Taylor, who lives in Chula Vista, enrolled at Mission Bay for its International Baccalaureate program. He maintained a 4.0 GPA and scored a 2,000 on his SAT. Â
After sitting out the first six games of his junior year, Taylor earned All-Western League honors as a senior, catching 72 passes for 1,516 yards and three touchdowns while helping lead the Buccaneers (12-2) to a runner-up finish in the San Diego Section Division II playoffs. Â
Syracuse, Fordham, Georgia State, Massachusetts, Duke and Indiana offered scholarships to Taylor, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound, two-star receiver. Ultimately, UMass felt like home. He joined the Minutemen, whose football program was elevated to FBS status two years ago. Â
"I always told myself that I'd never give up," said Taylor, who became the first in his family to attend college. Â "I'm going to amount to something in society and I'm going to achieve my dreams."



