The Washington Huskies will be unexpectedly losing another defensive starter.
Nickel cornerback Jordan Shaw announced on social media his intentions to enter the transfer portal on Wednesday after one season on Montlake. Shaw began his career at Indiana last year, where he played in four games and redshirted.
Because Washington’s bowl game was after the closing of the NCAA winter transfer window on December 28, all Huskies players have five days from the completion of the bowl game to enter the portal. Washington lost a tight Sun Bowl 35-34 to Louisville on Tuesday.
Shaw started 9 of Washington’s 13 games, with 336 of his 520 defensive snaps coming in the slot. He had 30 tackles and 6 pass breakups while taking the majority of the snaps, but did split time with Dyson McCutcheon.
Shaw’s announcement comes just hours after Washington received a crystal ball to earn a commitment from Arizona transfer Tacario Davis, the top cornerback currently in the transfer portal. The Huskies are also still waiting for a final decision from 2024 starter Thaddeus Dixon, who has one more year of eligibility thanks to an NCAA blanket waiver for outgoing seniors who spent at least one year in junior college.
Those decisions don’t necessarily affect Shaw directly, as he was almost exclusively a slot corner on Montlake. But the redshirt freshman may have aspirations of playing on the outside or may simply just want a change of scenery.
Shaw initially committed to Arizona out of the portal last offseason before following Jedd Fisch and his staff to Washington. But Huskies defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, who was not part of that initial recruitment, is leaving for North Carolina now that the bowl game has concluded. One defensive transfer, linebacker Khmori House, has already committed to join him in Chapel Hill.
Shaw is the third cornerback to transfer from Washington this offseason, joining Darren Barkins and Curley Reed, who entered the portal before the Sun Bowl.
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