BYU Linebacker Harrison Taggart Could Move Into a Key Role in BYU's Defense

The former four-star recruit could move into the starting lineup if Ben Bywater misses time

Against Kansas, multiple BYU starters left the game due to injury. Among the injured players was star linebacker Ben Bywater. Bywater left the game with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill provided an update on Bywater's status on Coordinator's Corner. 

"Obviously [Ben] is a phenomel player and the fans will get to know him as a stalwart within the defense and everything that he's done. When these injuries occur you let the medical staff just take over...we do MRIs and those kind of things and that will usually take place [Monday] or [Tuesday]. We'll get an assessment of where he is in the next couple days."

The results of the MRI will determine Bywater's availability for Friday's game against Cincinnati. If Bywater is unable to play, BYU will likely turn to redshirt freshman Harrison Taggart. "We've been rotating Harrison Taggart a lot," Hill said. "He's played a lot." Taggart was listed as Bywater's backup on the depth chart that BYU released on Monday.

BYU linebacker Harrison Taggart leaves the tunnel for pregame warmups against SUU / Credit: BYU Photo

Taggart has played 28 snaps for the BYU defense this season. He's also been a fixture on BYU's special teams. Taggart has already played 71 snaps for BYU on kickoff return, kickoff cover, punt return, and punt cover.

Taggart brings the energy when he is on the field. Taggart changed the course of the game when he blocked a punt against Southern Utah. He also had a QB hurry against SUU.

Against Arkansas, Taggart played some critical reps on defense. Taggart was one of the linebackers on the field for Max Tooley's interception. Taggart was a coveted four-star recruit coming out of high school. More on that in a moment

Behind Taggart, true freshman and another former four-star recruit Siale Esera was listed as the third-string Mack linebacker. "Siale Esera is now back in the fold with us...Ace Kaufusi has played some for us and you'll continue to see names that we've mentioned before," Hill said.

Taggart's Decorated High School Career

At Corner Canyon, Taggart was a fixture on a team that won two state championships from 2019-2020 and was the runner-up in 2021. He finished his high school career with over 230 tackles including 22 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 2 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles.

He was a two-time selection on the Deseret News 6A first-team all-state and he was named a first-team All-American by MaxPreps in 2020.

BYU has created a recruiting pipeline at Corner Canyon over the last several years. BYU signed fellow 2022 four-star recruit Cody Hagen before he left for his mission. Taggart and Hagen were seniors together at Corner Canyon High School.

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