West Virginia nickel Nick Taylor got his first career interception in the Utah game, part of what could be a breakout performance for a player that could be headed for more playing time in the secondary
uh you had very productive this past Saturday. So what led you to that sort of building to that? How how did it work? Um yeah, I’ve been kind of building um you know, we had good practice that week and um you know coming in new just learning the new playbook. Um I felt very good about it that week and that’s how I was able to perform. Was it difficult in terms of learning the scheme? Was the scheme a lot different than what you’ve been used to before? Where were you in that turn? Uh, yeah. You know, I was a corner when I first came here. And so, um, moving to safety, it was a a little different. You know what I’m saying? Um, yeah. So, are you fully transitioning to safety now? Is that the plan or are you kind of going back and forth depending on where they need you? I’m going uh back and forth depending on what where they need me. You know, sometimes I play corner, sometimes I play nickel, sometimes I play safety. Did you play safety before or is this the first time? I played safety in high school, but um yeah, this first time in college, hardest part of that move? I mean, when you’re going back and forth, is it just the mental part, the physical part? What’s hard in that regard? I would say the mental and physical part. Um, you know, safety, you got to know what everybody is doing on the field. Um, you also got to fit more in gaps. Come come come up and hit more than, um, a corner. And yeah, how would you personally evaluate your play? Um, I feel like I did all right. I had I had like two miss tackles. I I can I can clean that up. Um, you know, it’s it’s always something to clean up. Even if you did good that game, it’s always something to clean up. Moving to a new program, how difficult was that transitioning? Just, you know, personally, not just scheme, but just moving to new town, all those type of things. Um, it wasn’t really hard. Morgantown, uh, they showed a lot of love when I came in. um you know, showed me where all the good food spots were, all the um you know what I’m saying, good places to live, like it was it was it was an easy transition. Anything about you or about the team playing these last two games in Big 12 uh against Kansas and Utah? What what have you taken away from those two games? Um I just feel like we got to uh play better as a team, you know. Um, yeah, we just got to play better as a team. So, you come you came out and I believe you had more snaps on Saturday than you had all season or uh close to it. Uh, how did it feel to be able to get out there and have, you know, eight tackles, an interception, PFF grade of 80.4 I think it was. How does it feel to be able to go out and have those amount of snaps and and turn out with you showing what you can do like that so efficiently? It felt it felt amazing. It was kind of like a childhood dream um coming true. Um everybody wants to play on the big stage if they um want to play football and get as many snaps as they can to prove theirself. And I felt like that game I was able to prove myself um and the player I am. Yeah. What what’s the mood around the defense right now? And do you have any experience in your whole football life of kind of backs against the wall, defense needing to prove itself, need to turn around a year, overcoming adversity, kind of the situation your group’s in right now? Mhm. Yeah. I mean, I came from Appalachia State and um it was kind of the same thing, but I feel like we’re um a lot better. We know what we’re doing. We just got to execute what we’re doing, you know, and yeah, practices, the meetings this week, you are you confident that that’s that’s happening? Feel what it’s like around a team. Players, I’m sure, can feel if the vibe’s good or bad. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, this week, you know, we I feel like it’s a lot more people coming in to know that we know what we’re doing this week and um how to execute what we’re doing this week. Yeah. I kind of I kind I kind of think like uh cornerback is a gazelle maybe and a safety is like a lion. I mean when when you do you have to be two different people when you’re in the different positions or you how do you see yourself? Uh I don’t I don’t feel like I have to be two different people because even in corner you have to come down get off blocks be physical. It’s just I feel like safety you have is it’s a lot more hidden, a lot more coming down and hitting. But um I feel like I’m the same person whether I’m at corner or I’m at safety, whether I’m at nickel. It’s the same person. Is one of those two positions more mental than the other? It definitely is. Uh safety I feel like is more mental than than other. You have to read. You got you got to read more. You got to um know what everybody else is doing on the field. You might got to check uh different formations and coverages based off what they come in. It’s just you just got to know what you got to know everything what everybody’s doing. Yes, sir. Your decision to trans you just want to follow West. What what what led into moving from Appalachia State to here? Um, I know I I wanted to be on a bigger level and um, you know, when I hit enter enter the transfer porter, West Virginia gave me the opportunity to be on a bigger level and when I came here, they showed me how I can fit in this program, fitness scheme and stuff like that. Kind of remind you of Boone a little bit. It kind of do. It kind of do. It’s just it’s it’s like it’s like three times bigger, you know, but it it’s a lot of the same qualities. Great mentioned coach West. What is it meant to have a coach that you’re familiar with? And I know you wanted to be on a bigger level, but what was his influence to get you here as well? Um I know at App State, Coach was like a mentor. Of course, he was my coach. He was a mentor. So when I hit the portal, um he like that was a big big step of me coming here, you know what I’m saying? um just that mentor he gave to me. I know when I come here I’ll be good. He’ll he’ll he’ll look out and all that. What was your relationship like Sean Clark? Sean Clark that that was my dog. That he was the first person to um you know what I’m saying? Put me and believe in me um in um a college football game. You know what I’m saying? That was that was my dog. You know what was your reaction when he passed away? That was it was very sad. you know, um we spent a lot of good quality times, a lot of good wins. Um we spent a lot of time in the locker room, you know, just um it it was very tragic on how he went and um yeah, you prepared for the environment you’re going to go into at BYU. You thought about that a little bit? Yeah, it I know BYU stadium it gets crazy and um I feel like every game you got to prepare especially on the away game um of how you going to uh maintain your mental when you go when you’re going into a different stadium. But um yeah, can you take us through the interception cuz seemed like there were some guys that were open and so were you found you there? The interception. So we was playing um at half. So, um, I slick had two guys, you know what I’m saying? But, uh, the interception was like a childhood dream. Like, that was my first in college interception. Um, emotions were high. Uh, I couldn’t, it wasn’t a better feeling in the world at that time. What is it? This kind of goes back to your mental versus physical question, but you’re you’re playing like a zone there and sometimes you’re screaming downhill to make a tackle, which is just go right away. Um, I guess that’s the fun part of the position, too. But how how difficult or how how fun is it to shift between different gears like that? Um, it’s very fun. You know, Coach Ally puts in good game plans where we have to read certain dudes to come to so we know what we’re doing. Um, if we are playing if we are playing like two responsibilities, Coach Alli puts in a great game plan so we know how to um, react and stuff like that. Thank you very much. Yes, sir. Thank y’all. Thank you.
