Clemson QB Will Taylor picked in MLB Draft
CLEMSON — Clemson quarterback Will Taylor ended up being drafted after all.
The three-sport high school phenom from Dutch Fork High was picked by the Rangers in the 19th round of the MLB Draft, No. 544 overall.
Taylor’s selection is likely just a courtesy pick by the Rangers. ClemsonSports.com was told by sources on Monday that Taylor was planning to stay at Clemson and play football and baseball for the Tigers.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound athlete led Dutch Fork to the 2020 5A state title in football while playing quarterback. On the gridiron, Taylor threw for 2,237 yards and collected 32 total touchdowns. On the diamond, Taylor was an elite hitter while being a superstar outfielder listed as one of the top high school prospects in the country. The versatile player was also a three-time state champion wrestler.
The superb athlete is on campus participating in offseason workouts with Clemson now as training camp quickly approaches.
The South Carolina Gatorade Player of the year hit .450 this past season while blasting seven home runs, collecting 33 RBIs and chipping in 21 stolen bases. A speedster on the diamond, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel had the dual-sport start listed as a top-10 prospect in this year’s crop.
Will Taylor was drafted by the Rangers. (Will Taylor/Twitter)
“Taylor is an elite multisport athlete,” writes McDaniel. “He’s a state champ as a quarterback and wrestler, and committed to Clemson to play QB, slot receiver and center field. A 70 runner with 55 raw power and a strong track record of hitting is a pretty ridiculous resume.”
While Taylor is expected to stay at Clemson, the same can’t be said for fellow quarterback Bubba Chandler. The Georgia native was drafted in the third round by the Pirates on Monday and is expected to sign and begin his professional baseball career. Tigers coach Monte Lee spoke about the decision both players faced heading into the draft.
“What’s the right move for them is going to be a family decision. What we try to do is we try to share with them the benefits of the Clemson experience,” Lee said. “I mean I don’t know if you can have a better experience than going to school at a school like Clemson, playing in the best football program in the country with Clemson football. And getting a chance to do both is a very unique situation.”