Five-star 2022 DT Travis Shaw commits to North Carolina

Five-star Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley defensive tackle Travis Shaw is staying home.

Shaw announced his commitment Saturday night on CBS Sports HQ, picking Mack Brown’s North Carolina Tar Heels over a group of finalists consisting of Clemson, Clemson and HBCU North Carolina A&T.

Clemson was long thought to be the favorite to land Shaw, but his recruitment swung in North Carolina’s favor once the NCAA recruiting dead period ended. Shaw took a self-guided trip to Chapel Hill in April, returned to campus for an unofficial visit early in June and then completed an official visit with North Carolina on June 25 — his final visit of the summer. Shaw took an official visit to Georgia the previous weekend.

Shaw is the No. 4 overall recruit in the class of 2022, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is also the No. 2 defensive lineman and No. 1 prospect in North Carolina in the class.

“Shaw is a thick built player with a powerful lower half,” 247Sports’ Chris Singletary said in his scouting report of Shaw. “Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 330 pounds he is still athletic enough to play all over the defensive line with great production. He is light on his feet and makes plays off the edge and the interior. With his power and bull rush he does an excellent job pushing the pocket and causing disruption. Shaw is has excellent awareness and is able to read and react on plays that are away from him, chasing them down from the backside.

“He has good flexibility in his hips and he can drop his weight and turn the corner when rushing the passer. He has to continue to work on playing with a low pad level and utilizing his hands when he gets off blocks, along with adding pass rusher moves to his game. Shaw brings athleticism not normally seen in a player his size, that makes for his upside to being off the charts and him projecting to being a Power Five starter for multiple years. I think that he projects as an All Conference player with the chance of being a 1st round pick in the NFL Draft.”