Will Taylor's tough 10 months ends with TD against Tech

Will Taylor scored his first career touchdown in the 41-10 win over Georgia Tech this week.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Sep 10 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – Since tearing his ACL early last fall, wide receiver Will Taylor has had to clear several hurdles on his return to the playing field. There was surgery, rehab, hours spent working out alone, getting cleared for baseball and finally playing in a game, and returning to the football practice in the fall. He hit a last marker of the process Monday night, complete with a touchdown against Georgia Tech.

Taylor tore his ACL against Boston College last season, so making his way back to play in a game was special.

“It was a very special moment for me and my family,” Taylor told the media earlier this week. “It has been a long 10-month process, so for me I was just ready to get back out there and compete at a high level. And more than anything, just thankful to be out there, compete and be healthy.”

Taylor and the rest of the Tigers have had four days to practice and rest since the Labor Day win over the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta, and return today to take on Furman inside Memorial Stadium. Taylor can’t wait to once again play in front of the home crowd.

“It’s been a while for me since I have been able to play a game in Death Valley,” he said. “I’m excited to get back out there and just be back in front of our great fan base, get back out there with my brothers.”

Enduring the length therapy and rehab period, all while watching your teammates (in both sports) play without you is hard for someone as competitive as Taylor, so he reached out to several players who have gone through the process, including former Clemson receiver Amari Rodgers.

“I talked to a bunch of guys who went through the same process, and that’s part of it,” he said. “That’s part of life, and you need to learn from it and move on. It ended up being good in the end.”

Taylor also has another confidant on hand – he played high school football at Dutch Fork with freshman receiver Antonio Williams, who tallied three catches in his Clemson debut. Taylor was the quarterback and Williams was his favorite target.

Now the two are once again teammates, this time playing the same position. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney told the media Monday night that one of the reasons Williams saw action so early is because he’s played the position longer than Taylor and is a polished route runner.

“I actually enjoy it because he teaches me a lot,” Taylor said of having Williams at the same spot. “It’s my first year playing receiver, and I kind of watch him, how he does things and the way he runs routes. Because that’s the way it should be done. The way he moves his body and influences the type of routes. His speed is like no other. He’s got a special tool in his speed. Not many people who play football have what he’s got. He’s going to be really special when he leaves here and the rest of the year.”