
Embracing a New Role
CORAL GABLES, Fla. ā Jason Taylor knows heās maybe taken an unconventional path.
Heās aware most of his peers donāt spend hours on the recruiting trail or running defensive line drills in the sweltering South Florida heat when they could be relaxing or otherwise enjoying the perks that come with being a retired legend and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But these days, thatās exactly what Taylor is doing ā recruiting, running drills, coaching.
The former Miami Dolphins great is just weeks into his new role as a defensive line coach for the Hurricanes and already, Taylor is embracing the opportunity ā and responsibility ā heās been given after spending last season as a defensive analyst at Miami.
āItās nice to be back on the grass and officially coaching and [helping] develop kids and impact kids ā young men at this point,ā Taylor said after one of the Hurricanes’ 14 practices this spring. āItās been great.ā
Taylor, of course, is no newcomer to coaching ā or Miami.
Last season, as an analyst for head coach Mario Cristobal, he sat in on meetings with the Hurricanes, happily answering questions and providing guidance to both coaches and players.
He broke down film and studied the opponents the Hurricanes faced every week. But he wasnāt an on-field coach, the way heād been at Fort Lauderdaleās St. Thomas Aquinas High School previously, nor was he able to do the kind of physical teaching he is doing today.
That chance to now teach a new generation of players the game he loves is something Taylor ā a 15-year NFL veteran, six-time Pro Bowler and the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year ā does not take lightly.
āIām all about coaching them hard and loving them harder,ā Taylor said. āYou know, we have a standard. Youāve got to clearly define the boundaries, the lines, what you expect, the standard of work, the standard of expectations; clearly define what the job is, what they have to do and how weāre going to do it.
āAnd then Iām really big on why we do it that way. Teaching kids or teaching players why weāre doing it that way, why weāre doing something, why weāre calling a certain call and what situation weāre trying to do that [in]; why itās important we need to get to the A gap on a certain player, why weāre dropping to the boundary, why we have to be out there in the flat and how we do it. Not just telling them what to do, but explain that full picture, make them a better football playerā¦Weāre going to lay it all out, be very clearly defined.ā
It hasnāt taken Taylor long to make an impression on the field.
While most of the veteran Hurricanes had the chance to start getting to know him last season, some of the newer faces on Miamiās roster are excited to be soaking up every bit of knowledge Taylor can impart.
āYou can go to him with any question and mine times out of ten, heās got the answer,ā said defensive lineman Branson Deen, a transfer who earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention recognition at Purdue last year. āIf he doesnāt, heāll find it. He brings a lot of energy, and he has us well trained, too. Itās really amazing. I canāt wait to keep learning from him.ā
Even those Hurricanes who were a part of the program last season and worked with Taylor in his former role are excited to now have the chance to be coached by him on the field.
āIāve learned a lot from him,ā said sophomore defensive lineman Nyjalik Kelly. āHand placement, ball get-off, tricks to move faster, tricks to get off the bend. Heās taught me a lot.ā
Added fellow lineman Akheem Mesidor, āHaving him come back is great for our d-line. I love working with him.ā
Miamiās players arenāt the only ones excited to have Taylor on the field this season.
Associate head coach and fellow defensive line coach Joe Salaveāa said having Taylor join the coaching staff has been a boon for all of the Hurricanes, including Miamiās coaches.
āWeāre like-minded. Weāve been coached old school, so our teaching is no different. Itās the same token. Itās really [about] engaging rapport with our guys. In the meetings, weāre asking questions, putting those guys in a position where theyāre regurgitating back the information. Thatās what it comes down to,ā Salaveāa said. āBut as far as working with coach Jason Taylor, itās been awesome. Itās fun. You donāt get to wake up every day and a guy thatās put in the work, his journey, earned everything that heās got, weāre both in the same situation. I wasnāt a gifted athlete coming out, but put in the hard work and were blessed to have great mentors and thatās what weāre trying to get done here. Weāre trying to mentor young men.ā
For Taylor, a father of four, that mentoring is as crucial as teaching the game ā especially since his two oldest sons are college football players themselves.
Taylor watched both navigate the recruiting process during their high school days at St. Thomas before Isaiah, a safety, landed at Arizona and Mason, a tight end, chose to play at LSU.
Seeing their experiences has only reinforced in him the kind of impact he wants to have on the Hurricanes on and off the field.
āWeāre going to coach the heck out of them. Weāre going to coach them hard, and weāre going to push and demand and push and demand and push and demand and then weāre going to love them even more,ā Taylor said. āAnd weāre going to have fun doing it. So, you might see me screaming one second and then laughing and smilingā¦Itās just the way we do it. Weāre going to push and push and push and push and weāre going to have a great time doing it.
āTheyāve got four years to do this, five years at best, to enjoy a lifetime dream, a lifelong dream. Iām not going to be that person that wastes a day of their dream messing around. They might waste one, but Iām not going to waste one and Iām not going to let them waste one.ā