WVU TE Kole Taylor Believes He’s Forcing Mountaineers to Use Him in Offense

MORGANTOWN, W.Va – If nothing else, a sign that the West Virginia offense will look different in 2023 is the addition of Kole Taylor. But Taylor deciding to transfer from LSU to WVU didn’t happen without the Mountaineers needing to sell him on their willingness in changing their ways.

After Taylor put his skills on display in the Gold-Blue Game, including having the highlight play of the day when he completed a one-handed reception over a defender, the Grand Junction, Colorado native expressed he does believe West Virginia will utilize his services as part of the offense. This was something that he also admitted head coach Neal Brown had to promise him would be the case before he signed.

It’s been a long time since a WVU team had a true 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. The tight end has mostly been used as a blocker during Brown’s tenure leading the Mountaineers.

Kole Taylor is Open by Birth

So Taylor wanted to know things would be different with him in Morgantown. And by all accounts, and what was even evident in the Spring game, they will be. Brown even referred to Taylor as “open by birth” when asked about how he would incorporate his tight end weapon into the offense.

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

While Taylor wanted to be sure the effort would be there on the part of the WVU coaching staff to get him the ball, he trusted in his ability to force the issue too. “A lot of people can sell things, but really what it came down to is I knew that I trust in my ability. I knew if I came here I would show that I can make plays and everything. I would kinda force them into making sure I get the ball,” said Taylor candidly and with confidence.

Taylor’s 6-foot-7 and 250-pound body makes the decision to get him the ball an easy one. The jury will always still be out for some until they see Taylor put up numbers, although he will have to keep proving himself worthy of the targets as well. Even with his size and strong hands, Taylor does only have 17 receptions for 159 yards to his credit from his time in Baton Rouge.