Where did Jason Taylor go to college? Exploring former NFL star’s roots

Jason Taylor made a name for himself as a defensive end and linebacker in the NFL from 1997 to 2011. However, his football career did not start there. He had a four-year college career at Akron before he was drafted in the third round of the 1997 NFL draft.

What happened during Jason Taylor's college career?

Jason Taylor started his college career with the Akron Zips in 1993. In his first season, he was a backup player, but he was promoted to a starting position for the next three years. While in college, he recorded 279 tackles, 21 sacks, seven fumble recoveries, and three interceptions.

Taylor was selected as a two-time first-team All-Mid-American Conference selection in his junior and senior seasons. He also supplemented his football training by starting on the Akron basketball team.

How good was Jason Taylor in the NFL?

Although Jason Taylor was successful in college, he was not a top prospect and was drafted in the third round of the 1997 NFL draft. Despite his lower draft position, he played 13 games as a rookie for the Miami Dolphins, recording 39 tackles, including 27 solo efforts. His career would only go in a positive direction from there.

Throughout his career, Taylor emerged as one of the best defensive players in football. He was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 and was a three-time First-Team All-Pro selection (2000, 2002, 2006). Additionally, he was the NFL sacks leader in 2002 when he recorded 18.5 sacks. He led the league in forced fumbles with nine in 2006.

Unfortunately for Taylor, he only played in the postseason in five seasons and never won a Super Bowl. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2017.

Jason Taylor is now back in college as a coach

Taylor has brought his career full circle and is now back in college as a coach. He has been coaching at the collegiate level since 2017 and was hired as the defensive end coach for the Miami Hurricanes in 2023.

As the Hurricanes defensive end coach, he has helped the team get off to an incredible 6-0 start to the season. With Taylor at the helm on defense, Miami is ranked 14th in college football in total defense through the first seven weeks of the season. The team averages 282.5 yards allowed per game and 4.86 yards per play.