Junior College All-American Wideout Signs With Cards
December 22, 2001 | Football
Dec. 22, 2001
Head football coach John L. Smith announced this afternoon that James Taylor, the 3rd-ranked junior college prospect at wide receiver according to JCFootball.com, has signed a National Letter of Intent to continue his education and collegiate football career at the University of Louisville.
Taylor, a 6-3, 185-pound receiver, hopes to follow in the footsteps of receiver Deion Branch, who also made a successful transition from the junior college ranks to Division I football. After spending two years at Jones County College, Branch stepped into the Cardinal lineup in 2000 and promptly earned back-to-back first team All-Conference USA honors. Taylor appears to fit that mold.
"He's a big receiver with good range and he has the size to out-muscle most defensive backs and speed to burn once he turns upfield," U of L wide receiver coach Jim McElwain said.
Under the tutelage of head coach Kevin Verdugo at Fort Scott Junior College in Fort Scott, Kansas, Taylor blossomed into one of the top wide receivers in the junior college ranks. This past season as a sophomore, Taylor was an NJCAA Second Team All-American and a NJCAA All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference first team selection and was ranked as the No. 18 junior college prospect by JCFootball.com.
With 30 catches for 594 yards and five touchdowns in only six games in 2001, Taylor ranked fourth among junior college receivers with five catches per game.
During his prep career, the Garfield Heights, Ohio, native was named to Cleveland's 'Best of the Best' team twice while also earning first team all-county and all-state honors his junior and senior campaigns at Garfield Heights High School.
"He was someone we really like out of high school and disappointed that we didn't get," McElwain said. "We kept a close eye on him over the years and we're excited to have a player of his caliber with us."
At Garfield Heights HS under head coach Chuck Reisland, Taylor established nine school records, including catches in a game (12), season (70) and career (158), receiving yards in a game (227), season (1,044) and career (2,619), and touchdown catches in a game (5), season (15) and career (35).
Taylor will begin classes and participate in team drills during the spring semester.
