Now healthy, WVU TE Kole Taylor looks for an even bigger season
West Virginia tight end Kole Taylor knew something wasn’t right.
Against Cincinnati, Taylor was running a split flow concept when he pulled and his shoulder popped out. He didn’t know it at the time but he injured his labrum in his shoulder.
That would require the use of a brace for the remainder of the season which provided a lot of support but also was restrictive.
“I didn’t feel I could reach as high so it was more of a confidence thing in the end,” Taylor said.
Taylor, who transferred into West Virginia from LSU, hauled in 35 catches for 444 yards and 4 touchdowns and earned second-team all-Big 12 honors in the process. He led the team in receptions and was the first tight end to do so since the early 1990s.
But at the end of the season, Taylor realized that surgery was going to be the right path when it came to addressing his shoulder long-term.
That meant he would miss almost the entirety of spring football, but the timing was perfect given the fact that it was ahead of his final season of eligibility and he would need to prepare for the draft the following year. So, Taylor made the decision to get it done.
“Missing the spring was tough. Sitting on the sidelines is never fun,” he said. “I wanted to be out there competing with the guys but I got a lot of mental reps and a lot of lower body strength.”
Taylor spent the spring working on his lower body strength and flexibility while trying to stay involved mentally and focus on trying to improve after a strong debut season with the Mountaineers. That strength is critical as it allows him to be more involved in the run game.
“I never want to be taken out in any situation. I want to be able to do any situation I can and the more lower body strength I have, the lower I play and the more involved I can be in the run game,” he said.
Taylor eventually worked his way back to running routes on air by the end of the spring and then was given full clearance to return where he has noticed a major difference in how he feels. Especially in terms of his confidence where it comes to going across the middle of the field.
“It’s something I’m glad I did moving forward and I feel 100-percent going into this season,” he said.
Now with a clean bill of health, Taylor is looking to build on a strong 2023 campaign. He was recently selected to the Mackey Award Watch List and has been working with senior quarterback Garrett Greene including head down to work with his personal quarterback coach for four days.
The focus is on the team first, but Taylor also has personal goals of recording 50 receptions and winning the Mackey Award. Taylor has a better understanding of the offense as well as being more assertive when it comes to asking questions from the coaching staff.
And a focus for Taylor this off-season is getting more involved in the red zone where he can use his size to make contested catches and help in the blocking department.
Now healthy, Taylor is hoping last season is just the start of something special.
“Now there’s a bigger target on my back. It just makes you raise your play week in and week out. You have to be at your best,” Taylor said.
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