BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — After the home-and-home series between Alabama and Wisconsin was announced last week, Bradrick Shaw and Christian Bell weren't surprised by the enthusiastic reaction it triggered back home.
Sweet Home Alabama.
Both are from Birmingham, an hour from the Tuscaloosa campus.
Both of their phones blew up.
"Had a lot of texts, calls, posts," Bell said. "There was definitely a lot of energy shown to me."
On the other hand, he reasoned, "It's a good thing for the program. But I'll be long gone."
Bell, an outside linebacker and Alabama transfer, has two years of eligibility left.
The Crimson Tide will play at Camp Randall Stadium in 2024.
The Badgers will play at Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2025.
"Oh, man, when I saw that, I was excited about the matchup …" said Shaw, a fifth-year senior.
His voice trailed off.
"It was always my dream," added the 216-pound tailback, "to play against Alabama."
It's safe to say that since Nov. 25, 2017, the regular-season finale at Minnesota, Shaw has been dreaming about playing again, period.
After tearing his ACL against the Gophers, it was the last time that Shaw appeared in a game.
"Last year," he said softly, "was honestly one of the toughest years of my life."
Up until the knee injury, Shaw had been a valuable asset in the running back rotation.
In 2016, he was the third-leading rusher behind Corey Clement (314 carries for 1,375 yards and 15 touchdowns) and Dare Ogunbowale (91 for 506 and 5 TDs).
Shaw had 88 rushes for 457 yards (5.2) and five scores in 11 games.
In 2017, he was the starting tailback in the season opener against Utah State and ran for a career-high 84 yards on 11 rushes before Jonathan Taylor's emergence as the bell cow.
Shaw finished as the second-leading rusher to Taylor with 96 carries for 365 yards and five TDs. Once again, he was limited to 11 games, capped by that season-ending injury at Minnesota.
During his long rehab, Shaw has never looked back on it as a career-ending injury.
"I knew I would get back and play," he said, deriving strength "from knowing what I've gone through and the strides that I've made" and from "getting into scripture."
Family was extremely supportive, he noted, whether it was mom and dad or teammates.
"With my injuries, it has been like a roller coaster," Shaw said. "Some days, I'd feel great and other days I wouldn't feel as good. Those were the main setbacks for me.
"There were periods of times and days when I didn't feel like I was getting better."
Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Christian Bell (55) against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Friday, August 31, 2018, in Madison, Wisconsin. The Badgers won 34-3. (Photo by David Stluka)
That's when he would lean on Bell, who has been his campus roommate.
"He helped me out just by staying positive," Shaw said. "We'd hang out a lot and talk — we'd have deep conversations. We've known each other for a while, so he understands me."
Bell pointed out, "I've played football with him since we were 10 years old."
Both later played on state championship teams at Hoover High School.
"If I'm down about something or he's down about something, we talk about what's going on," said Bell. "Obviously, he's going to get frustrated. He wasn't able to play the game that he loves.
"But he handled it very well and he has put in a lot of work."
Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst has seen the same things in Shaw.
Most importantly, he saw the frustration in Shaw when he wasn't practicing last spring.
"The goal was, 'Could he get to Day One of summer (conditioning)?' And he did that," he said. "Certainly, there's another element when you add the practicing and the pads.
"But he's in a good spot right now. We all know what he has gone through and to see him running and see him getting confidence … there's still some steps to be taken, but I think he feels good right now."
Shaw concurred.
"I'm in a great place," he said during Wisconsin's Media Day. "My body feels great. I'm confident and I'm looking forward to the season. I put my main focus on getting better and stronger this summer."
VIDEO: Paul Chryst Pre-Fall Camp Press Conference
There is a plan in place for Shaw during training camp.
"I told him, 'I'd rather go a little bit slower than fast,'" said Chryst, knowing the potential consequences. "We have to make sure we're smart about it and it will probably bother him at times."
Shaw laughed when relayed the message.
"We talked a little bit about that and I know what he means," he said. "That's my takeaway from the conversations I've had with Coach Chryst — being smart about practicing."
Meanwhile, there was an urgency to Bell's offseason approach in that he's hoping to earn more reps. The Badgers are looking for an outside linebacker to complement Zack Baun, a 13-game starter.
"I hope to bring the mentality of a hard worker," said Bell, who has four tackles in 17 career games at Wisconsin. "I was injured during bowl prep, but the rehab went great. I'm 100 percent.
"Coach (Bobby) April pushes us a lot every day. Everybody is competing. We have a standard in our room that we have to uphold — no ifs, ands, or buts about that.
"Everyone is headed in the right direction."
Especially, it would seem, his roomie and good friend, Shaw.
"Big things are coming his way this year," Bell predicted. "That's what I'm excited to see."
