Record details
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After I graduated from Denison High School in 2006, I had no hope of fulfilling my dreams of someday playing in the National Football League. I had done my best in high school and had been chosen as captain of our football team and was named District Offensive Player of the year, but no college teams seemed interested.
At 6’ 2” and 254 pounds, they thought I was too small and not strong enough to be a lineman at a Division I college. Statistics don’t measure a person’s heart and determination, but none of that seemed to matter to the recruiters.
When I visited TJC, I loved what I saw and was encouraged by the people I met. Head Coach Danny Palmer could see in me what the others had missed and offered me a scholarship.
At TJC, both my academic and athletic career took off. I played my first season in the fall of 2007, and thanks to TJC’s strength training program, I gained 50 pounds and added a lot more speed and strength to my game. I received Honorable Mention All Conference and still managed to get better grades than I did in high school.
During my sophomore year at TJC, the sky was the limit, and I pushed myself and my teammates to show what we could do. We all wanted to finish our degrees at Tyler and continue playing at the university level. That season will always be on my list of the best times of my life. Even though we missed the playoffs by one game, we all started getting attention from major universities and scholarships started rolling in. Getting to that next level requires athletic ability, but the recruiters were also interested in academic ability and character.
Without TJC, Coach Palmer and his coaching staff, all of this wouldn’t have been possible. They emphasized grades and study habits along with football, and I ended up with a “B” average at TJC. They also helped all of us make good decisions that would make our family and friends proud of how we conducted ourselves on and off the field. The University of California at Los Angeles believed I was the kind of student athlete they wanted and I enrolled in the spring of 2009 on a full scholarship.
Going from TJC to UCLA was a huge transition, but TJC helped put me on the path to success. I loved being an Apache and I’m proud to be a Bruin. Playing in the Rose Bowl in a stadium filled with screaming fans was beyond my wildest dreams. UCLA is an incredible university with a rich history and heritage that probably no one saw in my future, including me. Last spring, I even made the Academic Honor Roll. I just finished my senior football season with the Bruins, earned PAC 10 All Conference Player of the Week with our win over the Texas Longhorns, and at the end of the season, I was named to the PAC 10 All-Conference Team. I will be graduating in June with a bachelor’s degree in history.
Looking back to high school, I had no idea where my life was headed but I know that all this wouldn’t have happened without the encouragement and opportunity I had at TJC. I still stay in contact with Coach Palmer, Coach Mahon, Dr. Drain and my TJC teammates who will be my friends for life.
I still love football and I’m entering this year’s NFL draft with a very good chance of getting drafted. I’m now 6’ 3” and 310 pounds so I have more mass to move but my stats have continued to improve. In the tryouts, I ran the 40 yard dash in 4.9 seconds, did a vertical jump of 28 inches and a standing broad jump of 8’ 6”. I’ve never been more excited about the future and I’ll never forget the past that led me here. The great people at TJC, their belief in me, and the support from my coaches, teachers and teammates will always be part of who I am. Apaches forever
- Biography
- TJC Hero and friend Ryan Taylor has enjoyed much success at UCLA. In 2010, he started all 12 games at center and helped the Bruins rush for at least 200 yards in four games during the season. When he was named PAC 10 Offensive Player of the Week, he was the first lineman honored since 2003. He was also the offensive winner of UCLA’s N.N. Sugarman Award for Best Leadership. In his spare time, Ryan enjoys spending time with family and friends and being outdoors. His brother, Jordan, is also making a name for himself in football, currently playing starting receiver and 2nd string quarterback at Rice University.
