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CHAPEL HILL – New North Carolina defensive end Noah Taylor met with the media Thursday to discuss why he transferred to the Tar Heels after spending the first four years of his college football career at Virginia.
A 3-star prospect from Gaithersburg, MD, in high school, Taylor was an early enrollee at UVA in 2018 and played in nine games that season. He has not redshirted, so with him getting 2020 back, Taylor has one more season of eligibility remaining.
This fall, Taylor played in all 12 games for the Cavaliers registering 69 tackles, 8.0 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, 12 QB hurries, 36 STOPs (plays that result in failures for the opposing offense), three missed tackles, was targeted 25 times allowing 18 receptions for 210 yards and one TD. He graded out on PFF at 67.7.
Taylor played 1,945 defensive snaps in 45 games at Virginia, though he was mainly a special teams player in 2018. His career numbers: 169 tackles, 28.5 TFLs, 12.5 sacks, 3 INTs, 10 PBUs, 2 forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, 36 QB hurries, 86 STOPs, 17 missed tackles, 68 targets allowing 46 receptions for 503 yards and three TDs. He graded out at 73.9 in 2020 and 76.7 in 2019.
In 2020, Taylor returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown versus Louisville earning him ACC Linebacker of the Week, an honor he has received twice in his career.
Taylor was an ACC Academic Honor Roll member this past year as well.
Above is the full video of Taylor’s Q&A and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
*When Taylor entered the portal, he wasn’t certain he’d play at a different school, as returning to UVA remained a serious option. But all of that changed when he visited UNC.
“When I came here, I came with an open mind and didn’t expect it to be anything serious, and ended up just falling in love with it here,” Taylor said.
*What were some of the things he fell in love with at UNC?
“I think the resources,” Taylor replied. “There’s a lot more resources here and a lot more things that I can use to help me advance my game and my health, and just everything in general. And I thought that if I came here, once I’m done playing football I want to be a coach, and I think that coming to UNC and knowing Coach Brown and already knowing Coach Mendenhall and his great coaching staff, that would just help widen my network.”
*Taylor mentioned facilities and the support, so more specifically what are some of the differences with UVA? Did he know the stuff at UVA wasn’t as good as at other places?
“I walked in right through these doors right here, and I was like, ‘Wow,’” he said. “Coming out of high school, UVA, Rutgers, Pitt, those were really like my only offers. I didn’t visit any other school seriously, so when I walked through these doors I was like, ‘there is no way that this is happening.’”
*Taylor was productive at UVA, but he believes making the move to Carolina means his game will grow and he can be even more productive.
“I know I’ll be able to take my game to a higher level before going pro,” Taylor said. “There was a lot of injury when I was at UVA; it was kind of like I wasn’t injured enough to the point where I needed surgery, but I was injured to enough to the point where I didn’t know if I would be able to play every game minutes before kickoff.”
*Jay Bateman was UNC’s defensive coordinator when Taylor committed to Carolina, but since then Gene Chizik has taken over the Tar Heels’ defense and some changes to the scheme are expected. Taylor was a natural for the hybrid spot but that may not be a position with the new defense. So, what will his role be in the new Carolina defense?
“A lot more pass rushing,” he said. “In the Bateman defense I probably would have been dropping a little bit more. In this new defense, I believe I’ll be a pass rusher a lot more.
“In the short time that I’ve know Mack Brown, I’ve gained a lot of, lot of, lot of trust (in) him. I was never too worried when I found out the switch had happened because I knew he’d bring in the right guys and I knew he had the right plan for me.”
*One of Taylor’s strengths at UVA was as a pass rusher. He’s an athlete and can get after it. So, to him, what are the keys in being an effective pass rusher?
“I think gaining a little bit more weight, because I can’t run around guys for the rest of my career,” Taylor said, clearly noting he will be mainly a defensive end for the Tar Heels. “Putting on a little bit more weight and fine-tuning a couple of things in my pass-rush game.”
*As for his skills and talents that he is bringing to UNC’s defense:
“Versatility,” he said. “There’s nothing on the field that would be asked of me that I can’t do because I’ve done it all. The film on it doesn’t lie. I just think anything that’s asked of me, whether it be pass rushing, whether it be dropping, covering, whatever it is I can do it.”
*So, Taylor played for a rival program, one against which UNC has struggled recently and a longtime historic rival of the Tar Heels. But the players have embraced Taylor coming on board, and he’s thrilled about how things have gone so far.
“I never thought about how we might bang heads with each other,” Taylor said. “But the guys have been so open to just accepting me and being great guys, and really helping me out in the weight room and helping me out on the field and to catch up with everything.”
*Taylor was asked numerous questions about the linebacker group and about him playing both inside and outside linebacker at Virginia, but he was clear Thursday that the plan is for him to work exclusively at defensive end, he said.
“I think (they) just want me to focus in on playing one position for now, and that being a true pass rusher,” Taylor said. “Defensive end.”
