yards per carry average.  

After losing the starting job in 2017 to future Doak Walker award winner, Jonathan Taylor, Shaw lost his entire 2018 campaign to an ACL injury.  He played sparingly in 2019 as his knee was not quite 100%.

Shaw’s a bigger back at 6’1 and 216lbs, and combines that size and strength with the the feet and lateral agility of a scat back.  Not a pure power back, Shaw has some juice and can make defenders miss in space.  He has a unique gait that may remind some long time Cal basketball fans of Patrick Christopher.  

Shaw was rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals coming out of HS and had offers from Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Nebraska and Alabama before selecting the Badgers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmbHCb3rO3A

Look for him to compete for backup carries at running back behind Christopher Brown.  Shaw’s combination of size, power, and big-play ability will complement the running back room in 2020.  Shaw’s not as dynamic a yards after contact runner as is Brown and doesn’t have Christopher’s natural pass-catching ability.   He runs with a more narrow base and can sometimes struggle to take what the play offers while looking for a bigger play.  

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