Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1534903
5 2 M A Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P e n n S ta te 's w i n n i n g streak in Western Penn- sylvania continued in March when it picked up a commitment from Pitts- burgh receiver Khalil Taylor, a four-star prospect who is on track to become one of the top players in the 2027 class. Listed at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, Taylor has done a little bit of everything for Se- ton LaSalle over the past few seasons, playing quarterback, running back, wide receiver and safety, while also shining on special teams as a return specialist. Penn State had initially been recruiting Taylor as a defensive back, but he had an eye-opening season on offense as a sophomore, sur- passing 1,300 all-purpose yards and scoring 21 touch- downs. DeWayne Brown, founder of 2Tenths Speed & Agility in Pittsburgh, said Taylor's athletic ability merits com- parisons to NFL receivers even though he's only heading into his junior season at Seton LaSalle. "He's a Curtis Samuel, Deebo Samuel, Percy Harvin kind of guy," Brown said. "He's a great athlete. He can really run. To me, it's all about how they use him schematically, because you can do a lot of things with him. "All of those guys I mentioned could play receiver, but they were a mismatch in a lot of different ways. That's what Khalil reminds me of. He has that NFL athletic ability, there's no doubt about that. The kid can run and is very explosive." Taylor hasn't camped at Penn State yet, but he did run a 4.4-second 40- yard dash at Rutgers last summer. He's younger than most players in his grade, so there's reason to believe he has plenty of growth still ahead of him. "He should be going into the 10th grade next year and will be a 17-year- old graduate, so there's so much growth and development to come with Khalil," Seton LaSalle coach Tim Storino said. "That's the exciting part with him. With the speed training we're doing and the stuff he's doing on his own, he's only going to get faster." Just five days before Taylor's March 29 commitment, On3 ranked him No. 16 nationally and No. 2 at wide re- ceiver. Rankings for the 2027 class will be updated eight more times before they're finalized, so there are certain to be changes. However, Taylor's cur- rent ranking puts him in a category of prospects who could end up receiving five-star grades by the time they sign. "Khalil Taylor put together some dominant film," said Charles Power, On3's director of scouting and rank- ings. "He's outstanding with the ball in his hands. You know it's go- ing to be good when you're watching a sophomore and he has a highlight film of just touchdowns. He has a well- rounded skill set. He's a guy who can separate with his routes. I think he's really good with the ball in his hands and has the potential to be a YAC [yards after catch] monster. "But also, he's strong at the catch point and has big hands. I think he's a pretty natural pass-catcher. Given his skill perspective, how well-rounded he is and the fact that he's hyper produc- tive, I look at him as a guy who could do a little bit of everything." With Taylor committed, Penn State is off to a red-hot start in the 2027 cycle. The Nittany Lions hold commit- ments from two additional top-40 prospects in Kemon Spell (No. 8 overall nationally, No. 1 at running back) and Layton von Brandt (No. 37 nationally, No. 6 at offensive tackle). ■ Pittsburgh Receiver Brings An Early End To Recruitment RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M Taylor had more than 1,300 all-purpose yards and scored 21 touchdowns as a sophomore at Seton LaSalle High in Pittsburgh. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER COMMITMENT PROFILE KHALIL TAYLOR Because he's only coming up on his junior year, Khalil Taylor is still very raw as a football player. Route running, route stems, transi- tions — they all need continued refinement. He's winning on athleticism and ability. But that means there's only upside going forward. One of the reasons I try not to form strong opinions about guys who commit before their junior season is that they're still in the early stages of learning the game. With Taylor, you can see that on film. He's the best athlete on the field, but there's still a lot of room for growth. That said, he's nearly 6-foot with the potential to continue growing, and he turned in a 4.4-second 40-yard time at Rutgers' camp. He checks all the boxes early on. — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N