Indiana Mr. Football Ready to Hit at IU

Image: 247 Sports

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Dynamic athlete Reese Taylor and his Ben Davis Giants dominated their opponents throughout the 2017 season. Taylor led the charge, amassing 55 touchdowns and throwing for more than 3,000 yards as the Giants stormed through the competition and won the state championship. Reese Taylor won Indiana’s Mr. Football award in a landslide. He was lauded as a great competitor and a great teammate and he is now in Bloomington ready for a new challenge. He knows his stats and status in high school mean little in the world of Big Ten football.

“In college, everybody is Mr. Football. Everybody is as athletic as me. Everybody is as fast as me. I just have to keep working as hard as I can,” Taylor told the media in his first media availability session. After succeeding as a quarterback, the athlete is ready to see what he can on defense.

“Right now, I’m playing corner. But wherever (IU) Coach Allen needs me, that’s where I’ll be. I’m gonna play as much as I can, anywhere I can,” Taylor said.

A danger with the ball in his hands, it was surely tempting for the IU coaches to play Taylor at quarterback or even wide receiver but they felt his best chance to help the team, and perhaps the freshman’s best chance to grow into an NFL prospect, was at defensive back. This will not be an easy transition. He’s working on adding weight and strength to become a more physical presence. Technique issues like footwork and rotating his hips are also part of the process. Taylor does have a significant advantage though, his play as a quarterback gives him an inherent understanding of the passing game and its intricacies. “When I’m at corner, I kind of think about my quarterback skills and what I would do personally. If it’s a pro-style quarterback, I know he’s going to get the ball out fast. If he’s a dual threat, he’s gonna be able to roll out and do what he does, or how I used to do it. So I’ll have to use the same aspects,” Taylor said.

Taylor likely won’t exclusively be used on defense. The Hoosiers are loaded at defensive back and many of the players at cornerback are either freshmen or sophomores. That doesn’t mean Taylor doesn’t have a place at corner but it does mean it will be a challenge to see significant snaps exclusively on defense in 2018. Tom Allen made it clear on Signing Day the Hoosiers would look to get creative and get a player like Taylor on the field. Having a sub-package for Taylor at quarterback or placing him as an H-Back or even a slot receiver is very much on the table.

“If I get a chance to be on offense, I’m gonna do my best, do what I tried to do at Ben Davis,” Taylor told the media. “But it’s college. It’s a bigger, faster, stronger league, so I’m gonna do the best I can on offense, if I get the ball.”

For now, Taylor is diving feet first into the cornerback position and the defensive playbook, doing everything he can to see the field in 2018 and make an impact for his home-state school. While he has no game experience as a defender, he’s very excited for the chance and he made his preference for his playing career very clear.

“I’d rather hit somebody than get hit, I’d rather play defense.”