Already the nation’s top DT, Taylor is looking better than ever and is ‘locked in’ with Canes
Miami Palmetto was locked in a scoreless tie with Orlando Dr. Phillips late in the first half of a Class 8A play-in game Saturday, and Mike Manasco knew chances would be few and far between for Palmetto to score in its postseason opener. Dr. Phillips was backed up at its own 4-yard line, so Manasco saw an opportunity.
As his defense took the field at Traz Powell Stadium, Manasco shouted to get Leonard Taylor’s attention. “Get me some points!” the coach yelled to his five-star defensive tackle. Six plays later, Palmetto was into the end zone for the only touchdown in a 10-0 win in
Miami.
“Coach said, ‘Do something,’ ” said Taylor, who is orally committed to the Miami Hurricanes. “We went out there and did it.”
Dr. Phillips ran twice up the middle to set up a third-and-3 at its own 11. With less than two minutes to go, Dr. Phillips called a third straight run, hoping to kill clock — and maybe pick up a first down — and get to halftime tied 0-0. Taylor jumped off a block, cut to his right and charged through a gap into the backfield for to drag down Dr. Phillips running back Amir Johnson for a 2-yard loss.
Dr. Phillips punted from its own end zone and fellow Miami commit Brashard Smith returned it to Dr. Phillips’ 26. Two plays later, the four-star athlete ran for a go-ahead 22-yard touchdown.
“That was huge,” Manasco said Saturday. “Who’s better than Leonard Taylor?”
The third-down tackle for loss was Taylor’s most important play Saturday, but it wasn’t necessarily his most impressive.
Every week, Taylor adds something to the mental highlight reel Manasco has put together across two seasons coaching the AllAmerican defensive lineman. On Saturday, Taylor added a new contender to Manasco’s list of favorites.
Dr. Phillips spent the entire 8A play-in game trying to find ways to slow down Taylor. On the first play of its second drive, the attempted solution was to have a fullback try to trap block the senior. The result was Taylor literally knocking Dr. Phillips running back Adam Guzman off his feet to blow up the play before it even started to develop. It opened up Palmetto outside linebacker Cahron Rackley for an easy 2-yard sack on Dr. Phillips quarterback Jojo Patti.
Taylor could only laugh when recalled the play. Dr. Phillips tackle Kyjuan Phillips, who’s committed to the Colorado State Rams, spent most of the game jawing with Taylor, so Taylor was happy to challenge anyone Dr. Phillips had try to block him.
“He made me mad,” Taylor said. “I don’t play with kids.”
Plays like those are what make Taylor the No. 1 defensive tackle in the 247Sports.com composite rankings and one of the most coveted prospects in the entire Class of 2021. The 6-4 lineman has jumped from about 255 pounds to 290 in the last year, Manasco said, and he hasn’t lost his explosive first step or overall fluidity and flexibility.
It’s why Florida Gators coaches still text and call him from time to time, hoping to somehow flip him from the Hurricanes before he signs a national letter of intent in December. Miami’s play in 2020, however, has helped convince Taylor he made the right decision when he pledged to the hometown team in August. He’s particularly excited to see Mark Pope playing well because he played with the wide receiver for a year at Miami Southridge.
Taylor continues to insist he’s all set with the Hurricanes even as Florida continues to take its swings.
“I’m locked in,” Taylor
said, “so I don’t pay attention to it.”