Don’t Tell WVU TE Kole Taylor He’s Just a Passing Catching Tight End

Before agreeing to transfer to WVU, Kole Taylor asked Neal Brown to promise him that he would be involved in the passing game. But now that the season is underway and Brown has incorporated his big-body tight end in his offensive game plan, Taylor wants to make sure everyone realizes he’s much more than just a receiving threat.

“I never like being called just a pass catching tight end or just a run blocking tight end. You have to be versatile if you want to play at the next level,” Taylor responded when asked about if he’s satisfied with how he was used in terms of being targeted against Penn State. The 6-foot-7, 250-pound Taylor did make a couple receptions for 31 yards in State College.

WVU TE Kole Taylor says he feels he had good effort against Penn State. He says he was used like Neal Brown said he would be and it’s on him to produce when his number is called.

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) September 4, 2023

With so much commentary on how Taylor will make West Virginia look to the tight end position as someone the quarterback can throw to on a regular basis for the first time in awhile, that may not have been what many were expecting to hear from Taylor. But saying he wants to be recognized as the total package doesn’t mean he’s shying away from getting his hands on the football.

“If I get open, they are going to throw me the ball. If I get open, they are going to find plays for me. So I have to do my job to make it happen,” he said about his mentality during games. As he’s stated since arriving in Morgantown from LSU, Taylor trusts Brown to use him. I mean, Brown did say he believes Taylor is “open by birth” after only a couple practices with his new tight end.

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Everything may depend on how each game goes too. A game like Saturday with the Mountaineers trailing all night against a top-ten ranked team and an elite defense is tough to involve the tight end. Taylor will likely be used more in long drives to move the chains and hope his size is tough to bring down for defenders. He could be a big time weapon when West Virginia is leading and the offense wants to mix in some passes with a series of runs.

No matter how often he gets the ball, Taylor knows there are always ways he can have an impact on the outcome. That’s why Taylor says he’s planning to continue working on his blocking, especially since the WVU offense is so run focused. He also knows he needs to show he can do it all to get where he wants to be – the National Football League. In fact, feeling he can be more of a focal point overall is why he transferred to West Virginia in the first place.

“Coach Brown has been on me about my pad level a lot. I’ve never had a coach on me like that. Some days I get frustrated with that, but honestly I need that. That’s something I have to work on,” said Taylor.

All in all, Kole Taylor could become a valuable asset for the Mountaineers in more ways than one.