Mountaineers in the Pros
Former WVU TE Kole Taylor Joins Defending UFL Champions
Former Mountaineer Kole Taylor will continue his pursuit of a career in professional football in the UFL, joining the DC Defenders on Friday.
The Defenders added Taylor to the roster about a month and a half before the 2026 season kicks off at the end of March. This will provide Taylor time to train with his new team before games are played as they prepare to defend their 2025 UFL championship.
Kole Taylor came to West Virginia ahead of the 2023 season with the goal to develop into an NFL player. And while he didn’t achieve his lofty personal goals, he did do enough to impress the Bengals, who signed the tight end as an undrafted free agent after the 2024 NFL Draft. After failing to make the Bengals, Taylor briefly signed on with the UFL’s Orlando Storm before being released on Jan. 31.
Taylor transferred to WVU from LSU prior to the 2023 season and put up near-historic tight end production in two seasons with the Mountaineers. In 2023, the 6-foot-7 Taylor caught 35 passes for 444 yards and four touchdowns. As a senior in 2024, he made 43 receptions for 448 yards and three scores.
WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose
In the WVU record books, Taylor’s 43 receptions in 2024 were the second-most ever by a tight end in one season and his 448 yards were the fifth-most. His 444 yards in 2023 are the sixth-most ever by a tight end.
WVU tight end Kole Taylor attempts to hurdle a UNC defender in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. on Dec. 27, 2023. (WVSN photo by Mitchell Northam)
WVSN photo by Kelsie LeRose
In terms of his brief, two-year WVU career, Taylor ranks fourth all-time in receptions by a tight end with 78 catches and sixth all-time with 892 yards.
He was coached at WVU by former tight ends coach Blaine Stewart, who spent several years as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Find more coverage of Kole Taylor at WV Sports Now.
