Kole Taylor is a four-star tight end from Central High School in Grand Junction, Colorado. He recently released a top ten schools list that includes Mizzou. Read why he thinks Mizzou could be a good spot for him and what he thinks he could bring to the table.
Kole Taylor is one of the fastest rising tight ends in the class of 2020 and while he has reiterated that his recruitment is still wide open, he has released a top ten list which features Mizzou, West Virginia, Oregon, Penn State, Cal, Michigan, LSU, Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska.
Missouri has been looking hard at tight ends for the 2020 class and Taylor is someone the staff is high on. Missouri offered Taylor early February and he talks about his relationship so far with the staff and who he has spoken with, "The main coach I've talked to is coach Ofodile the tight end coach," says Taylor. This will be Ofodile's first year as the full-time tight ends coach and it appears he's already trying to establish strong relationships with several prospects including Kole.
Mizzou has seen a lot of success at the tight end position over the years with names like Sean Culkin, Michael Egnew, and as of lately, Kendall Blanton and Albert Okwuegbunam. I asked Taylor if he sees the success of tight ends at certain programs as an indicator of if he can do well there, "Yeah of course. I mean you see Iowa who's possibly putting two (tight ends) in the first round which is almost impossible not to attract a recruit, but you can't just go to a school just because they use their tight ends well. There are a lot of other factors that come into play." says Taylor.
I went on to ask Taylor what exactly he does look for in a school. "The two major factors that will go into my decision will be utilization of the tight end and my relationship with the coaching staff." Taylor says. In this case it appears Mizzou is on the right track in building that trust with Taylor.
As far as to why Missouri was included in Taylor's top ten, he explains, "I've had a great relationship with coach Ofodile and I think Albert and I's game is pretty similar so I could see myself fitting in that offense." says Taylor.
What could Taylor bring to the table? He says it best when explaining what his strengths are. "I think my ability to move around so much as a receiver and a tight end allows me to play all the way out against a corner and catch the ball on him or come down on the line and block a defensive end or linebacker." says Taylor.
I also asked Taylor if he's currently planning any visits and he says he has without naming anyone particular but that nothing is set in stone as of right now.
View Kole Taylor's profile on Hudl.com and check out his highlights: http://www.hudl.com/profile/7636418/Kole-Taylor