Taylor excited to be a Hawkeye
SOUTHFIELD, MICH. - Detroit Cass Tech linebacker Laron Taylor thought he knew which school he would commit to, but in the final two weeks before his announcement the 6-0, 205-pound prospect started to feel the weight his decision.
"It was a big decision," Taylor said. "I was kind of leaning towards Iowa for awhile, but I talked to the Cincinnati coach last week and they kind of shifted me to Cincinnati. Then I talked to Iowa coaches and they shifted me back. Cincinnati got in my head for a minute, but it's been Iowa."
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Taylor announced his commitment to Iowa on Friday at the Sound Mind, Sound Body Media Day near Detroit. Other schools that had offered included Cincinnati, Indiana and Western Michigan, but Taylor started leaning the Hawkeye's direction early after a visit to Iowa City for their junior day.
""I love the weight room. They have a variety of machines," Taylor said. "I like the coaching staff and it's just a good place to be. The coaching staff is very stuck together and they don't fire coaches every year like some colleges do.
"I'm just excited to be a Hawkeye."
Taylor noted that he felt the love from Iowa fans throughout his recruitment, and now he plans to show that kind of love to his teammate, Ruben Lile, who announced a final three of Iowa, Wisconsin and Toledo and is set to announce his decision on Aug. 27.
"I am going to try to get him to Iowa with me," Taylor said of Lile. "I'm going to be in his ear every day, he already knows that."
Taylor is coming off a junior season in which he recorded more than 100 tackles, five sacks and an interception playing alongside four-star linebacker Royce Jenkins-Stone in Cass Tech's linebacker corps. Iowa plans to keep Taylor doing what he does best when he arrives on their campus.
"They are going to put about 10-15 more pounds on me and play me at WILL Linebacker, just like I play at Cass Tech," Taylor said.
Following his announcement on Friday, Taylor said his commitment to Iowa was firm and he looks forward to being a Hawkeye.
"I'm not going back on my decision," he said. "I love Iowa."