Rivals250 prospect Leonard Taylor has an official top five but, as is the case with all such lists, not every school that made the cut stands on equal footing. Below, Rivals.com takes a look at the five programs that have a real chance at landing the four-star defensive tackle and ranks them by their chances to do so.
1. FLORIDA
The clear cut leader, Florida has positioned itself well for Taylor. Gators assistants David Turner, David Cooper and Brian Johnson have all built close relationships with the Miami Palmetto High School star, and Taylor has made plenty of trips to Gainesville over the past year. UF seems to have a large lead in this sweepstakes, so the sooner a commitment comes the better it will be for the Gators.
2. LSU
It’s been a bit since Taylor has made anyone think LSU is a legitimate threat to land his commitment. Still, there was a ton of mutual interest not long ago, and the defending national champs remain in the defensive tackle’s top five. If Taylor is able to visit once the Covid-19 dead period ends, the spark could be rekindled. If not, Ed Orgeron will likely find himself coaching against the four-star recruit when Taylor is playing for Florida or another SEC school.
3. AUBURN
Taylor visited Auburn in late February, so the trip was fresh in his mind when recruiting was slowed due to the Covid-19 crisis. The interest between the four-star prospect and the Tigers is legitimate, but Auburn will have to do serious work during a fall official visit if it hopes to overtake Florida as the favorite. Stranger things have happened, sure, but this appears to be an uphill battle.
4. GEORGIA
Taylor doesn’t seem as familiar with UGA as he is with Florida, or even Auburn for that matter. That said, there’s mutual curiosity and Taylor has long been interested in taking an official visit to Athens. Georgia will need a late push to actually land his commitment, but it’s unwise to count out Kirby Smart when it comes to touted players from Florida.
5. MIAMI
Miami is not in Taylor’s official top five. Instead, Tennessee rounds out the list. That said, the Hurricanes probably have a better chance of actually landing Taylor’s letter of intent than Tennessee does. Both are long shots, of course, but should UM have an impressive season under second-year head coach Manny Diaz, Miami will be back in the thick the mix. The Hurricanes once looked like one of the favorites to land Taylor and could be again if everything breaks UM’s way this fall. If that doesn’t take place, however, there’s little chance.
