Taylor excited about Stanford's plan to use his physicality
Shield Taylor has seen his recruiting profile change significantly since Stanford offered March 28. The Cardinal were his first Power Five offer and Duke quickly jumped in, followed by Northwestern, Arkansas, Boise State, Arizona and others.
“It has not at all been what I expected," Taylor told Cardinal Sports Report. "I’m very fortunate, I’m very thankful, for everything that has happened, aside from the coronavirus. I’ve met some great people. The only thing I wish is that I could get out and visit them face to face. I really can’t complain for the past month and a half.”
Most schools are recruiting Taylor to play a traditional tight end role. Stanford's running back coach Ron Gould targeted Taylor as a fullback/H-back and he also could be a tight end with Morgan Turner's group.
Taylor's first name invites football-battle puns but it actually doesn't fit his film or his approach to the game. "Hammer Taylor" would be more appropriate. Taylor's film is a compilation of him thumping opponents in run blocking or at the end of a play after he makes a catch.
“That’s how you play the game, man," Taylor laughed.
“One thing I really liked about Stanford is … they saw my potential in the film and they immediately saw ways they could use me. That made me feel good. It made me feel welcomed. They didn’t ask for any more film of me running around catching the ball. That was really comforting.”
Stanford's offense, and how it fits Taylor, excites the Louisiana native and the education element is very appealing for someone with offers from Army and several Ivies and reports a 4.3 GPA.
“Naturally I’m a competitive person and you’re a student-athlete so the student comes before the athlete. One thing I always wanted to make sure of was that I did well in the classroom so I could excel on the field.
"I can’t even give that credit to myself. That’s my teachers, man. They want you to succeed as much as you want yourself to succeed. All I had to do was put forth the effort and they helped me through it all. They wanted me to have big dreams just like I already had.
“There isn’t a teacher that doesn’t stand out in my mind. I’m telling you, my high school is just great. All the teachers, faculty, and staff are great. The elementary school and middle school I went to were great. They got me where I am today.”
Taylor has been fortunate to get guidance from a mentor outside his school system as well, Dr. Jeffrey Garrison, who is an orthopedic surgeon in Taylor's hometown of Alexandria. Garrison played football at Brown.
“He’s been watching over me since I was a kid. He’d helped me through a lot of this recruiting process. I can’t tell you how much I owe him. He’s done so much for me and my family.
"He was ecstatic just like I was (about the Stanford offer)."
Like everyone else, Taylor is hopeful that he will be able to visit schools as soon as possible. He has thought about the possibility of having to pick a school sight unseen.
"“It’s definitely on my mind quite a lot. As soon as they open things up I’d like to visit a lot of places. If that never happens I’ll have to make a decision and make the right one.”