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Apke, and [look at] what they did as older guys who kind of waited their turn.' They said they thought I could do the same thing and have the same suc- cess," Taylor recalled. "I took their word for it. I believed them and trusted the process." Soon, he found himself in another meeting, this one with safeties coach Tim Banks, who assured Taylor that he was excited for him to join their position group and get to work. It may have been a career reset, but with the coaching staff having stockpiled such talented corner- backs as Grant Haley, John Reid and Tariq Castro-Fields, the move made sense, so Taylor embraced it. "And ever since then," he said, "everything has worked out for me." Taylor backed up Marcus Allen the fol- lowing season as he learned to play safety, adjusting to the new terminology and be- coming more comfortable with the blitz packages that were a much bigger part of his new position than his old one. He had a bigger impact on special teams than on defense, but the qualities that Penn State's coaching staff had seen in him – not just his physical ability but his ana- lytical approach to the game – paid big dividends in 2018, as Taylor stepped into the starting position following Allen's graduation. He may not have gotten as much atten- tion as last year's other breakout defen- sive players, rising stars such as Micah Parsons and Yetur Gross-Matos, but Taylor quietly put together one of the better seasons of any Nittany Lion de- fender, ranking third on the team in tack- les with 71, tying for the team lead with three interceptions and breaking up seven passes. Taylor's knack for being in the right place at the right time was most evident against Ohio State and Michigan State, games in which he intercepted passes that had been batted into the air. There was a bit more luck involved in his third pick, as Rutgers quarterback Artur Sitkowski floated a pass into no- man's land. But even with no receiver in the vicinity, Taylor was right where he needed to be in that instance, too, leaping to pick off Sitkowski's off-balance lob. He also made what could have been a game-changing play against Michigan, picking up a loose ball after blocked field goal and returning it for a score-tying touchdown in the second quarter. But the play was negated by a penalty, and the Nittany Lions went on to lose decisively in Ann Arbor. Looking back, Taylor cites the intercep- tion against Ohio State – the first of his career – as one of his most memorable moments from his season. "It was a White Out game, a bunch of my family was up to see me play, and it was my first time starting in a White Out," he said. "I don't think I'm ever going to forget that." Taylor hadn't started a game in his Penn State career before last year's opener against Appalachian State. He had eight tackles in the Lions' overtime victory, and to Franklin, his performance against the Mountaineers, as well as in the games that followed, was a reflection of his stu- dious attitude. "Every single meeting, he's sitting there, he's taking notes, he's writing down things that are important. He's highlighting things. He's underlining things. He's jotting stars down," Franklin said last fall. "He's just one of those guys who really gets it and says, 'Look, I have this amount of time. I've got these oppor- tunities and I'm going to maximize them. He's killing it in school, and I couldn't be more proud." Taylor has indeed been one of the Nit- tany Lions' top classroom performers throughout his career, winning Academic All-Big Ten notice each of his first three active seasons. An advertising major with a business liberal arts minor and a Smeal College of Business certificate, he's already picked up his diploma and is working on a second degree in telecom- munications. His other priority this fall will be to help keep last season's defensive surge going. After ranking fourth in the Big Ten in scoring defense (20.5 points per game) and second against the pass (181.5 yards per game), the Lions are set to return six starters. In addition, they've got Parsons stepping into a starting role at outside linebacker after leading the team in tack- les as a freshman, and they've got a mix of veteran backups (Castro-Fields, Lam- ont Wade, Shaka Toney) and promising young players (Jonathan Sutherland, Jayson Oweh, Ellis Brooks) to fill in the vacancies in the first-team unit and sup- ply depth. The competition for the starting safety spot opposite Taylor will be one of the more consequential battles of the off- season. With team captain Nick Scott having graduated, the leading contenders are Wade, who will be a junior this com- ing fall, and Sutherland, a redshirt soph- omore. "Those guys are embracing the process this off-season," Taylor said. "They're ready to work and excited to compete. It's a big deal when a spot opens up and you have an opportunity to earn that spot. I can see that they both have the drive and determination. They both have a lot of athletic ability and they know the game well. They fly around and make plays. I'm excited to see them out there in spring ball and see what they can do. Obviously, spring ball is pretty impor- tant, but we've also got the summer and fall camp. There's a lot of time from now until the season, and I think those guys are going to be ready when the time comes." Taylor said he likes where the defense as a whole is headed, noting that the Nittany Lions "have the potential to be pretty special" in 2019. He's excited about his own development, too, especially since it has played a significant role in the Lions' recent success. "The team comes first. As long as we're winning, I'm happy," Taylor said. "Coach Franklin always says, with team success comes individual recognition. So hopefully we can put together a strong season as a team. God willing, with the work I'm putting in this off- season, this summer, through camp, hopefully I can stack another good sea- son on top of the one I just had and everything will come together." ■ P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> S P R I N G P R A C T I C E R E P O R T

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