St. Thomas safety and son of Dolphins great and Hall of Famer Jason Taylor makes choice
Jason Taylor held his emotions in check … at least through the late afternoon Wednesday.
“I haven’t cried yet today so I’m doing well so far,” Taylor said.
There were no tears from the Miami Dolphins’ Hall of Famer.
But there was plenty of smiling even under his masked face as he watched his son, Isaiah Taylor, celebrate with numerous other St. Thomas Aquinas athletes just hours after he signed his letter of intent with the University of Arizona.
Taylor, a three-star 5-11, 185-pound safety whose offers included FIU, FAU, Coastal Carolina, Missouri, Minnesota, Illinois and Maryland, remained firmly committed to the Wildcats for several months.
Taylor, an athletic, aggressive and speedy player who had a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown during his career, will try to revitalize a Wildcats program that went winless (0-5) during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
“I got off the phone last night with [Arizona coach Jedd Fisch] and all of the other coaches over there and I just can’t wait to get it rolling,” Taylor said. “I love their history and excited about their future.”
Jason Taylor, Aquinas’ defensive coordinator, has seen his son’s progression firsthand.
Taylor finished with 28 tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery in 2020 as Aquinas went on to win its state-record 12th state championship.
“This day is always special because you feel like you have 100 sons not just one, but this year it’s even more when my own blood is getting a scholarship to go play at Arizona,” said Jason Taylor, whose youngest son, Mason, will be a senior next season at Aquinas. “It’s the best. There’s no greater job than being a father. I’m blessed to be one to three of the greatest kids in the world. Isaiah deserves this and he worked hard for it. I coached him hard and I loved him harder. He did everything he needed to do.”
Taylor was one of 52 athletes in 10 different sports that gathered for a National Signing Day ceremony at the school’s gym.
Defensive tackle Adetola Daranijo, who had not committed to a college, signed with West Virginia. Daranijo, who had 24 tackles and three sacks, also had offers from UAB and Maryland.
Guard Marco Fugar, who had been committed to Pittsburgh until recently, signed with Division-II Notre Dame College.
“It was a hard decision and I felt like this was the right choice for me and my family,” Fugar said. “My family and I didn’t feel like it was best for me to go [to Pitt].”
Including players who signed with colleges during the early signing period in December, Aquinas had 21 signees for football. Others included Allan Baugh (Colorado), Bralon Brown (Ole Miss), Jarin Davis (Youngstown State), Marco Fugar (Notre Dame College), Gunnar Hansen (Vanderbilt), Jaydon Hood (Michigan), Antonio Johnson (Villanova), Kellen Madison (Butler), Caden Martinez (Elon), Ja’Den McBurrows (Michigan), Maurice Newton (Notre Dame College), Tyson Russell (Vanderbilt), Tyreak Sapp (Florida), Joshua Sauickie (Air Force), Quincy Skinner (Vanderbilt), Robert Sorensen (Louisville), Kylan Stevens (Illinois State) and Kade Wehby (Ole Miss).
▪ Other sports — Baseball: John Clarke (FAU), Rowan Hudson (Chowan University), Aiden Petty (Brevard College), Logan Piedra (Erskine College), Michael Pomper (Christian Brothers), Darius Robinson (North Carolina A&T), James Theis (Alabama); Basketball: Samara Spencer (Arkansas); Cross-country: Lucas Mardis (Nova Southeastern); Lacrosse: Ava Martino (Hartford), Amanda McCabe (Furman), Jared Chenoy (Richmond), Matthew Chrupcala (Catholic University of America), Antonio Dominguez (Queens College), Shane Galt (Newberry College), Robert Gazzano (Molloy College), Harrison Gottlieb (Ithaca College), Samuel Whitaker (Johns Hopkins); Sailing: Robert Rielly (Tulane); Soccer: Emma Brady (Emerson College), Savannah Courtenay (Berry College), Shay Miedema (Southern Indiana), Jade Munson (Montreat College), Brooke Piscitello (Columbia College), Marcella Piso (Columbia International); Swimming: Lance Lesage (Purdue); Track and field: Eddiyah Frye (North Carolina), Alexis Glasco (Coastal Carolina), Zahra Kelsey (Cornell); Volleyball: Lilly Costigan (Georgetown), Erin Engel (Maryland).
MORE SIGNINGS
▪ Columbus had five football players sign. Jake Aguirre and Sebastien Laraque each signed with FIU. Rodney Williams signed with FAMU. Alejandro Prado and Maiko Sanchez each signed with St. Thomas University.
▪ Champagnat Catholic had three players sign. Keshawn Brown signed with Duquesne. Justin Payoute and Tyous Taylor each signed with Ferris State.
▪ At American Heritage, Vinson Davis and Boogsie Silvera each signed with Charleston Southern. Christopher Stumpo signed with Ave Maria University and Michael Watkins signed with Edinboro College. James Williams (Miami), Oronde Gadsden (Syracuse) and Christopher Maron (Brown) each signed in December.
Other sports for Heritage — Baseball: Devin Futrell (Vanderbilt), Juhlien Gonzalez (FIU), Danny Diaz (Erskine College), Anthony Nelson (Army), Justin Webster (Kansas State); Girls’ basketball: Daniella Aronsky (Emory), Tatyana Wyche (Florida), Taliyah Wyche (Florida); Boys’ lacrosse: Jake Marek (Virginia Military Academy), Connor Maron (Trinity College); Girls’ lacrosse: Jordyn McCullough (Lynn); Girls’ track and field: Jada Joseph (Brown); Boys’ golf: Timothy Nolle (Central Methodist); Girls’ tennis: Emily Stouch (Babson).Other signings
▪ Krop: Defensive back Antonio Ferguson II (Northwestern Oklahoma State University).
▪ Pine Crest: Haley Cisewski (Loyola University Maryland) swimming; Jamie Corsillo (University of Notre Dame) tennis; Charlie Del Vecchio (University of Chicago) baseball; Taylor McClain (Bucknell University) lacrosse; and Mahdere Yared (Yale University) cross country and track and field.
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 7:06 PM.
