Jackson Taylor was one of the best NCAA Division II linebackers in the country last fall at West Chester.
His 9.0 tackles per game tied for 31st nationally in Division II, which has 163 teams. His four fumble recoveries tied for second in the nation and his 20 tackles for lost yardage ranked eighth.
But there was one thing that the Glenside, Pennsylvania, resident had not grasped, until now.
“Ever since I was a kid it was my dream to play Division I ball,” Taylor said.
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Now he has that chance as a graduate transfer at the University of Delaware, where Taylor and teammates are involved in spring football drills. They culminate in the annual Blue-White intrasquad game at 6 p.m. April 21 at Delaware Stadium.
The Blue Hens must replace their entire starting defensive unit from a team that made the FCS playoffs two of the last three seasons, so Taylor arrives at the right time.
All-American at West Chester
Taylor become a starter as a red-shirt freshman at West Chester in 2019 and remained one through 2021 and 2022 (West Chester didn’t have a fall 2020 or spring 2021 season due to COVID-19).
He was a three-time first-team All-PSAC East pick, twice its Defensive Player of the Year and a 2022 second-team All-American.
Taylor totaled 262 tackles with 39 for lost yardage and 11 sacks in 34 career games. He also had 6 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles and 3 interceptions.
How he ended up there
Jackson did receive Division I recruiting interest from FBS schools such as UConn and Temple while starring at Abington High. He also had a strong camp at FCS Villanova, with Wildcats coaches also impressed by his offensive potential after being a running back in high school.
But his status was undermined, Taylor said, by a less-than-stellar academic record in high school.
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“That really played a role in me going the Division II way,” Taylor said.
He regained his academic standing at West Chester enough to pave the way to Delaware.
“Last semester I had a 3.4 [GPA] so I definitely got my feet under me,” he said.
Eyeing a transfer
“I wanted to see how good really am I,” Taylor said, “put myself in a position to be challenged and play bigger and better competition.”
With one year of eligibility left, Taylor looked to finish his career at a Division I school.
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FCS members Norfolk State, Eastern Illinois and Albany were among his suitors but it finally came down to Tennessee State and Delaware, with the Blue Hens winning out.
“Delaware is gonna give me that opportunity to show what I can do at a higher scale,” Taylor said.
Different look
At West Chester, the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Taylor had room to roam, which is one reason he had so many tackles.
“Sometimes we had four linemen and just me in the box,” he said “It’s definitely a big difference [at Delaware]. Here it’s more like you have one gap and I can play much more downhill.”
Delaware’s inside linebackers typically stay in the tackle box. Dillon Trainer and Mateo Vandamia are Delaware’s top returnees at the position.
“Everything comes with repetition for me,” Taylor said. “I’m a visual learner. The more I look at it, the more I rep it, the more comfortable I get.”
Coach Carty says
Delaware coach Ryan Carty echoed Taylor, saying his assignment keeps him between the tackles most of the time and that suits him well.
“His skill set is really apt for that,” Carty said. “He’s a big kid. He’s very explosive. His hips are really good. He moves well side to side to side.
“He’s athletic enough to make those plays and powerful enough to finish them”.
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