Wisconsin's 2022 football season is right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com ranked the top 30 players who we think will be the keys to success for Paul Chryst's squad this year.

Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored into our staff rankings.

Jay Shaw's confidence and style of play jumped off the tape when Wisconsin added him via the transfer portal this winter, according to position coach Hank Poteat. The former standout from UCLA brought that energy into spring camp, where he consistently played with an edge that Poteat called "contagious."

Shaw missed time during the spring due to an abdominal injury but largely saw reps with the first-team defense alongside Alex Smith on the outside.

"I like his mentality. Everybody for the most part when you hear me talk and you hear my players talk, they’re always talking about a dog mentality. That’s something that I preach and as I am watching his tape before he even came to Wisconsin, I saw the mentality, I saw how he was in your face," Poteat said. "I saw how he played with a lot of confidence.

"He has great feet, so you want to have that type of player in your room because it’s contagious. Him challenging players, him challenging receivers in the room and everybody is just gravitating to that mentality outside of me just preaching it, so I love that part of him."

Shaw played in all 12 games and started the last five last season for the Bruins. The sixth-year corner reeled in three interceptions to tie for the team lead in picks and earn himself a second-team All-Pac-12 selection by the Associated Press and Pro Football Focus. Having logged snaps in 43 games at UCLA, his experience is a welcomed addition after the graduation of multi-year starters Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams.

The key for Shaw and his development will be taking in a new playbook and learning the scheme quickly. Given his pedigree, the veteran corner is expected to see the field often in Jim Leonhard's defense. Having already shown the mentality, confidence and skillset necessary at corner, Shaw's grasp of the scheme can help turn him into a dynamic playmaker for Wisconsin.

"In the secondary we brought in some veteran corners and we know what they can do physically," Leonhard said in the spring. "It’s getting them to learn the system, learn how to communicate with their teammates and really showcase what they are."

Wisconsin received reliable play at corner with Hicks and Williams the past three seasons. Shaw, who projects as a starter next to Smith, is expected to step in and play a major role for UW this fall. At 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds, it will be interesting to see how Shaw stacks up against some of the better wide receivers in the Big Ten. If he plays well, Shaw could be in the conversation for the NFL in 2023.

Leonhard strayed away from his general philosophy when he brought in a trio of corners from the transfer portal this offseason. The move adds necessary depth to a group that lacked experience behind Smith. Shaw, along with Cedrick Dort and Justin Clark, should add stability and could turn the secondary from what was a room filled with question marks to a strength of the defense.

“When you have issues where you lost so much experience and depth, every once in a while you’re going to have to fill that,” Leonhard said.

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