AP

Former South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw isn’t viewed as a big-time pro prospect, but his college coach says he’s a big-time player.

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said on NFL AM that Shaw plays the game a lot like Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, and that Shaw showed while leading South Carolina to three straight 11-win seasons that he’s the kind of quarterback who can lead a team.

“He became a starter three years ago, he’s been the quarterback on all three of these 11-win seasons,” Spurrier said. “Connor’s just a winner. He’s a lot like Russell Wilson. He takes care of the ball, doesn’t do stupid stuff, doesn’t take careless sacks, he can throw it away, and he’s really a good passer. Any time you see a guy who can run as well as Connor you don’t think he’s that good of a passer. I think he’s going to wow them at the Combine coming up this week and I hope he’s a mid-round pick, maybe even better. The kid is a winner, he can run with it and he can throw.”

Comparing Shaw to Wilson may be a bit of hyperbole, but Shaw obviously impressed the coach who knows him best. Spurrier showed with his comments about Jadeveon Clowney that he won’t sugarcoat things when discussing his own players, and Spurrier had nothing but great things to say about Shaw.