DRAGON ATHLETICS
News
Taylor finds home
MSUM gains receiver as others look away
By Heath Hotzler hhotzler@forumcomm.com
Jabari Taylor still keeps the stacks of college recruiting letters he received at his Hollywood, Fla., home. His suitors were an impressive mix of the top major college programs. Miami, Clemson, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Georgia, among others, were keeping tabs on the speedy receiver.
Or so he thought.
Taylor was surprised and humbled when he failed to receive a single scholarship offer during the national signing period.
"I was just spending time waiting and stuff passed me by," said Taylor, a sophomore whose NCAA Division II Minnesota State Moorhead team takes on rival Concordia at 1:35 p.m. Saturday in Power Bowl IX at Jake Christiansen Stadium.
Spurned by big-time programs, Taylor was almost immediately contacted by former MSUM head coach Chad Eisele in early 2006. Eisele had to replace several of his top receivers lost to graduation.
Eisele, who had targeted Taylor months before signing day, met with Taylor at a Florida recruiting fair and offered him a scholarship. Taylor accepted, despite knowing little about the state of the program or the state of Minnesota.
"I only knew the mall (of America) in Minneapolis," Taylor said. "And whenever I told people I was going to Minnesota they would just tell me that it gets real cold there."
Eisele wanted the running game to be the focus of his offense. However, he resigned to take the athletic director's job at Knox College in Illinois and Damon Tomeo was named interim coach for Taylor's freshman season.
One of Tomeo's first moves was to hire offensive coordinator Tyler Fenwick to bring in the spread offense - a pass-heavy attack that relies on multiple receiver sets.
The change opened the door for Taylor to make an immediate impact.
"The kid knows how to play," Tomeo said. "We're glad he's wearing the red and white. He's an explosive player who can catch the ball and get up the field."
Taylor started slow, with a four-catch, 23-yard performance against Concordia in last year's Power Bowl, but he soon became a favorite target of quarterback Dustin Long.
Paired with Bruce Green on the outside, Taylor showed the ability to step through tackles and cruise for long gains.
But his reliability as a true freshman is what most impressed teammates and coaches.
"He knows how to get open," said Long, who broke several school passing records last season. "I think what took him to the next level was his ability to break a route off and find the (passing) window."
Taylor finished the season with 50 receptions for 536 yards and two touchdowns, despite missing three games late in the season with a hip injury. Now, with new offensive coordinator Joel Beard bringing in a new version of the spread, Taylor's ready to contribute even more. "My goal is to win," Taylor said. "But every game I want to get 100 yards. If I get 97 or 98, I'll still be disappointed that I didn't get the 100 I wanted."
Readers can reach Forum reporter Heath Hotzler at (701) 241-5562.
Hotzler's small college blog can be found at www.areavoices.com
