Was WVU TE Kole Taylor Just a Victim of Circumstance at LSU?

Kole Taylor is expected to be a difference maker for the WVU offense. He was brought to West Virginia to be a pass catching tight end. While this is the current situation for Taylor, it wasn’t how he was utilized at LSU.

WVU head coach Neal Brown believes in Taylor’s ability to be a receiving option. In fact, he believes in his new tight end so much he started referring to him as being “open by birth” once he saw him out on the practice field. Brown wanted to find a tight end who could offer his offense a dimension it hasn’t had during his time in Morgantown.

However, it’s fair to ask why West Virginia fans should believe in Taylor too. Despite what Brown says and how confident Taylor is in himself, there’s a fair question to ask about a 6-foot-7, 250-pound tight end starving for a chance to be the threat he feels he can be – why wasn’t he able to produce at LSU?

Neal Brown Expects Big Things from TE Kole Taylor, Refers to Him as ‘Open by Birth’

In three years in Baton Rogue, Taylor only recorded 17 receptions for 159 yards. He caught just five balls for 55 yards last year. In order to fully understand why there’s so much belief and hype around a player who hasn’t been productive, WV Sports Now talked with someone who covered him and saw him up close in the SEC.

Was it Just How Taylor Was Used at LSU?

Glen West, who covers LSU for the Geaux247 affiliate site of 247 Sports, thinks Taylor may have been out of place in the SEC. “He definitely was used as more of a blocking tight end at LSU. His hands were never the greatest and he had some tough times with the physicality of the SEC,” said West.

When informed about how Taylor has looked as a Mountaineer and the plan for him at West Virginia, West voiced understanding why people could be enamored with Taylor’s size.

“He was always fighting trying to add weight but the frame has always been there to have success.”

Other than in certain situations, it’s not common for a tight end to be used as a receiver in the SEC. That could be an excuse for why Taylor was never able to find his way as a Tiger. West echoed those sentiments as well. “Yeah, just never a lot of opportunity to feature him in LSU’s offense,” he said.

Was Taylor a victim or circumstance at LSU? We will soon find out. Taylor could very well end up as the Mountaineers best transfer acquisition of the offseason, but he could also prove to be all hype without being able to back it up.

Regardless of what happened at LSU, one thing is for certain, Taylor will definitely be granted opportunities at West Virginia to prove he’s not all talk.

It’s been a long time since a WVU team had a true big time receiving threat from the tight end position. Current XFL head coach Anthony Becht might be the last one, and he was drafted into the NFL in 2000. Will Kole Taylor be the next great tight end to wear the old gold and blue?