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VA DB Garrett Taylor (Penn State Verbal)

Quick Hitters
Speaking of Taylor, many expected him to end up at rival Ohio State following his de-commitment from Michigan because of family in the area. The one problem? The Buckeyes are full at defensive back, so he's playing a bit of a waiting game with the Buckeyes. He will still make his visit on Nov. 22, but it will be an unofficial visit followed by an official to Penn State on Nov. 29. The Nittany Lions are the biggest threat now for Taylor. And watch out for LSU, which is moving up the charts quickly and will also get an official in December and an unofficial this weekend. The Hokies are running around third with LSU, but if Ohio State can't offer for real, this becomes a three-team race with Miami a longshot.
 
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https://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1703165

While there are some questions surrounding the Penn State class at this point as far as potential visits from commits like Adam McLean and others, they have also done a great job with four-star Garrett Taylor since his de-commitment from Michigan. Taylor's situation is an interesting one because he loved his unofficial visit to LSU this past weekend and is scheduled to take his official to Baton Rouge on Dec. 5. I believe the Tigers are currently on top followed by Penn State and Virginia Tech. Ohio State told Taylor they don't have room for him right now but if a spot opens up its his, but I don't see him waiting around and I'm hearing they are actually off the list right now. If Taylor schedules additional official visits in the next two weeks then this may drag itself out, however if he doesn't heading into his Penn State visit (Nov. 28), there is a chance that this may end relatively soon. I'm not sold that he will still take his official visit to Ohio State on Nov. 21 but we'll see.
 
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https://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1703652
Rivals100 defensive back Garrett Taylor liked his unofficial visit to LSU so much last weekend that he already scheduled an official visit back to Baton Rouge for Dec. 5. Looking at all the schools that Taylor is involved with (Penn State, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Miami and Stanford) it looks as though Penn State and LSU are tied at the top. Ohio State was the favorite to land Taylor after he decommitted from Michigan but the Buckeyes can't take a another commitment from another defensive back right now. That pretty much knocks the Buckeyes out of the race. Taylor still has an official visit to Columbus scheduled for Nov. 21 but it would almost be surprising if he took that visit.
 
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Very depressing because I don't see a lot of depth at DB. Who will replace Doran Grant?
Well, it probably wasn't going to be a true freshman with a torn ACL who projects as a safety.

As for who replaces Doran Grant, it looks like Gareon Conley and Armani Reeves will get the first shot, with Damon Webb and Marshon Lattimore also being in the mix. The Buckeyes also have two true CBs committed for the class of 2015 - Joshua Norwood and Jamel Dean - and Eric Glover-Williams will also get a look at that position.

With that being said, Taylor is still a possibility for the the Buckeyes' class, although Juwan Briscoe (Clemson soft verbal; Ohio State official visit on November 1st) is probably higher on the staffs' board.
 
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Imo, I like Taylor better than any DB we have committed or who is realistically left on our board (best prospect, though he would not likely play right away). Not a knock to those guys, I just think Taylor is extremely talented. Plus he can play safety, which we need...and it is always fun stealing scUM's top recruits, which is an added bonus. But if we told him we do not have room right now for a DB, it is over...a top OOS DB nationally does not wait around on an offer unless there are extraneous circumstances (legacy recruit, lifetime fan, etc.)...none of which apply here.

Good luck to Garrett wherever he chooses and rejoice that it was not the abomination up north.
 
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That's not really true. We want 1 more DB, and possibly 2 if the guy from Florida decommits. Now maybe he doesn't want to be in suck a large class but it's not us.

Idk if I agree, from every interview Urban has had He said there's no more room in the DB class, maybe one spot. And he seems to have his eye on Briscoe at that last spot and not Taylor. EGW will get his first shot on defense and that takes a DB spot
 
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After I posted that I was depressed about not having room for Taylor, I read the article below on eleven warriors. It is hard to argue with 6 defensive backs chosen by the coaches. I am upgrading my status to "might think about whether it is time to stop worrying".

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...ing-elsewhere-running-back-talk-and-defending

Question from Twitter: I'm curious what u make of our pursuit of low ranked backs

Answer: A valid question, for sure. The Buckeyes, with six currently committed defensive backs, don't have what is considered any "can't miss" prospects in the fold, at least according to the "experts." Of the committed players projected to play defensive back (Denzel Ward, Josh Norwood, Eric Glover-Williams, Tyler Green, Jamel Dean, and the aforementioned Davis) none are ranked higher at their position than Glover-Williams, who is the least likely to stay at cornerback throughout his college career. Are the Buckeyes concerned? I talked to a regular source at Ohio State who is very familiar with the defensive back recruiting and if he's worried, he's not showing it.

"We really like the guys we have, it's not like we missed on a lot of other players that we offered and these were 'Plan B' guys," the source said. "People are simply not paying attention to what these kids do on the field for whatever reason. Ward might be the most dominating player in the state this year. Dean is a freak. EGW? With his head on straight he's able to control a football game more than most kids could dream of. Norwood's tape and level of competition is lights out. Green was in The Opening, we're obviously not the only ones who think he can play. We're happy with where things stand and there's still talented players out there."

"If having 'less stars' means these kids come in and work even harder to prove people wrong? We'll take that all attitude all day every day."
 
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I really think EGW's talents are wasted on defense...kid is so freaking explosive. Why don't we get the Delorian and put Ted Ginn Jr. at CB while we are at it. Ok, that is out of my system. I really like Ward and Dean at CB...two vastly underrated kids. Norwood is an ideal S/CB prospect (I could see him competing immediately at the Nickel spot). But we have an obvious need at S...Green has some stuff I like but we really need a safety and Taylor could play CB or S. I still think pound for pound, I like Taylor...as for Briscoe, I like Taylor MUCH better. Briscoe is a good player but Taylor is on another level.

The biggest thing to me is we have a ton of DBs with tremendous ceilings, but they also have very low floors. Taylor is one guy that I see as a very high floor unless there is an injury I do not know about. Again, just my personal opinion and the coaches evaluation trumps mine obviously, but I think Taylor is going to be an elite DB at the next level.
 
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