Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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2015 RECRUITING ISSUE BY LOU SOMOGYI The similarities between Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati and the University of Notre Dame have long been apparent. Catholic schools. Blue and gold school colors. Storied tradition, with a premium on strong values and aca‑ demics. Last year while taking tours of cam‑ puses throughout the land from Penn‑ sylvania to Florida, Crusaders defen‑ sive tackle Elijah Taylor had the homey feel at Notre Dame that led him to com‑ mit to the Fighting Irish on June 13, 2014. "When I thought about everything, it came back to I really loved Moeller a lot. The fact that they are so similar to each other, I just felt like that's where I wanted to be," Taylor said of his deci‑ sion to choose the Irish. "I was not a Notre Dame fan growing up and had no favorite team. I just sat down with my parents, made a list of what we want and decided this would be the best place for me." It was just like old times. From 1968‑85, Moeller High School was Notre Dame's No. 1 feeder school, sending nearly two‑dozen football play‑ ers there — including first‑round NFL Draft selections such as defensive tackle Steve Niehaus (1972‑75), linebacker Bob Crable (1978‑81) and tight end Tony Hunter (1979‑82), among many other Notre Dame Is a FamIlIar look For elIjah taylor BGI FILM ANALYSIS: ELIJAH TAYLOR Strengths Possesses outstanding strength and power … Uses his hands very well … Keeps linemen off his body with ease … Physicality is arguably his best trait … For a man of his size, he runs very well … Shows a quick first step … Does a very good job of wrapping up and rarely misses a tackle … Good leadership qualities … Big positive is that the coaches at Ohio State, Michigan State and Florida State were also very high on him. Areas For Improvement Could play a little more aggressively … Quick and powerful, but needs to add more explosive‑ ness to his game … Consistency is an area that could improve … Has unlimited potential, but needs a push to reach it … Many of his offers are based on his upside. Rivals.com rates Taylor as a three-star recruit, the No. 25 player in Ohio and the No. 39 defensive tackle in the class of 2015. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND