Zion Taylor signed with Georgia Tech out of Norcross high school, then waited his turn as the Yellow Jackets kept adding transfer wide receivers from big-time programs. It looked like there would be an opening for Taylor in 2025 when Malik Rutherford entered the portal after last season, but Rutherford decided to stay at Tech. Two more experienced receivers arrived as transfers.
Those players, Eric Rivers and Dean Patterson, didn’t play in Tech’s spring game on Saturday. Rutherford also sat out. That meant more opportunities for Taylor, who responded with seven catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
It’s possible that Taylor’s big day in the controlled scrimmage won’t correlate with what he does in official games. Quarterbacks were off limits, so the pass rush wasn’t all-out. But making plays is making plays and, based on what I saw at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, Taylor is ready to do it for the Jackets when the games count.
Sticking around on The Flats could end up paying off for Taylor.
“When you want to see a player that’s going against the norm in college football right now, that’s Zion Taylor,” Tech coach Brent Key said. “He’s the poster child of development in a program and understanding (if) you stay in a program and believe in the things taking place, you are going to get better. If you pick your ball up and go somewhere else and run, well, you are stating over again.
“You’re seeing the fruits of his labor now really starting to show up. I’ve been super pleased with him.”
Taylor’s day got odd to a bad start. Early in the scrimmage, Taylor ran free down the left sideline and Aaron Philo delivered a beautiful ball to him about 42 yards downfield. Taylor dropped what would have been a touchdown.
Said Taylor: “I know I should have had the catch. That’s uncharacteristic. My coaches told me I just got to go in there and make another play. On to the next play. So, that’s what I did.”
Taylor’s first touchdown came on a halfback pass from Jamal Haynes. The pass wasn’t pretty, but Taylor made a nice adjustment to snag it in the front of the end zone.
Said Haynes: “Luckily, I had a great receiver to track down the ball because that was a little duck.”
Taylor showed off his big-play ability on two long catches late in the scrimmage. He caught a pass from Graham Knowles over his shoulder against tight coverage for a 34-yard touchdown. On the next series, Taylor adjusted to an underthrown ball from Aaron Philo and snatched it away from the defender for a 58-yard gain.
What started as a bad day for Taylor ended up being great.
“You have a drop like that, you can go in the tank pretty easy,” Key said. “Just showing the maturity he’s had in the program, what he’s done.”
Taylor didn’t get many chances last season. He played in five games and caught three passes for 29 yards. Last year’s leader in receiving yards, Eric Singleton, decided to transfer to Auburn. But Rutherford’s return, plus the additions of Rivers and Patterson, meant Taylor would have to work his way up the depth chart.
Taylor made his case for more playing time by capping a strong spring with the standout performance at the White and Gold game.
“It’s really about just staying patient, trusting the process,” Taylor said. “And now I’ve got the opportunity to go show my abilities and what I can do and I’ve just got to make the most of it every time I get the chance.”
The Jackets need their young wide receivers to contribute this season. There’s not much returning production beyond Rutherford (62 catches for 702 yards and three touchdowns in 2024) is back. The Jackets are counting on progression from sophomores Taylor, Bailey Stockton (six catches for 107 yards on Saturday) and Isiah Canion (out). Rivers was a standout at Florida International last season, but now he’ll face Power 4 competition.
The Jackets are seeking more big passing plays this season. They had 18 for 30 yards or more last season, tied for 62nd-most among FBS teams. Expect to see them take more downfield shots in 2025. They’ve got the quarterback to do it, Haynes King. Key has done good work developing his offensive line, including singing some good recruits in this year’s class to improve the depth.
The final piece of the big-play puzzle is to develop a wide receiver group that can get open and make the catches.
“We all can take it deep,” Thomas said. “It’s great having receivers that can beat man coverage. We love seeing man coverage. Every time, we know we are going to get the ball.”
That’s what Thomas did during the spring game. He’ll likely get plenty of chances to do it in real games. If so, it will be his reward for waiting his turn.
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