Clemson loses versatile freshman to season-ending injury
Clemson lost a versatile, young part of its offense in a 19-13 victory over Boston College on Saturday, as freshman wide receiver/quarterback Will Taylor will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury, Clemson Sports reported Monday.
Taylor was injured during the first quarter of Saturday’s 19-13 victory over Boston College. He was one of several players to leave the game against the Eagles and not return.
Taylor ends his freshman season with five carries for 20 rushing yards, along with two receptions for six yards. He was also Clemson’s primary punt returner and had a long return of 51 yards this year.
Taylor, a three-star recruit out of Columbia, South Carolina, came to Clemson as a wide receiver and quarterback combo, and Clemson’s official website says that he’s expected to transition fully to wide receiver in 2022. He’s also a two-sport recruit, having committed to Clemson for both baseball and football. Clemson Sports reported that it seems unlikely Taylor will be healthy and able to play this coming baseball season.
The former Dutch Fork High star turned down millions and an opportunity to be a first-round pick in the MLB Draft to attend Clemson. Taylor is an outfielder with a talented bat on the baseball diamond, able to hit for both power and average, and his standout speed caught the eye of MLB scouts.
“A lot of people told me I was crazy, but for me, it was more than just money,” Taylor said earlier this season of his decision to come to Clemson. “It was the experience. … The college experience was too hard to turn down. I’m really satisfied with my decision.”
A summer enrollee, Taylor had an immediate impact with Clemson upon his arrival. Though most of his athleticism has been utilized in kick-return situations, Taylor also played a snap at quarterback in Clemson’s season-opener against Georgia. He earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his performance against SC State, the game in which he returned a punt for 51 yards.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound freshman ended up being selected by the Texas Rangers in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, a franchise that used the late-round, cost-free pick on Taylor in the event that he had second thoughts about college. In high school, Taylor led his high school, Dutch Fork, to a 2020 5A state title victory, their fifth consecutive state championship. Meanwhile, Taylor played in the Baseball Factory All-Star game in Frisco, Texas, a game that welcomes the top-40 high school players in the nation.