Tag: Kurt Taylor

Kurt Taylor, Ex-Wolverine

Redshirt freshman running back Kurt Taylor has decided to transfer from Michigan.

Listed at 5’8″, 195 lbs., Taylor had played some on special teams but had not played running back yet in his career. He had been passed by the obvious upperclassmen, but he had also been passed by walk-on Tru Wilson and true freshman Christian Turner. I gave Taylor a TTB Rating of 57 (LINK), so this development is on par with what I expected all along. The pathway to playing time at Michigan was going to be long and arduous. This should not affect Michigan on the field at all.

Taylor played at Covington (GA) Newton for most of his high school career, but he played his senior year at Loganville (GA) Grayson, a powerhouse program that has raised some eyebrows for its, er, alleged recruiting practices. Michigan currently has a commitment from 2019 Grayson product Trente Jones, an offensive tackle, so it may be something to watch to see if any bad blood might sour the relationship between Michigan and Grayson.

Taylor is the fifth player from the 2017 class to transfer (joining OT James Hudson, OG Ja’Raymond Hall, DT Deron Irving-Bey, LB Drew Singleton), and the sixth total to leave (DE Corey Malone-Hatcher took a medical scholarship).

2018 Season Countdown: #76 Kurt Taylor

Kurt Taylor (image via Twitter)

Name: Kurt Taylor
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 194 lbs.
High school: Covington (GA) Newton/Loganville (GA) Grayson
Position: Running back
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #5
Last year: I ranked Taylor #79 and said he would be a backup with 5 carries for 20 yards (LINK). He redshirted.

There wasn’t a lot of room for spare carries last season, because Karan Higdon, Chris Evans, and Ty Isaac were all expected to carry the load – and on top of them, there was heralded recruit Kareem Walker. Michigan brought in two running backs in the 2017 class, and while Taylor was bigger and stronger, the scant freshman carries went to O’Maury Samuels, not Taylor.

Now it’s 2018 and there are 108 tailback carries vacated by Isaac (graduated) and Walker (transferred). Where will those carries go? When asked about the tailback position group in the spring, Jim Harbaugh mentioned walk-on running back Tru Wilson at #3. Whether that sticks or not remains to be seen, but Taylor still seems to be an afterthought. Wilson, Samuels, and one of the freshmen will probably get carries, but I don’t see much of the load going in Taylor’s direction. If he can develop into the team’s best pass blocker, then I think he might have a chance to get on the field, but he’s perhaps the least athletic runner in the group.

Prediction: Backup running back

2017 Season Countdown: #79 Kurt Taylor

Name: Kurt Taylor
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Covington (GA) Newton/Loganville (GA) Grayson
Position: Running back
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year:  Taylor was a senior in high school. He ran 191 times for 930 yards and 14 touchdowns, and added 19 catches for 296 yards and 4 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 57

Taylor committed to Michigan back in the old days of December 2015. That was a long time ago. In the meantime, he had a teammate, Jeremiah Holloman, commit to Michigan and then decommit; he transferred schools twice; and the Wolverines played in two bowl games. And yes, I said that he transferred twice. In a seemingly strange situation, the Covington (GA) Newton high schooler spent his senior season at powerhouse Loganville (GA) Grayson and then transferred back to Newton for his final semester. He and Grayson basically rented each other for a season.

Taylor will arrive on campus this summer behind a good-sized group of running backs. Chris Evans, Ty Isaac, Karan Higdon, and Kareem Walker will likely be ahead of him, which won’t leave many snaps for true freshmen like Taylor and O’Maury Samuels. Sure, one or both of those young guys might get snaps, but probably not in critical situations. I imagine Taylor will get some playing time, because he’s in good shape physically and a tough runner.

Prediction: Backup running back; 5 carries, 20 yards

2017 Recruiting Grades: Offense

Donovan Peoples-Jones (image via Rivals)

QUARTERBACK: A-
Commits (1): Dylan McCaffrey
Decommits (0): N/A
Why? McCaffrey was a U.S. Army All-American and there have been whispers that Jim Harbaugh believes McCaffrey is the best high school quarterback prospect he’s seen in a long time, maybe going back to Andrew Luck. So there’s that. McCaffrey has the height, the bloodline, and the athleticism to be a very good quarterback. However, there are questions about his arm strength and mechanics. So while Harbaugh really likes him, I would have preferred someone like Davis Mills, who chose Stanford instead.

Hit the jump for the rest of the offensive grades.

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Visitors: Michigan vs. Penn State

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (image via 247 Sports)

2017

Toryque Bateman – OT – Gadsden (AL) Gadsden City: Bateman is a 6’8″, 305 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona State, Miami, Michigan, and Tennessee, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #43 offensive tackle, and #408 overall. Bateman was close to committing to Michigan at one point and the Crystal Ball is still 62% in favor of the Wolverines, but there have been rumors that Michigan might back off due to questions about whether he’ll qualify or not. UPDATE: Bateman did not make it to town.

Markquese Bell – WR – Bridgeton (NJ) Bridgeton: Bell is a 6’3″, 194 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, and Rutgers, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #6 athlete, and #179 overall. I did a scouting report on him back in April (LINK). He said several weeks ago that distance would no longer be a factor in his recruitment, which led some to believe that he was leaning away from Rutgers and perhaps toward the Wolverines. UPDATE: Bell is now visiting for the Wisconsin game on October 1.

Ellis Brooks – LB – Richmond (VA) Benedictine:

Nico Collins – WR – Pinson (AL) Clay-Chalkville: Collins is a 6’5″, 195 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, and Michigan, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #13 wide receiver, and #86 overall. Alabama was thought to be the early leader, then Michigan jumped to the front, and now there are rumors that Georgia is in the driver’s seat. This will be his third visit to Michigan in the last few months. The Crystal Ball is 62% in favor of the Wolverines. UPDATE: Collins did not make it to town.

Hit the jump for several more visitors.

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