It took some time, but B-R grad Bryce Shaw found his football home at UNH

Bryce Shaw enrolled in the Naval Academy a few months after shining as the do-it-all star on the Bridgewater-Raynham High football team in 2018, and he got in for just a few plays on special teams his freshman season of college.

As a result, he took a hard look in the mirror.

“I lost that chip (on my shoulder) a little bit, I guess, when I was that kid going to Navy and everyone was talking about me in town," said Shaw. "Going there and not being where I was in high school, not the type of athlete I was there, it put the chip on my shoulder again.

"It matured me and made me want to do better for my family and the people who believed in me.”

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So, after two seasons, he made the jump to the University of New Hampshire in January 2020. Coming off a 3-8 season in 2021, the UNH football team, led by its first-year head coach Rick Santos, had to do a similar reflection in order to turn its odds around.

The Wildcats did just that and ripped off a 9-4 season to claim the Colonial Athletic Association championship for the first time since 2014, geared with a defense led in part by Shaw at middle linebacker.

“We had to do a little bit of soul searching in the offseason. Everyone just bought in, it was awesome. The feel in the locker room was different," Shaw said. "There weren’t as many guys complaining and stuff to go to those long practices or rainy days or when it’s really cold out. Guys were ready to get after it. As Coach Santos said a lot this year, we looked at everything as an opportunity rather than a challenge.”

The 6-foot-1, 240-pound Shaw played in all 13 games and made 46 total tackles (22 solo), which is good for fifth-most on the team. He also recorded an interception against Richmond on Nov. 5.

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“He was a huge reason why we were able to turn it around,” Santos said of Shaw. “It was his leadership ability. When chaos situations happen, he’s got a great personality and he uplifts everybody. Anybody can be a good leader when things are going your way, but it really tests a man’s character and it shows who you are truly as a person when things don’t.”

UNH won three consecutive games entering the season finale against Holy Cross in the second round of the FCS Division I Championships, which turned out to be a 35-19 loss.

Shaw, a 2018 B-R graduate, earned his bachelor's degree in analytical economics this past May and notified Santos that he will return to the team next fall for his final year of eligibility (which he earned due to the pandemic). He is also enrolled in graduate school, making strides toward an MBA.

Santos not only remarked of Shaw's work ethic in the classroom, but the turf as well.

"If you’re going to be the aggressor out there and be physical, it always helps when you’re cerebral. He’s a student of the game. He’s extremely smart," said Santos, who was previously the team's quarterback coach for three seasons before the promotion to head coach. "He’s got an elite first step, and he’s quick to the football because he processes information so well. I say that’s one of his strengths, his football IQ is off the charts.

“He’s an extension of the coaching staff out there, in terms of how he identifies fronts and how he communicates with his teammates.”

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Shaw graduated from B-R as a three-year starter who popped his senior season -- a two-way player, he amassed 827 rushing yards on 93 carries (8.9 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns, while catching 18 passes for 210 yards. His calling card was on defense, though, as he made 132 tackles -- including 10 for loss totaling 68 yards -- and a pick six.

He was also named to the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association all-state team and USA Today all-state team.

“It’s tough to put it all into a couple sentences or a word," Shaw said of his high school career. "I kind of laugh thinking about it because back in high school, I was just such a naive kid. I thought I had everything laid out in front of me perfectly and it didn’t work out like I thought it would at all.

"It's been a long road to get where I am right now."

It was also a long road from campus at UNH to Fenway Park, which he drove during a week of preparing for a postseason game against Fordham to watch his uncle, B-R's second-year head coach Lou Pacheco, and the Trojans play rival Brockton on Nov. 23, the day before Thanksgiving. The team lost 31-20, but the 'We Are B-R' pride drew Shaw down to tag along for the experience.

“It’s literally in my blood. Growing up there, both my parents went there, my sister and I went there, it’s one big, giant family," Shaw said. "I always try to go back and see the kids, coach the guys and help out where I can.”

“The B-R family and the people I know from home who I played football with – I still stay in contact with so many of those guys – I don’t think I’d be where I am without those guys,” he added.

Shaw's career totals at UNH stand at 112 career tackles (55 solo), two sacks, two interceptions, three deflected passes and one fumble recovery in 24 games played over the past two seasons. He recorded a season-high 10 tackles in the meeting with North Carolina Central on Sept. 17.

But his impact stretched just as far off the field.

“His transition (to UNH) seemed very smooth because I think of his personality, he’s a fun-loving guy, extremely charismatic. Everybody loves to be around him, so he’s got a very joyful personality to start, and he quickly earned everybody’s respect," Santos said. "He’s an elite worker – one of the hardest working guys we have on the team – and football in particular, it can be extremely grueling … he found joy in workouts, practice and offseason conditioning.”

With his master's degree currently in progress, Shaw says his career path will likely be in the world of finance. He has interest in investing and wealth management.

"We'll see," said Shaw. "I still have (one more) football season to think about it.”

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: 2018 B-R grad Bryce Shaw played key role in resurgence of UNH football