Tennessee picked up its third commitment of the COVID Shutdown Period on Good Friday when 3-star ATH Roc Taylor tweeted out his commitment to the Vols. Taylor is a Jumbo ATH at 6-3/4, and ~215 pounds who profiles as a Dee Beckwith/Kyle Pitts-type TE/WR hybrid. He was incredibly productive last season for Oxford HS in Oxford, AL, with 71 catches for over 1,300 yards and 17 TDs.
What Taylor is, simply put, is big and athletic, and that functional athleticism is showcased on the hardwood with some nasty dunks as well as on the gridiron where he uses his physicality and frame to box out defenders on jump balls and somewhat shocking speed for that size when beating defensive backs deep. While he doesn’t currently hold offers from either of instate Alabama or Auburn (who appeared to be close), Taylor does have them from the likes of Florida, South Carolina, Georgia Tech and others. Given his production, size, and speed, he’s likely a prospect who would have picked up more offers if there had been more campus visits and camps allowed this spring, but after getting him on campus right before the shutdown the Vols took advantage.
How he fits in this class is obviously very interesting. Is he one of likely two TEs that Tennessee is likely to take, or is he the 3rd WR in this class along with 4-star Jordan Moseley (another AL prospect) and Walker Merrill? Or, does the staff like him so much regardless of what position he ultimately ends up that they felt like they had to pounce when he wanted to commit? Size wise he obviously looks a lot like 4-star Julian Nixon, for whom Tennessee presumably has a big lead, so how does he impact Nixon’s spot? The guess here is that the Vols would still take Nixon at WR but the staff feels like they’re not close enough with top WR prospects like Deion Colzie and Donte Thornton to turn Taylor down; AND that they’d still take a TE like Hudson Wolfe but perhaps a pass-catching TE like Miles Campbell or Trinity Bell might no longer have a spot. There’s also always the possibility that a guy like Taylor could project as a LB down the line and just be an ATH in this class. Time will tell of course, but it appears that the Vols landed a bigtime athlete and put another stake in the ground in Alabama, where they’re still chasing hard after Yellowhammer studs like Dylan Brooks, Jeremiah Williams, Anquin Barnes, and the aforementioned Bell.