G
arrett Taylor hadn't come to Penn State
expecting to play safety. He had seen a
bit of action at the position at Saint
Christopher's School in Richmond, Va., but
the attention he had received from college
coaches – and the four stars he had been
awarded by Rivals.com – were for his per-
formance at cornerback. It seemed likely that
the latter position would be his best fit with
the Nittany Lions.
But after his redshirt
freshman season, Tay-
lor was summoned to
coach James Franklin's
office for a conversa-
tion about his future.
When he arrived, de-
fensive coordinator
Brent Pry and corner-
backs coach Terry
Smith were there, too.
As it turned out, Tay-
lor's future involved a
position change.
"Coach Franklin sat me down and gave me
the whole spiel. He said, 'We think safety is
going to be a great position for you. We've
had guys like Malik [Golden] and Troy
By MATT HERB
matt@bluewhiteonline.com
TAYLOR MADE
Taylor tied for the
team lead with three
interceptions last
season and appeared
to score a touchdown
on a blocked field
goal against Michi-
gan, but his long re-
turn was erased by a
penalty for an illegal
block.
Photo by Steve
Manuel
S P R I N G P R A C T I C E R E P O R T
STUDENT
OF THE
GAME
Garrett Taylor's analytical
approach to football
has made him one of
the top playmakers
on a resurgent
Nittany Lion defense
