Blue White Illustrated

T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 1 5 ROBERT WINDSOR RIVALS ★★★ POS DT HT 6-4 WT 278 HOME Fond du Lac, Wis. SCHOOL Fond du Lac WHAT HE DID Taylor was a three-year starter for St. Christopher's. He totaled four interceptions and 24 tackles as a sophomore and followed that performance with a strong junior season in which he 9nished with 35 tackles and one interception. Taylor appeared poised for big things last fall, but he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his le< knee during the 9rst week of preseason practice and was forced to sit out his senior year. WHAT HE WON Rivals.com awarded Taylor four stars and ranked him 108th among all players nationally. He was also named the ninth-best cornerback in the country and the third-best player in Virginia. He was an Under Armour All- America selection but didn't participate in the January all- star game because of his injury. Before being hurt, he was a top-50 prospect. Following his sophomore and junior sea- sons, he earned All-Conference, All-Metro and All-State honors from multiple media outlets. WHERE HE VISITED Taylor had an impressive o:ers list con- sisting of more than 30 schools from the Power Five confer- ences. He committed to Michigan in March and held 9rm un- til October, when it became clear that Brady Hoke and his sta: were unlikely to return in 2015. He took visits to LSU and Ohio State before committing to Penn State on Nov. 29 dur- ing an o;cial visit on the 9nal weekend of the regular season. QUOTABLE Taylor: "I felt like the school was a good 9t for me with their academics and the football part of things. The teammates are great and I feel like I 9t in with the team." FRANKLIN SAYS "We think this guy has a chance to come in and make an impact right away. ... [He] played against Hack in high school, so there's some familiarity there. As a press corner, he also comes down and makes a tackle. He's a big, physical, athletic corner who can make plays." PHIL'S TAKE Taylor expects to be physically ready for pre- season practice and may have a chance to compete for play- ing time this fall. He's a tall cornerback with outstanding speed and ball reactions. I saw a lot of cornerbacks on 9lm this past year, and he was among the best at providing run support – a distinction that is all the more impressive con- sidering that the tape was from his junior season. Penn State is deep at cornerback, but I think it's possible that Taylor will see action in 2015. GARRETT TAYLOR RIVALS ★★★★ POS DB HT 6-0 WT 196 HOME Richmond, Va. SCHOOL St. Christopher's WHAT HE DID As a senior at Fond du Lac, Windsor was one of the key members of a defense that allowed only 15.3 points per game. He tallied 38 tackles and 9ve sacks, helping lead the Cardinals to a 10-2 record. WHAT HE WON Windsor made a late splash on the recruiting scene, collecting most of his major scholarship o:ers a

• Cover