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Why Texas fans should be excited by the addition of DT Travis Shaw

Eric Nahlinby:Eric Nahlin•01/05/25
Kenny Baker
Kenny Baker (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

The No. 1 need in the 2024 high school recruiting class for Texas was defensive tackle. Also, the No. 1 need for this winter portal window was defensive tackle. It’ll be like that when you lose T’Vondre Sweat, Byron Murphy, Alfred Collins, Vernon Broughton, Jermayne Lole, and Bill Norton in back-to-back years.

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During the first week of the window, Texas added Cole Brevard from Purdue. He is already in Austin and practicing with his new teammate. Brevard is an experienced run-stopper with a physically mature build. He’s just what the doctor ordered for the 2025 two-deep, but he may not offer much play-making behind the line of scrimmage. I’m undecided on that. I think playing with better players will improve Brevard’s production. At a minimum, he was a good get, especially given the circumstances.

The same goes for Travis Shaw, the former 5-star recruit in the 2022 class from North Carolina who just committed to Texas. Shaw was a massive signee for the instate Tar Heels but until this year his play hadn’t begun to match his ability.

This article offers a lot of color on why that is and also just how talented he is. There may still be some seriously untapped potential for the junior.

UNC’s junior defensive lineman, in the midst of the strongest run of play of his collegiate career, is bursting with confidence. It’s the confidence that comes with playing well, but also from a comprehensive weight-loss plan which saw him drop 40 pounds this calendar year. Shaw is now “down” to 330, and teammate Des Evans said the results have been stunning.

“The weight loss is crazy, man,” Evans said earlier this year. Y’all know Trav’s kind of big. So I’ll be joking with him like, ‘Bro, your back looks kind of skinny, man. I’m not gonna lie. Your back is skinny.’ He’s like, ‘For real?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah. You look skinny, bro.’ He’s like, ‘Alright, I’m gonna walk around with my shirt off.’”

A defensive tackle reshaping his body is obviously a positive sign of his overall buy-in and willingness to maximize. It’s only natural that more playmaking will follow a player losing excess weight and becoming quicker.

This is the part, assuming accuracy, that truly has me excited.

Shaw’s physical improvement has been matched by a mental one, with multiple coaches and players lauding his maturity this fall. Collins couldn’t be happier with the payoff.

“He’s become ridiculously coachable,” Collins said. “It’s just a fun development to see all the work, all the maturity show up on gamedays. And he was must-see TV on Saturday night.”

This is exactly how T’Vondre Sweat, Texas’ Outland Trophy winner, turned the corner. Sweat went from having a reputation for being lazy to being able to play ridiculously hard in extreme heat. His work ethic went from “is this guy going to transfer” to “this dude is about to get paid” within an offseason. Given Shaw’s baseline athleticism, size, and improved maturity, he may be on a similar path.

But even if he isn’t on that path he’s still a big addition. Look around, giant defensive tackles who are ready to contribute are not numerous. He’s exactly what Texas needed. Now, Texas needs at least one and possibly two more to add to its talented yet inexperienced room.

If Texas doesn’t fill remaining DT needs during this window the spring will loom large.

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