Taylor Out of the Shadows

To many Troy football fans, the name D.J. Taylor might be somewhat unfamiliar, but the Bay Minette native is looking to continue his rise out of the shadows in his junior year as a Trojan.

Though the name might not be familiar, Taylor has been pounding away as the Trojans' back-up half back.

“I came in as a walk on,” Taylor said. “It was hard for me at first. I came in when Chad Scott was here, now he's at Texas Tech, but he told me to keep working hard, keep coming out, put my first foot forward and to continue to improve every day and that's what I did. Coach Blakney saw me working hard and he wanted me to get better and, when I did, it just went from there. The sky's the limit.”

In 2008, Taylor rushed for 37 yards in his first game as a Trojan in Troy's win over Alcorn State. He suffered a setback with a back injury and received a medical redshirt.

“D.J. is a real tough player,” running backs coach Jeff Beckles said. “He had an injury and really fought through it. He didn't want that to be the reason for him to play bad.”

Taylor came back in 2009, playing in all 13 games totaling 71 yards.

He showed great strides in his progress recording his first touchdown of his career in 2010 against Middle Tennessee. Taylor went on to score two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.

“We used D.J. a lot last year as a blocking role,” Beckles said. “We used him in goal line and short yardage things like that. He really took it upon himself to master that role and really have some pride in it.”

This season Taylor will have to compete for playing time against fellow juniors Shawn Southward and Chris Anderson.

“We have a lot of depth at running back,” Taylor said. “We have Shawn Southward, Chris Anderson and me. All three of us bring our own thing to the game plan.”

Fans will not only be seeing more of Taylor this season, but they will also see him line up in multiple positions.

“You're going to see him catching the ball out in the flats, catching the ball down field, lining up in a empty backfield as a slot receiver and just different things. With the work ethic he has, he deserves it,” Beckles said.

Troy University Athletics

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