‘Dirty 30’: Florida walk-on WR Taylor Spierto is the last of a dying breed

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Whether it was going for a steal while guarding Brandon Miller in high school or trying to block a punt in the SEC against a top-10 team, Taylor Spierto has always taken pride in doing difficult jobs. And ever since he could play football with his mother, who would have him catch 50 passes in a row at age 6, Spierto always wanted to be a Gator.

Even if that meant being a walk-on and earning it the hard way, like his father.

“It was a dream to play for Florida,” Spierto said. “My dad played here back in the 80s. And so, growing up, I just always wanted to play here.”

Spierto dad’s, John, played wide receiver and safety for the Gators from 1984-88 and was freshman on Florida’s first SEC title team. Spierto said his father was “a big-time special teams player” and taught him to appreciate the third phase of the game.

He showed a young Taylor video of his tackle on special teams in the 1987 opener at Miami. The announcer affectionately referred to Spierto’s tackle as Florida’s “first hit on television since 1984.” The Gators had been on probation the past two years and banned from bowl games and live TV.

“There’s not a lot of clips from the 80s, but we had this one clip from the opening game against Miami,” Spierto said. “He made a tackle on the 9-yard line on opening kick. And I was like, ‘That is incredible!’

“Growing up, I was like, ‘Look at what my dad can do on special teams.’ And so, I’ve always taken pride in playing special teams, even in high school.”

‘I want that spot’

Spierto played both sides of the ball at Franklin High School in Tennessee, making 63 tackles as a senior along with 54 receptions for 914 yards and 10 touchdowns. He caught the game-winning TD pass with 4 seconds left to reach the state quarterfinals, and the following week he had 246 receiving yards and two scores.

Spierto was just as impressive on the basketball court, earning all-region honors. He was a starting guard on a senior-led squad that won two dozen games in a row and finished the season ranked No. 4 in the state.

“Basketball was another love of mine,” Spierto said. “Me and five other seniors had our senior year together, and we went on a 24-game win streak. We were in top five in the state.”

The Admirals reached the Region 6-AAA championship game, where they would face Cane Ridge and future NBA lottery pick Brandon Miller. Despite being at a seven-inch height disadvantage, Spierto took on the tall task of trying to defend Miller.

“We matched up with Brandon Miller, the No. 2 pick in the draft a couple years ago. I got to get the task of guarding him, which was a lot of fun,” Spierto said. “It was unlike any other as a high school athlete. I mean, I was 6-foot, he was 6’7”.

“But, that’s kind of the stuff I take pride in. Getting the opportunity to put myself in positions that might be hard for other people, people don’t want that. Like, no, I want that spot. I wanted to guard him.”

Spierto even picked his pocket. Trailing 70-69 with under a minute left, he stole the ball from Miller and the turnover led to a pair of free throws to give the Admirals a 71-70 lead, their first of the second half. Miller hit the go-ahead shot on the ensuing possession and Cane Ridge pulled out a 74-71 win to snap Franklin’s 24-game winning streak.

“He tried to cross over around half court, I stuck my hand in between it,” Spierto said of his steal against Miller, who scored 22 points. “We ended up falling short, but we were real close. I got a steal in the final minute. It was a one-point game. That’s a great memory.

“Getting to do that was really cool and I feel like it kind of ties in to some of the stuff that I’ve had in college.”

‘Dirty 30’

Spierto had some Division II programs recruiting him out of high school, but he had his sights set on the University of Florida. He got the opportunity to join the program as a preferred walk-on and hasn’t looked back.

“Getting the chance to walk on here was the goal,” Spierto said. “Once I got the roster spot, I took it and ran with it.”

Under Florida coach Billy Napier and his new staff, Spierto received the nickname “Dirty 30” during his second year on campus. It was given to him by former wide receivers coach Keary Colbert, who now coaches for the Denver Broncos.

