'07 VA QB Tyrod Taylor (Virginia Tech signee)

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Rivals $

5/11

Tyrod has trimmed his list to Virginia Tech, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina State and Tennessee.

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Link


Taylor's decision not so tough

Published May 24 2006
At first blush, Virginia Tech faces stern recruiting competition for Hampton High quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Florida, Georgia and Tennessee are past national champions; South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is an unrivaled innovator; North Carolina State produced quarterback Philip Rivers, the No. 4 pick of the 2004 NFL draft.

Those are the six schools Taylor's father says his son is considering. Take Rodney Taylor at his word, but if Tyrod, a junior with impeccable academic and athletic credentials, doesn't select Virginia Tech, expect Dan Brown to soon join Opus Dei.

Not that the Hokies are clearly superior to their rivals for Taylor, though N.C. State, a program that has never finished among The Associated Press top 10 or played in a major bowl, appears out of its league. It's just that in recruiting, as in life, timing is everything.

And 2007 is the time for Virginia Tech to land a big-time quarterback.

Check the '06 recruiting classes. Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and N.C. State signed touted quarterbacks: Tim Tebow, Matthew Stafford, Nick Stephens, Chris Smelley and Justin Burke, respectively. They turned down the likes of Southern California, Texas, Michigan, Florida State, Louisville and Michigan State.

Tech signed Kam Chancellor, an all-district quarterback at Norfolk's Maury High who projects as a defensive back and chose the Hokies instead of James Madison and Kent State.

Now Taylor certainly isn't bashful about competition. Indeed, if he falls head-over-cleats for the Gators, Dawgs, Vols, Gamecocks or Wolfpack, he'll relish the challenge.

But it will have to be a heckuva sales pitch to overcome an in-state program with five top-10 finishes in the last 11 seasons and a glaring void (sorry, Sean Glennon, Ike Whitaker and Cory Holt) at quarterback.

Sure, recruiting ratings are often bogus, and Tebow, Stafford and Co., could flop like a noseguard off the diving board. But Florida and Georgia appear especially committed to Tebow and Stafford, each of whom graduated from high school early, enrolled in college and received upbeat reviews during spring practice.

Taylor is considering the same option, according to his father. He could earn his Hampton diploma in December, start attending college in January and be on the field for the opening of spring practice in March.

All that said, there's more to recruiting than personnel. Coaches and their ability to forge relationships are paramount, and Taylor will hear from the best.

Spurrier coached Florida to the 1996 national title, helped Danny Wuerffel win the '96 Heisman Trophy and is bent on bringing similar results to South Carolina; Georgia coach Mark Richt was among the game's best recruiters as a Florida State assistant and hasn't lost a beat as a big whistle; Florida coach Urban Meyer has signed not only Tebow but also a receiver to complement him: Percy Harvin of Virginia Beach's Landstown High.

But Virginia Tech has pursued Taylor longer and more aggressively than other suitors. Taylor has visited campus several times, attended last month's spring game and even sat in on quarterbacks' meetings conducted by position coach Mike O'Cain.

Moreover, the Hokies have unveiled their ace in the hole.

Curt Newsome joined Virginia Tech's staff in February from James Madison. A former head coach at Kecoughtan and Heritage high schools, he counts Hampton High coach Mike Smith among his close friends.

Veteran assistant Jim Cavanaugh is Virginia Tech's primary Peninsula recruiter, while Newsome mines Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Suffolk. But when it comes to Hampton High, Newsome steps in.

So comfortable is the Tech-Taylor dynamic that neither party considers Tyrod's attendance at the Hokies' summer high school camp essential. Rodney says his son may attend camps at Florida and/or South Carolina and hopes to tour all of his finalists other than Tech this summer - he has yet to visit any of those campuses.

(Virginia and North Carolina could have been players in the Taylor Sweepstakes. But each accepted an early commitment from a pure quarterback: Peter Lalich of Springfield and Mike Paulus of Syracuse, N.Y., respectively. Paulus' older brother, Greg, starts at guard for Duke's basketball team.)

National signing day is Feb. 7, but expect Tyrod Taylor's decision long before.

"By the end of the summer," Rodney says. "He wants to put this behind him."

And is Virginia Tech the likely destination?

"They saw value in him before anyone else," Rodney says, "and that means a lot."

David Teel can be reached at 247-4636 or by e-mail at dteel@dailypress.com «

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Scout $

6/7/06

From the NC State site...Tyrod will be at the Elite 11 camp as well as camps at VT and Florida. He's down to Virginia Tech, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and NC State.

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Rivals $

6/15/06

By Mike Farrell...Tyrod says he is basically down to Florida and Virginia Tech.

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The Daily Press

7/15

From what I hear Tyrod will be playing his college ball at VPI...

Hampton High's Taylor to make college pick

Tyrod Taylor inches closer to announcing his decision, but his coach says he's already made up his mind.

BY MELINDA WALDROP
247-4634
July 15, 2006
HAMPTON -- One of the players drawing the most attention at Friday night's VHSCA East-West all-star football clash wasn't even in the game.

Hampton High quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who will be a senior this fall, roamed the sidelines as Virginia's best graduating seniors competed in front of him. Dressed in baggy denim pants cinched just above the ankle with a snappy drawstring, Taylor exchanged handshakes with players, greeted friends and often pressed his cell phone to his ear.

A lot of eyes have been on Taylor for a long time. Having narrowed a laundry list of interested Division I suitors down to Virginia Tech and Florida, Taylor is set to announce a public decision in a week, Crabbers coach Mike Smith said. But Smith also said Taylor's choice has already been made.

"He knows where he's going," Smith said Friday night. "I know where he's going."

Taylor himself didn't have much to offer on the subject. "I'm trying to get to Florida next week," he said in between critiquing the East coaches' playcalling from the sideline.

Taylor said he still wants to announce his choice before he attends the Elite 11 quarterback camp in Los Angeles, slated for July 24-27. The camp is designed to highlight the country's top 12 rising senior quarterbacks, selected by Nike from a field of more than 1,000 candidates.

Taylor accounted for 2,588 total yards - 1,544 through the air and 1,044 on the ground - and 30 touchdowns as Hampton won the Division 5 state championship last season. He also showed off his ability as a cornerback, causing the title-clinching fumble as the Crabbers defeated Stone Bridge to claim the state crown.

Taylor's stat-studded year has led to much interest in Smith's storied program, which has also produced current Oakland Raider Ronald Curry and Marques Hagans, drafted by St. Louis in May after a four-year career at Virginia.

"We've been through a lot of them," Smith said. "We just kind of let them go through it, but (Taylor) has handled it well."

Smith said Taylor has talked to him about the recruiting process, but didn't go into great detail about how he culled the teams he was considering, including Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina State, to the Hokies and the Gators.

"We talked about things, just like all the guys," Smith said. "Things you want to look for, and where you're comfortable. ... Are your parents gonna be able to see you on Saturday? ... He's thought a lot about it."

Smith said Taylor has tentative plans to reveal his choice next Friday at Crabbers Restaurant in Hampton. A few weeks later, on Aug. 14, the Crabbers begin practice and pursuit of a second consecutive state championship.

"I think that it's important that he does it before the season starts," Smith said. "Whoever gets him, they're gonna get a good one. (But) they can't have him till we're through with him." «