Land O’ Lakes TE Kent Taylor selects Florida

Posted Oct 27, 2011 by Bart O'Connell

Updated Oct 28, 2011 at 12:51 AM

Land O’ Lakes senior Kent Taylor, one of the top collegiate tight end prospects in the high school class of 2012, has verbally committed to play football at the University of Florida.

In a much-anticipated selection ceremony at the Land O’ Lakes High gymnasium that also featured his invitation to January’s prestigious U.S. Army All-American game, Taylor said the Gators were the best fit for him academically, athletically and socially. Its location was a perk, but not a major factor in the decision.

“I wanted to wait until this day, because it is a special day and a lot of people were going to be here,” Taylor said, with his family, close friends and Coach Brian Wachtel in attendance. “I just really wanted to go to the place that was going to use me the best, and I thought Florida was going to do that the best out of everybody.”

Within minutes of the announcement, every major recruiting website had posted Taylor’s decision, and his picture was on the recruiting home page of scout.com, which ranks him as the No. 1 tight end in the nation and 66th best prospect overall.

Maxpreps.com and Rivals.com also rank him at the top of the tight end class, with Maxpreps putting him at No. 34 and Rivals at No. 55 overall among all 2012 prospects. ESPN.com sees him as the fourth-best tight end and 147th best overall prospect. He is generally considered a four-star prospect out of a possible five, with his biggest assets being his height, speed, quickness and receiving ability.

Most, including Taylor himself, believe he must improve his strength and put on weight to successfully make the transition to the next level. He is currently 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds.

Taylor, who was recruited by Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and tight ends coach Derek Lewis, chose Florida over Florida State, Penn State, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana State. He made one official visit – to Penn State, but verbally committed to Florida prior to the Gators’ Oct. 1 game against Alabama.

Taylor is the first Pasco County high school senior to commit to Florida since Gulf’s Leon Orr two years ago. Orr, a defensive lineman, is currently a redshirt freshman in Gainesville.

The U.S. Army All-American game is comprised of 90 of the top high school players in the country, and will be nationally televised on NBC, including local affiliate NewsChannel 8 at 1 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2012.

To watch video of the announcement, click here

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