Terps Jackets lead for RB/S

Junior To Watch: Richard Taylor

School: Clifton (Va.) Centreville

Position: Running back/safety

Size and speed: Taylor is 6-foot-1, 195 pounds. He has been timed in the 40-yard dash at 4.5 seconds. He bench presses 285 pounds and squats 510 pounds.

Honors: All-district

Statistics: Taylor rushed for 800 yards with 11 touchdowns during his junior season.

Favorite schools: Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Florida

Skinny: Taylor was injured in the middle of his junior season and came back from that injury to play on the defensive side of the ball. He says he will most likely stay there on the next level although he's open.

“Running backs come a dime a dozen so I would like to find my niche on the defensive side of the ball," he said. "I can hit extremely hard and catch people off guard. Opposing teams misjudge my hitting ability a lot because they don’t know how strong my lower body is. I think I’ll end up at safety in college but I'll play wherever I can.”

Taylor has two teams that really stand out for him at this time.

“Georgia Tech and Maryland are my favorites right now. I like how Georgia Tech is in the big city and they have a real nice campus too. I like the same things about Maryland and I like the fact that it is pretty close to home too. Both teams have lots of tradition.”

Taylor had a chance to take in junior day at Maryland.

“It was really nice at Maryland. We attended the North Carolina basketball game. It was all very impressive.”

Taylor knows what he is looking for in a school.

“I feel like the most important thing would be for me to be able to fit into the program within a couple of years. It’s all about going to the best place for me, but still be a big-time program.”

Taylor plans to major in communications and he carries a 2.8 GPA at this time.