A late bloomer at Mountain Ridge, DB Jacobi Taylor ready to make Rattlers impact
Jacobi Taylor says he was about 4 feet 11 when he started high school at Glendale Mountain Ridge.
But it didn't keep him from dreaming big.
He never gave up on football, and by the time he was a senior, he was nearly a foot taller and ready to press into his passion.
He played some in college at Arizona State as a walk on. Now he has a chance to make an impact at defensive back for the Rattlers on Sunday when they play the last-place Bay Area Panthers (1-8) at 3:05 p.m., at Footprint Center.
Taylor, who graduated from Mountain Ridge in 2013, is being thrust into the lineup with the injury to starting cornerback Brandon Ezell in last week's 45-42 loss to the Frisco Fighters.
"I've prepared every week like I'm playing," said Taylor, who is now 5-11, 185. "It's just another week of getting better. The pressure is on. But I don't let it get to me. Coach prepares us not to fold under pressure.
"I prepare every week like it's my time. Here it is."
It's been a long, at times discouraging journey to get to pro football and play in front of family and friends.
During his senior year at Mountain Ridge in 2012, he had 12 tackles in four games. He flew well below the recruiting radar. He played at North Central College, a Division III school, before transferring to ASU. His last year at ASU was 2018.
The only information to find on him in college is that he broke up two passes.
But all that matters now is that he's playing for the home-town team.
He has one game of experience this season playing against the San Diego Strike Force. His secondary teammates Dillion Winfrey and Kyree Woods tell him not to overthink and to study film.
"Trust my instincts and just play ball," Taylor said. "Coach says, 'Next man up.' If we're not playing, we don't have that mindset of taking a play off, taking a day off. You have to be ready. I have to be ready and make sure we don't miss a beat. We take pride in being the best."
Taylor has always had to prove he can play the game, despite his diminutive size. He didn't understand why he was so small when his father was 6-5.
"I was short, small," he said. "I just had to work twice as hard as everyone else. Sometimes, I lacked an opportunity because of my size. I just kept perfecting my technique, and never got down on myself.
"If a door closed, I just kept pushing to open another one."
The Rattlers (7-2) are not panicking as injuries continue to pile up. But coach Kevin Guy demands perfection, no matter who has to pick up for an injured player and fill that role.
Two weeks ago, offensive lineman Lamar Mady suffered an injury and was placed on short term IR. Last week, the Rattlers also lost defensive end Chris McAllister to an injury.
Keeping receivers healthy has also been an issue.
Troy Pelletier has been in and out of the lineup with injuries.
Jarrod Harrington has yet to play this season after suffering a knee injury that required surgery in the Indoor Football League semifinals. Harrington is close to returning but he could be another week away.
J.T. Stokes has been filling in at wide receiver and is coming off back-to-back strong games.
It's a challenge just to make sure quarterback Drew Powell's timing is right with all of the new receivers in the first nine games.
"The good news is that everybody is day to day, so we'll see how they recover," Guy said. "We don't really discuss injuries.
"We'll address it as they come. We've got adversity right now. We're either going to blow up or lay down. We'll find out who we are over the next week or two and see if we can get some guys healthy."
To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: A late bloomer in high school, Jacobi Taylor ready for Rattlers impact
