21 OH LB Shay Taylor Talks Michigan State Visit & Interest
Thornville (OH) Sheridan 2021 linebacker Shay Taylor has received plenty of interest from Michigan State dating back to his sophomore year and now that his junior season of high school football is wrapped up, the Spartans are continuing to keep a close eye on the 6-foot-2, 200-pound standout.
Spartan Nation recently caught up with Taylor to talk about his recruitment and what he’s hearing from the Spartan football program and Taylor said that after being on campus for the spring game and camping at Michigan State over the summer, he was invited back for the Penn State game last fall and came away impressed with Michigan State.
“I went up to the spring game and I went to a camp over the summer,” he said. “I got to talk with coach Tressel at the spring game and the summer camp was awesome, I got to talk to some of the players and I worked with coach Tressel. I’ve gotten a lot of letters and I was invited to go to the Penn State.”
“It was very cool, that’s for sure,” he added. “It was one of the cold ones, it was freezing and raining. We got to go in the player’s lounge. It was just an awesome experience. We had the chance to walk around campus and that was awesome, it was a big community experience.”
After spending time talking to and working with Michigan State defensive coordinator Mike Tressel during the spring and summer, Taylor said he’s been able to develop a good relationship with Tressel, who’s been Taylor’s main recruiter at Michigan State.
“I think it’s pretty good,” he said. “I got real close with him the first time I visited for the spring game and then became close with him when I was there for the camp.”
While Taylor does not hold an offer from Michigan State at the moment, the standout linebacker said that a potential offer from the Spartans would be a big deal for him considering East Lansing isn’t too far from his hometown.
“It would be awesome, for sure,” he said. “I think they’re relatively close to my home here and I love the atmosphere there. It’s similar to my hometown.”
Along with his interest from Michigan State, Taylor said he’s also received interest from Cincinnati and Akron.
When it comes to the interest he’s received from Cincinnati, Taylor said that he’s impressed with the Bearcats’ program and the job that Luke Fickell has done as head coach in his three years.
“I’m really impressed with their program,” he said. “He’s done a great job coaching there, the environment is very exciting. It’s definitely a good one there.”
As far as the recruiting process as a whole is concerned, Taylor said that it has its moments going between being stressful and enjoyable, but said the key for himself is staying patient as his recruitment plays out.
“It’s a little bit of both,” he said. “It’s definitely stressful when you have those quiet months. Then you have coaches at your school and you get invites, that stuff is fun, but also a little stressful too. You just have to be patient, I think that’s the key.”
When describing his style of play, Taylor told Spartan Nation that he sees himself as an outside linebacker that drop back in coverage and rush the passer, but added that he’s capable of playing inside and playing against the run as well.
“I’m more of an outside linebacker,” he said. “You see a lot of my film is - I had four interceptions and a pick-six and there’s also a lot of me rushing the passer and getting after the quarterback. I fit more of an outside linebacker type, but I could also be apart of the run defense as an inside linebacker if need be.”
Be sure to stay tuned to Spartan Nation for all of the latest news on Taylor and the Spartans!
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