West Virginia defensive back Shannon “Beanie” Bishop has always been a leader.
It’s something that was ingrained in him at a young age from both his parents and coaches at his previous stops. His father, Shannon Bishop, Sr., has a phrase for it.
“Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready,” he said.
Bishop, who received his nickname from his god-mother shortly after he was born amidst the Beanie Baby craze, has followed that advice at every stop of his career.
The senior spent his first four years at Western Kentucky and then last season at Minnesota, has made waves in fall camp with not only his consistency and willingness to compete but for his ability to command the attention of his teammates. He has no problem being at the front of the line when it comes to getting reps and believes that experience is something that will only make him better
Even if that comes with some mistakes along the way.
“If you don’t have effort it doesn’t mean anything,” he said.
That’s exactly what position coach ShaDon Brown was looking for when he started scouring the transfer portal for veteran options and he has assumed that position for sure. Brown simply calls Bishop the alpha in the cornerback room and that trickles down to the rest.
That’s important under any circumstance, but especially when you consider that he just arrived on campus in May so he took control of that room in short order.
“I knew he had those traits about him but he came in and he's a guy that's going to hold people accountable but he's accountable as well,” Brown said of the transfer. “If he makes a mistake he's going to own up to it and take ownership.”
Leadership can be defined in many different ways but Bishop likes to believe that he excels in being able to display how things need to be done and how to correct those things that don’t align. He also has an easy-going personality that makes connecting with others second nature.
On the field, Bishop was first-team all-Conference USA selection during his final year with the Hilltoppers before moving onto Minnesota for the challenge of playing at the power five level. While he was effective when he was on the field grading out as one of the best performers on the team across 303 snaps, the opportunity that he expected wasn’t necessarily there.
That in itself was a learning experience for Bishop as he was able to learn what was necessary to compete at the highest level of college football and the work required to be successful doing so.
“Getting a lot of extra hours in the facility,” he said.
Bishop wanted the chance for a bigger role and an ability to make more plays in the passing game while also being able to showcase his ability to return kicks. That led him to the transfer portal with the focus on finding a place that offered those opportunities as well as a place closer to home.
Insert West Virginia.
“The role is different here and I’m able to showcase those abilities,” he said.
Because Bishop has had four different head coaches and a number of position coaches during his time at the college level, he has been able to learn a lot of different techniques and aspects to playing in the defensive backfield. That includes different ways to watch film and share with others, too.
Since he arrived in the summer, the timeline was expedited for him to learn the playbook and get in position to where he could be able to contribute.
Now, that time is now and his confidence has him in position to make the most of his final season at the college level while getting back to enjoying it at the same time.
“You’ve got to have fun because if you're not having fun you'll get in a slump,” he said.
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