#16  Will Taylor

Two-sport athlete who played both football and baseball during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years before focusing full-time on baseball for 2023-24 … started his Clemson football career at quarterback in 2021 before a scheduled transition to wide receiver in 2022 … recorded five career carries for 20 yards, seven receptions for 22 yards and a touchdown, 16 punt returns for 90 yards and a 14-yard kickoff return in 15 career games with 44 offensive snaps … in 2022-23, became the first Clemson athlete to earn ACC championships in multiple sports in a single academic year since 1991-92 and the first in football and baseball since 1988-89.

SEE ALSO: Baseball Bio

2022: Caught five passes for 16 yards and a touchdown in 29 offensive snaps over 10 games and also returned 10 punts for 26 yards … caught two passes for 23 yards and scored his first career touchdown on a three-yard pass from Cade Klubnik at Georgia Tech … in doing so, the dual-sport athlete became the first Clemson Baseball player to score a touchdown for Clemson since Kyle Parker’s three-yard touchdown run against Wake Forest in 2009 … added a reception vs. Furman … averaged 7.5 yards on two returns vs. No. 10 NC State … returned from a midseason knee injury vs. No. 24 North Carolina, catching two passes in the contest … won a football ACC Championship in that contest in December, then won a baseball ACC Championship in May, becoming the first Clemson athlete on two ACC title teams in a single academic year since 1991-92 and the first in football and baseball since 1988-89.

Will Taylor is the first Clemson athlete to play on two different ACC championship sports teams in the same academic year since James Trapp played on football and mens track teams in 1991-92. He is first to do football -baseball combo since Rusty Charpia in 1988-89.

— Tim Bourret (@TimBourret) May 29, 2023

2021: Played 15 offensive snaps in five games in addition to his role on special teams prior to suffering a season-ending injury in early October … rushed five times for 20 yards, caught two passes for six yards, averaged 10.7 yards on six punt returns and had a 14-yard kickoff return … immediately earned Clemson’s starting punt return role, serving that role as a true freshman in Clemson’s season opener vs. No. 5 Georgia … rushed five times for 20 yards and returned three punts for 53 yards vs. SC State …  earned team special teams player of the game that week after he recorded a 51-yard punt return, the longest punt return by a Clemson player since a 53-yard return by Amari Rodgers against Wake Forest in 2019 … had a 10-yard punt return and his first career reception — a five-yarder — vs. Georgia Tech … exited with an injury vs. Boston College after recording one catch.

Before Clemson: Led Dutch Fork to 2020 5A state title with a 28-6 win over T.L. Hanna … helped Dutch Fork become the first school to win five straight state titles, as the 2020 team ranked No. 18 in the nation according to USA Today … three-star prospect who is ranked among the top 25 players in South Carolina by Rivals.com … PrepStar All-Atlantic Region selection … in 10 games in 2020, completed 136-of-203 passes for 2,237 yards and 21 touchdowns against just four interceptions … had 60 carries for 448 yards and 11 touchdowns, a 7.5-yard rushing average … in one game against River Bluff, completed 22-of-35 for 334 yards and four scores … in season opener against White Knoll, completed 14-of-21 passes for 307 yards and five touchdowns … against Carolina Forest, had 12 carries for 224 rushing yards and scored five touchdowns … played his first three years of high school at Ben Lippen, throwing for 1,647 yards and rushing for 1,549 more in 2019 … in baseball, hit .432 for Ben Lippen as a sophomore in spring of 2019 … his junior spring (2020) was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic … played in the Baseball Factory All-Star Game in Frisco, Texas, an event that welcomes the top 40 high school players in the nation … also a three-time state champion in wrestling at Ben Lippen … committed to Clemson on August 30, 2020 … recruited by Brandon Streeter and Tyler Grisham … played for Tom Knotts at Dutch Fork High School.

Personal: Born Jan. 10, 2003 … selected by the Texas Rangers in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft … had been projected as a first-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft before telling teams he was going to pursue collegiate opportunities … majoring in communication … his father, Eddie, was a wrestler at The Citadel … his grandfather, Ed, played baseball and football at The Citadel … two-time ACC Honor Roll selection (2021-22) … nicknamed by former Clemson Offensive Coordinator Tony Elliott as “Maverick” as a reference to Tom Cruise’s character in Top Gun.

According to Tony Elliott, Will Taylor feels the need.

The need… for speed.

Meet Clemson Football's Maverick. pic.twitter.com/PdrsiPdeZG

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) September 13, 2021