Linebacker recruit ready to play for Hokies
At 6'3" and 230 pounds, Bruce Taylor, rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, seems a snug fit for Virginia Tech's perennially stout defense.
Currently a senior at Myrtle Beach High School, Taylor's sub-4.6 forty-yard dash time figures to mesh with Tech's swarming front seven quite well. However, he's much more than just a freakish combination of size and speed.
Taylor is ranked the twelfth-best inside linebacker recruit in the country by Rivals.com, and Myrtle Beach head football coach Scott Earley's words don't fall empty in proclaiming him "probably the most decorated high school athlete that's ever played in South Carolina."
And that's no exaggeration.
Over his illustrious high school career, Taylor has been named to the Shrine Bowl, All-American Bowl, All-Region (four times), and All-State (twice) teams. He's twice won both Toast of the Coast and Region Player of the Year awards, and was named a defensive captain in the All-American Bowl.
Tack on 332 solo tackles, 200 assists, 92 tackles for loss, 14 fumbles caused, 4 interceptions, and 11 sacks to boot, and it becomes even more impressive that Virginia Tech was able to attain a verbal commitment from him before his junior year. 16 other Division 1 offers were left by the wayside in favor of the maroon and orange.
These numbers also hold substance when it matters. Taylor's speed and instincts helped anchor a dominant defense that guided the Myrtle Beach Seahawks to a 12-1 record en route to an appearance in the state playoffs.
Rewind to August, when Myrtle Beach's defense faced a crucial fourth-and-goal against cross-town powerhouse Conway, whom the Seahawks hadn't beaten in 20 years.
"Conway had a fourth-and-one on the goal line, and they ran a naked bootleg where he (the quarterback) should've walked in," Earley said. "But Bruce read it and tackled him for a five-yard loss. We ended up taking the ball and the game."
Earley had a hunch about Taylor's game-changing instincts long ago. He initially saw Taylor play as a seventh-grader on the junior high team, then realizing that "he was that much better than everyone else … and it turned out that was true."
Frank Beamer and his staff figure to be rather pleased if Taylor continues his rapport with coaches at the college level. Earley has known the player Myrtle Beach assistant Mickey Wilson considers "a better kid than a football player" for over five years, and shares his sentiment.
It's reciprocated; "He's (Earley) been like a father to me growing up," Taylor said. "Every day I learn from him."
Taylor cited "the way Coach Foster runs his defense" as one of the keys to choosing the Hokies, but it was practically a foregone conclusion before he met Tech's defensive coordinator.
"You look at how Virginia Tech carries the kids and carries the program," said Taylor. "They didn't have to say much to me; the program pretty much sells itself."
