LB Tyler Taylor gives visit to Texas high marks

When the Texas Longhorn coaching staff gets a prospect on campus for a visit, you can pretty much take it to the bank that the player (and those close to him) is going to come away impressed with what he saw.

That rule of thumb certainly held true over the weekend, with top national linebacker Tyler Taylor taking an unofficial visit to UT on Saturday. The Sugar Hill (GA) Lanier standout was accompanied by his mother on a one-day visit to check out the Texas program, and Taylor said he liked everything about the trip.

Key quote: “The highlight of the visit was probably talking to coach Strong. I can tell he has strong core values of how he’ll make sure I’m a great man off the field as well as a dog on the field,” Taylor said.

A top UT priority: The Longhorns have extended only a handful of linebacker offers to some of the country’s most sought-after prospects – guys like Baron Browning and Anthony Hines. Taylor was another early offer and Texas linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary stressed to the 6-3, 220-pounder that he too is high on the Longhorns’ wish list.

“I spent a lot of time with coach B.J. He was saying that I’m one of the few guys that they have offered and they know I’m a baller, so when you only have a few guys, everybody is at the top of the list,” Taylor said. “He was also saying that being of the few guys, there wouldn’t be a rush to hurry and commit.”

A solid overall impression for Taylor and his mother: Taylor had an idea coming in that he would like what he saw from the Texas campus and facilities, but he said it was the time spent with the Longhorn coaching staff that may have had the biggest impact.

Perhaps equally important, Taylor’s mother liked the visit as well.

“I really love the coaching staff. I knew the program and facilities were going to be state of the art but the coaching staff had a huge impact on me,” Taylor said.

“My mom, I think, had a really good time with coach Strong. She really enjoyed the visit and said she would be okay handing me off to the coaching staff here at UT.”

List of favorites coming soon: Taylor, who will compete in the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge in June, is hoping to reveal his favorites sometime this week. After Saturday’s visit, the Longhorns have put themselves in position to make the cut, although noting is set in stone just yet.

“I’m not 100 percent sure yet. But I think they have a good chance,” Taylor said.