Penn State landed four-star cornerback Garrett Taylor over the weekend, as he committed the day after taking an official visit for the Michigan State game. While still considering LSU, Ohio State and Virginia Tech, Taylor swiftly pledged to James Franklin and gave him a big, versatile cornerback who is both talented and aggressive.
Taylor’s winding recruitment ended in Happy Valley after first beginning with a commitment to Brady Hoke and Michigan last spring. He de-committed in October and took visits to contending schools before finding the right mix of football and academics at Penn State. He was the 19th verbal commitment overall and the fourth defensive back in the Nittany Lions’ 2015 class.
Taylor and four-star cornerback John Reid represent another big wave of talent at the cornerback position after Franklin hauled in four talented players — Christian Campbell, Grant Haley, Amani Oruwariye and Daquan Worley — in the 2014 recruiting cycle. There’s blossoming depth and dynamic talent at all levels of the program entering the 2015 season.
Campbell and Haley, as well as safeties Marcus Allen and Troy Apke, all saw significant action as true freshmen, which ultimately couldn’t have hurt in selling Taylor on his future at Penn State. Taylor is now listed as the top-rated player in the 2015 recruiting class, according to both Rivals and 247sports.com.
While Taylor has maximum value as a lockdown cornerback at the next level, he could see a more clear path to playing time on special teams or, perhaps, at safety, if duty calls. The Nittany Lions are losing Adrian Amos, Ryan Keiser and Jesse Della Valle to graduation and have holes to fill at the back end. Could Taylor or another young cornerback make a position change between now and next summer? How good can Taylor, Reid and the rest of Penn State’s talented young corners be?
Bob Flounders, Andrew P. Shay and Dustin Hockensmith broke down those topics and more on this week’s Keystone Sports Network podcast. Check out audio from the show in this post and get plenty more podcasts and analysis on KeystoneSportsNetwork.com and by following @KSNSportsNet on Twitter.
Download KSN Podcast: Penn State recruiting: Garrett Taylor and the PSU depth chart