“He was the first guy to call me Dirty 30,” Spierto said of Colbert. “And then as soon as it got to Coach Napier and he heard it and he said it in a team meeting, it took off from there. And a lot of guys call me just Dirty or 30. … I can do the dirty work and makes some plays, so ‘Dirty 30’ kind of goes together.

“When I got here, I was matching up against Kaiir Elam and Jason Marshall. … Getting to play against them on a scout team actually made me a lot better, a lot faster. And it was that second year — when KC gave me the nickname — where I kind of felt like, ‘OK, I belong here, and I can make things happen as long as I keep working really hard.'”

Spierto has made the top two plays of his career this season. The first came in the season opener against Long Island when he caught his first-career touchdown pass.

Spierto then blocked a punt for a safety in the SEC home opener against No. 9 Texas, giving the Gators a 19-7 lead. That play — not the score — is his No. 1 highlight.

“That first touchdown is obviously a career goal that I’ve had in my whole life. Doing it in The Swamp is special, but it does not compare to what it was like this Saturday blocking the punt,” Spierto said. “I mean, I worked so hard with Coach [Joe] Houston to get in those positions.

“And so the fact that it happened and in a big game like that, bring us the momentum, it meant so much. No disrespect to LIU. That game was taken care of, so scoring that touchdown was really special personally, but blocking this punt on Saturday was a dream, a dream.”

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It marked Florida’s first punt block since 2023 against Charlotte and the first in SEC play since 2021 at LSU. It was also UF’s first safety since 2023 vs. FSU.

Spierto knew before the play that UF would be able to get the block and made sure to keep his arms together after missing a punt last season at Texas.

“We saw them in the formation that we needed them to be in,” Spierto said. “I had a position like that before last year against Texas, and I wanted to make the block then, and I made the mistake of leaving my arms out. So I corrected the mistake, put them together and made it happen.

“We brought Devin Moore off the edge. He usually is our jammer. … When that shield guy went out to Devin, I was clear. So it was a great scheme by Coach Houston. He was fired up, but he also told me, like, ‘We’re gonna try to go get another one.’ So, like, that’s the kind of guy he is.”

SEC awards Spierto

Spierto was named the SEC special teams player of the week for his blocked punt and safety. Napier awarded him a scholarship in 2023, and Spierto has made the most of his opportunity at Florida.

Saturday marked his 30th career start on special teams. He’s the last of a dying breed in college sports as walk-ons get reduced in the coming years and extra roster spots go to scholarship-caliber players.

“He was a walk-on player. He’s earned his scholarship since he’s been here,” Napier said. “He’s a leader on our team. He’s got a voice, and he makes all the other players around him better on special teams. He’s a good communicator. He’s in the hip pocket of the special teams coordinator, Coach Houston. Marquee moment for his career, and just really a reflection of the type of program that we’d like to have.

“Who’s to say five years from now, there’ll be a guy like that. Probably won’t be right. So maybe one of the last ones we see that actually showed up, got a chance to get into school here, paid his way, living his dream. And great example to a lot of guys on our team. Doesn’t matter where you start your career, you go earn opportunities to be on the field, and then when you do get them, you make the most of them.”

Spierto came to Gainesville hoping to play for the Gators and earn a scholarship. He will leave with that and much more: two degrees from UF, a ‘Dirty 30’ nickname and a special teams highlight that he can show his kids one day.

After Spierto blocked the punt against Texas, his father proudly celebrated in the stands.

“What I heard from people who were sitting by him was he was like, ‘That’s my son!’ My dad’s not always the guy to kind of do that, but to hear that he had that reaction is super special,” Spierto said. “For me personally, this University just means so much to me, and I’ve been growing up a Gator fan. I know what this University stands for. And so I want to represent it the best that I can … giving 100% effort so that I can help us win.

“The walk-on experience is gonna be completely different moving forward and to get the opportunity that I’ve had over these last five years and kind of be a representative of what it can look like to start as a walk-on and earn a scholarship and earn your role on the team, I am so grateful to get to be in this position. I thank God for him giving me this platform and this chance to put on what makes college football so special.”