Moments after the dramatic conclusion of the Spring Game, potential five-star 2018 jumbo athlete Leonard Taylor committed to Michigan, becoming the second touted rising junior from Springfield (OH) High School to join the class. Instead of working from behind for 2016 and 2017 prospects, Jim Harbaugh and Co. have made a concerted effort to hit the 2018 class in Ohio hard, and it's paid off with early commitments from Taylor and his four-star linebacker teammate, Antwuan Johnson.
One can never be too careful this time of year; so TomVH asked Taylor about the legitimacy of the commitment:
Also, just in case, I asked Leonard Taylor if the commitment was an April Fool's joke (I have to) and he replied with "hell no."
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) April 2, 2016
That is the correct answer.
GURU RATINGS
| Scout | Rivals | ESPN | 247 | 247 Comp |
| 4* DE | NR TE | NR TE-Y |
4*, 95, #3 DT, #22 Ovr |
5*, #3 DT, #22 Ovr |
It's still early on in the process for 2018 recruits. Only 247 has complete rankings and they're being (understandably) stingy about handing out a fifth star—Taylor is ranked in what would easily be five-star range by Signing Day, to the point that he's given that extra star in the composite rankings even though they're just a replication of 247's rankings right now. Scout hasn't released full rankings yet but they still felt compelled to list Taylor as an early four-star recruit.
Taylor is a big athlete who could land at a number of positions; he's listed as a tight end, strongside DE, or defensive tackle depending on where you look. At either 6'5" or 6'6" and 240-250 pounds, he has a huge frame capable of holding a lot more weight. How he develops physically over the next couple years will go a long way towards determining his future position.
[Hit THE JUMP for scouting, video, and more.]
SCOUTING
Taylor has garnered Power 5 attention since the outset of his high school career. He pulled in his first offer, from Kentucky, the spring after his freshman season. He's since filled out his offer sheet with the Midwest heavy hitters and another SEC offer in Tennessee.
Despite Taylor's high profile for a prospect still in his sophomore year of high school, there isn't much scouting available on him. What's out there, however, is quite enticing. Scout's Ohio guru, Bill Greene, weighed in after his commitment with an extremely positive evaluation:
WHAT IS THERE TO LIKE? First off, Leonard Taylor passes the eye test with ease and he looks like an NFL player more than a high school sophomore right now. He is a good athlete for his size and has the ability to play either side of the football for Michigan. While he could play tight end, I think his future lies on the defensive side of the football. He has the frame that can add a lot of weight, so while defensive end would seem to be his future position, I could see him playing defensive tackle at 295-pounds as well. He's just a big, fast athlete, and a player you take now and figure out position later. He has length and the ability to come off the ball with his quick feet. This is the type of athlete Alabama recruits, and puts in the NFL four years later.
Greene added he was "tempted to answer zero" when asked for concerns about Taylor; he ended up mentioning the usual need for a young lineman to improve his technique—including, yes, pad level. Greene compares Taylor to Chris Wormley, who was similarly enormous as a high schooler at Toledo Whitmer.
Magnus went into further detail on the technical improvements Taylor needs to make over at Touch The Banner:
As you might assume, his technique isn’t up to par yet. On defense, he frequently stands up too high on the snap, and he lets offensive linemen get into his chest. He needs to use his hands better, work on placement, and work on getting extension. It takes him too long to disengage from linemen, even when he knows where to go. As a tight end on offense, he needs to work on his release from the line of scrimmage, as well as his route running. His blocking could undergo some tweaks, too, and he needs to learn to finish plays.
A lot of the negatives I see in Taylor can be chalked up to age and inexperience. It’s somewhat rare to come across tenth graders who have advanced technique (although I do like that of Aidan Hutchinson), so size and athleticism are key when looking at sophomores. It’s hard to project Taylor at the next level because his body could outgrow tight end or even defensive end. He has a big backside, and I think he could very well grow into a defensive tackle in college.
He adds that Taylor is "the type of player you go after, regardless of technique, and worry about teaching him the fundamentals down the road."
Taylor's high school coach, Maurice Douglass, compares his young star to a player who's a good bet to go in the top five of the upcoming NFL draft:
“A kid with great upside on either side of the ball,” Douglass said. “He reminds me of DeForest Buckner from Oregon at DE. He was a QB coming into his freshman season and last year was his first time playing defense.”
Yes, Taylor takes the occasional snap as a red zone quarterback in the Belldozer mold, and those snaps are quite entertaining.
Taylor is an impressive athlete who should grow into an NFL-sized player by the time he reaches college. With that type of upside, Michigan is happy to take him now and figure out a position down the road.
OFFERS
(Sips tea)
This is a fun timeline regarding @Lenny_T_20's recruitment: pic.twitter.com/QoAq7uIprm
— Alejandro Zúñiga (@ByAZuniga) April 2, 2016
The entry immediately preceding that was his Ohio State offer.
In addition to Notre Dame and Ohio State, Taylor holds offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, and Tennessee. It's safe to expect him to add several more high-profile offers to that list before his recruitment is complete.
HIGH SCHOOL
Springfield High School is of note for a few reasons. First, it's within an hour of Columbus. Second, the football program has produced its fair share of talent, headlined by former Alabama linebacker Trey DePriest. Third, they're coached by Maurice Douglass, who took the Springfield job after a long tenure at Trotwood-Madison in which he sent several players to Michigan.
STATS
None available that I could find.
FAKE 40 TIME
None listed.
VIDEO
Sophomore highlights:
Taylor's basketball highlights help give you an idea of how athletic and coordinated he is for a big, big dude—he even has a pretty three-point shot:
Freshman highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
With scouts projecting Taylor at three different spots, it's tough to pin down where he'll end up. Strongside end could be the position where he has the biggest impact; he could outgrow that spot and end up as a disruptive defensive tackle; he could be an enormous tight end in the Wheatley/Asiasi mold. With Jim Harbaugh coaching him, you can't rule out Taylor playing all of those positions before his college career is over.
The prediction is that he'll be quite good no matter where he ends up. Taylor's combination of size and athleticism is really tough to find.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
With so much time left before Signing Day 2018, Michigan will have to battle to keep Taylor (and Johnson) committed to the class—Ohio State isn't going to give up without a fight for two highly touted prospects in their own backyard, especially when their chief rival is the program snatching them up. That doesn't at all mean Michigan won't end up with both Springfield prospects in the class; they just have to stay on them like they would a couple of blue-chip uncommitted recruits.
The other big takeaway, as Steve has mentioned a couple times on the podcast, is that Harbaugh is really prioritizing the 2018 class in Ohio. Taylor and Johnson were just a part of a larger Ohio '18 contingent on campus last weekend that also included the two other early five-star candidates, APB Jaelen Gill and OT Jackson Carman. Both the recruiting and on-field battles between Michigan and Ohio State should get a whole lot more interesting quite soon.