Justin Taylor Circles Back to Laramie After Stint at Wisconsin

LARAMIE -- Clay Nanke never saw it coming.

The 6-foot-6 wideout ran roughly 10 yards up field before suddenly flipping a U-turn. The route was a button hook. The ball was right on time.

So was the incoming safety, who read the play perfectly.

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Justin Taylor wasn't able to break up that pass -- it was that precise -- but the 200-pound sophomore did make the tackle.

That's not all.

The Wisconsin transfer punched the ball out, forcing a fumble near the 40-yard line. Nanke scrambled to jump on the loose change. Taylor had other ideas.

"I kicked the ball," he said with a wide grin. "That was backyard football there."

Taylor eventually scooped and scored, racing down the west sideline with his defense teammates already in full celebration behind him.

That's not the first time he has forced a turnover this spring, either.

He's had a hand in a fumble or two. He has also flown through the line in blitz situations, stuffing running backs during fourth-and-goal scenarios.

Admittedly, the touchdown jaunt last Tuesday afternoon was the highlight, but when asked about what plays have stuck out to him this April, he immediately deflected all personal praise.

On this unit, he added, every triumph is applauded.

"I think BK (Brooklyn Cheek) has had a really good time here, as far as, just the first week, the second week, he's made constant progress," Taylor said. "Dez (Desman Hearns), JD (Jaden DaCosta), all of those guys, have stepped up. I kind of don't really care about my plays, I like seeing my teammates go out there and have fun. Then, when we come together as a room, we all sit down and watch all of our plays. They all stick out to me."

The selflessness doesn't end there.

Though Taylor prefers to play free safety, he is open -- and willing -- to make any move the staff asks of him. He's taken reps this spring at both safety spots, as well as at nickel.

With the recent departure of starting cornerback Keany Parks, head coach Jay Sawvel mentioned Taylor could also get a look on the outside. He hasn't been on the island since his playing days at Nazareth Academy in Chicago.

He's fine with that, too.

"I'm always going to embrace whatever challenge is thrown my way," he added. "I tell the coaches all the time, I say, 'I'm going to be the guy that you need me to be, whether it's corner, whether it's safety.'

"Going out there and playing football for Wyoming is my only concern."

The keyword in the equation is "play."

Taylor did very little of that during his two-year stint at the University of Wisconsin, redshirting during the 2023 season and appearing in just two games last fall. That, he said, is the main reason he jumped into the transfer portal this offseason.

He simply wants an opportunity.

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In seeking that, he reached out to a coach he spoke with many times during his initial recruiting process, Wyoming's Benny Boyd.

Taylor never came to Laramie on an official visit back in those days. He was busy sifting through offers -- 18 of them -- from the likes of Power-5 programs like Kansas State and Wisconsin, along with the Cowboys' top Mountain West rivals Colorado State and Air Force.

Those things happen when you're a two-time All-State selection, track star and excel at "iron man" football. Taylor tallied 33 tackles and broke up 10 passes during his senior season. He also hauled in 48 passes for 402 yards from the wide receiver spot.

He eventually chose Madison. But he never forgot about the connection formed with Boyd and Wyoming's coaching staff.

"When I was in the portal, I reached out to him," Taylor said. "I sent my film to coach Boyd, and already had a good relationship with him and coach Sawvel. When the opportunity arose, I took it. I felt like it was the right place and the right timing.

"I made the right decision."

Sawvel thinks he did, too.

"That was a natural transition when he was leaving (Wisconsin)," Sawvel said last Tuesday. "I think he reached out to coach Boyd pretty quickly. So, that was something like, 'Hey, you remember Justin Taylor? I did remember him. We did go through a process with him. So, I'm glad he's here. I think there's still a lot of things he can improve on, but, you know, he's very happy to be here. He's very engaged daily at practice.

"... He's a smart guy, he works hard and he cares deeply."

Playing is near the top of Taylor's list this fall. Winning, though, is the main goal.

He boasts about the "brotherhood" in the locker room, saying he looks forward to daily workouts, meals and film sessions with his teammates and coaches. Sawvel said he wanted transfers and freshmen that lived and breathed football, thinking about the game the minute they wake up each morning.

That description could be chiseled on Taylor's tombstone.

"I feel like the locker room makes the team," he added. "When you have guys in the locker room that are welcoming, cool and just like you -- have the same objective and same goal -- it's easy.

"Grinding with the boys, I mean, there's nothing like it."

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players