Taylor Taking Different Route
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There will be a bit of a detour for Hopewell (Va.) athlete Tabyus Taylor, but if all goes well, he hopes it's a short one.
Taylor, who signed his letter of intent with Virginia Tech in February, will have to wait a bit longer to get to Blacksburg. Taylor just missed the required test scores and will instead enroll this fall at Lackawanna College (Pa.).
Taylor's recruitment will technically re-open, but for now he still doesn't envision himself anywhere else, especially after assistant coach Shane Beamer and the Virginia Tech staff helped him get to his next step.
"They said I should try to apply for Fork Union Military (Va.)," Taylor said. "I did that and also, the Lackawanna coach called and got in touch with Coach Irby. I got interested in them, looked them up and I called their coach and I passed a test and chose there. I just think that's where I best fit at."
If Taylor meets his academic requirements and gets a qualifying SAT score this fall, he hopes to still be able to enroll at Virginia Tech in January. That would also allow him to participate in spring practice.
On the field. Taylor said the Lackawanna staff has told him they'll use him at running back, wide receiver and in the wildcat formation.
"I hope it helps me in the classroom a lot and it'll be another semester of lifting weights before I actually go to the ACC," Taylor said. "I'll get in more college shape and get a lot bigger."
Taylor will now have the option to open his recruitment. For now, though, he's sticking with the Hokies.
"I think I'm still pretty solid with 'em. I don't have any other plans," Taylor said. "I'd love to see who else will come after me and offer me, though. I'd love to see that."
Beamer is a big reason for Taylor's steadfastness with Virginia Tech. Throughout Taylor's recruitment, the two have had a strong relationship. And Taylor doesn't see that changing.
"He told me they'd stick with me and my offer would always be with me," he said. "As long as I'm doing the right thing and I'm still in school and I've got the grades, it's still there."
Taylor would have preferred to be in Blacksburg this summer and fall. He still plans on getting there, but now he'll have to wait, getting himself more prepared in the meantime.
"I think I need to get my footwork faster," Taylor said. "If I do that and get a little stronger, I'll be ok."
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