Lima Senior defensive end Brandon Taylor officially signed with Penn State on Tuesday when he put his longstanding commitment to the Nittany Lions in writing.
It is a relationship that began on social media when a Penn State assistant coach was impressed with Taylor’s game films and reached out to him.
“They actually hit me on Twitter. It was Coach Kevin Smith, the assistant defensive line coach. We just built a relationship from there,” Taylor said.
The 6-2, 250-pound Taylor is one of 27 players in Penn State’s 2020 recruiting class. That class is ranked third in the Big Ten behind Ohio State and Michigan and is No. 12 nationally, according to 247sports.com.
“I just felt at home when I went there. I’ve been to Penn State three times. The coaches, students, athletes, everyone, it just felt at home when I was there,” Taylor said. “Signing early was always the goal. I just had to keep working hard.”
He committed after an official visit to Penn State in late June. Michigan State, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Michigan, Tennessee also made offers to him. Taylor, who was first-team All-Three Rivers Conference and second-team All-Ohio, was rated as a 3-star recruit.
“When I was there (Penn State) it was great. I enjoyed it more than any other campus I’ve ever been on,” Taylor said.
One of the three times Taylor was at Penn State was for this year’s “White Out” game against Michigan where most of the fans at Beaver Stadium dressed in white.
“That game was crazy. The first play of the game you couldn’t even hear yourself think. It was crazy,” Taylor said.
Taylor thinks he could play defensive end or be moved to the 3-technique, an interior line position. “We’ll just have to see,” he said.
Like almost all the players signing national letters of intent across country on Wednesday, he hopes a move to the NFL is in his future.
“My ultimate goal is to play in the NFL. That’s always been my dream,” Taylor said.
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