Bryson Shaw thought his mind was set. He was happy with his commitment to Wisconsin and wasn't going to entertain the overtures from Ohio State and its new co-defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

He was adamant that his recruitment was done.

"[Grinch] tries to set up an appointment with Bryson, and Bryson blew him off like the first three times," Bryn Shaw, the father of the USC safety, recalls over the phone. "Coach Grinch actually liked that because once he got that Ohio State title and worked for Ohio State he figured all the kids would just roll over -- when you call them up and say 'Hey, this is Coach Grinch at Ohio State,' he figured that would get him into whatever door he wanted to get into -- and Bryson ended up being kind of a tough cookie for him.

"Bryson told me, 'I'm not going to Ohio State, I'm not going to Ohio State no matter what, I'm not going to Ohio State.' Then they [did] one of those, 'Just come visit. Just come visit us to talk to us.' ... So we went out there."

Four years and three college football seasons later, after starting 12 games at Ohio State last fall and finishing third on the Buckeyes with 59 tackles, an interception and 3 pass breakups, Shaw was ready for a change.

And although he never actually got to play for Grinch with the Buckeyes, as Grinch was hired to join Lincoln Riley's staff at Oklahoma before that could happen, there was something about that connection that had stuck with him.

When Shaw entered the transfer portal in April, he already kind of knew where he wanted to go.

"I knew I wanted to be with Coach Grinch if he came calling again," Shaw said, reflecting back on that process. "That's a guy I was very familiar with, always wanted to play with. I understood why he left Ohio State, great job opportunity to go to Oklahoma. So as soon as he came calling, I'm like, 'Yep, that's where I'm going.'"

Shaw had flown under the radar for USC fans much of the past few months. He hadn't had a chance to create any buzz in fall camp as he tore his quad muscle during one of the first practices, tried to come back too soon and set himself back further as the season progressed without him for most of the first month.

But he announced his presence emphatically a couple weeks ago, thrust into action in the win at Arizona as USC chose to compensate for being down two of its three main linebackers by employing a dime package with an extra safety on the field.

In the third quarter, with the Trojans protecting an 8-point lead, Shaw picked off Wildcats quarterback Jayden de Laura at the USC 36, returned it 17 yards and on the next play Caleb Williams hit Tahj Washington for a 47-yard touchdown for a pivotal turning point in the eventual 45-37 win.