Jaybo Shaw

All eyes in Allen E. Paulson Stadium are fixed on senior Eagle quarterback Jaybo Shaw at the start of every offensive play for his team. While he carries no identifying “No. 14” on his day-to-day treks across campus, he’s still a highly recognizable figure to other students as a leader of their beloved Eagles.
>> Fellow senior Katie Stambek caught up with Jaybo to pose a few questions about his life off the field.

Since your major is business management, what are your career plans?
I’d like to coach as soon as I get done playing. I’d like to stay here and coach with Coach Monken if that’s possible. If not, I’ve always talked about opening up a business with my brother and he’s a business management major as well at South Carolina.

What’s going through your mind on game day? Do you have any rituals?
I call my parents before every game. It kind of calms me down. It’s always good to hear my mom before the game. I call them, and if I can, I talk to my brother, too.

Do you still get nervous before a game?
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. It doesn’t get old, I can promise you. I just try to embrace that nervousness and move on.

Moving from metro Atlanta to south Georgia is a change – what are some things you’ve enjoyed most about Statesboro?
Just the college-type town and the community. It’s a lot different from Atlanta – in a good way. It’s slower paced. I love the community and I love my teammates. Even though it’s a little hot down here, I can’t ask for a better place.

You’re just starting your final season, so tell me about your experience at Georgia Southern.
I’ve gotten to know all these guys, my teammates. They’re like brothers, so it’s been great. I’ve got a great coaching staff – they love us and we love them, so it’s been awesome.

Who’s been especially influential during your time at Georgia Southern?
Coach Ware and Coach Monken, definitely. Coach Monken, I’ve known since I was at Georgia Tech. He’s a great football coach, but he’s an even better man. He’s awesome. Coach Ware is like another father figure to me. It’s just been great.

How would your friends describe your personality?
Probably real shy. I don’t talk a whole lot. I just try to be a good friend … to be there when they need me and to try to be around the guys as much as I can.

You’ve played football since you were a kid. If you weren’t playing football, what sport would you be playing?
Golf. I love it. Every time I go home I try to play as much as I can with my dad and my brother.

You get a lot of media attention. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever been asked?
It’s a common question, but I guess one of them would be, “How did ‘Jaybo’ come about?” It’s not even my name. It’s Jared. And my middle name is Lee. It came out of nowhere. My mom came up with it. I was playing Little League baseball and I don’t know how she did it to this day.

How do you spend your free time in the off season?
I try to be around my family as much as I can. I’ve got a brother and I’ve also got a little sister.

You’ve got a very active family. Are you guys competitive?
Absolutely, and my sister’s the best athlete out of all of us. She is a junior this year in high school. She wants to play college tennis, so I hope that will work out.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be?
I’m going to stay with football. Drew Brees. He’s not very big and he’s making millions of dollars in the NFL, but he’s a Christian man and he puts his faith before anything else. He came back from what they thought was a career-ending injury and now he’s a Super Bowl champion.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I want to be a good husband one day and a good father one day, and provide for my family … just be a good person and just be there for the people who need me and be able to support my family.