Every time Tennessee gets a commitment in either football or men’s basketball, we will write up an impact report looking at what that recruit does well, what we feel can be improved, and what his projected impact with the Vols could be over the next few years.
Latest Commit: Roc Taylor, ATH
Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 210 pounds
School: Oxford (Alabama)
Home Town: Oxford, AL
Rankings
247Sports Composite: No. 447 overall, No. 17 TE
247Sports: No. 18 TE
Rivals: 5.7 rating, No. 20 TE
Notable Offers: Florida, South Carolina, Georgia Tech
What we like:
Big body, good hands, and athleticism. Those are the first three things to come to mind when I watch Roc Taylor’s film. The 6-foot-4 receiver moves well for his size, and he simply doesn’t drop the ball. He can catch a pass no matter where it’s thrown as long as it’s within three or four feet of him. Taylor has a good wingspan and great body control, and when you add that to his good physicality and inability to be brought down on first contact, you have a match-up problem for defenses.
Though he’s listed as a tight end by recruiting services, Taylor will play wide receiver in college and plays as a receiver in high school. He’s not only a dangerous pass catcher, but he also has a tenacity and pit bull attitude about him as a blocker. I know people say it a lot about recruits Jeremy Pruitt and his staff find, but I really do think Taylor is a sleeper prospect who would be blowing up more right now if visits were allowed. He had a stellar junior season and has a ton of tools to like. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he becomes a four-star by the end of this cycle.
Places to improve:
The only thing I can really say I’d like to see improve in Taylor’s game is his route-running. He has a good foundation for those and has a few routes in his tree, but he’ll need to develop more in college because he won’t be faster than corners in the SEC like he is in college. Otherwise, though, Taylor is a truly talented pass catcher.
Analysis:
I think Tennessee got a steal out of the state of Alabama in Roc Taylor. He was starting to get more interest from Auburn before the COVID-19 outbreak happened, and I really think he would’ve absolutely blown up over the summer with the regular recruiting schedule of camps and such. His film just looks really good, and though he’s a bit raw in places, his ceiling is very high. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him find some early playing time as a freshman because he brings something to the table that Tennessee doesn’t have much of right now in the wide receiver room, and that’s an extremely physical presence. I do think you’ll see him have a bigger impact as a sophomore, though. But he’s a Jauan Jennings clone if I’ve ever seen it.
