Senior offensive guard Rod Taylor (Jackson, Miss./Callaway High) was presented with his honorary game jersey on Tuesday during the American Family Insurance Selection Tour for the 2014 Under Armour All-America High School Game.
The event was part of the three-month selection tour.
Taylor, an Ole Miss commitment, is one of 90 players selected to compete in the seventh-annual UA All-America Game, a nationally-televised competition spotlighting the country’s top high school seniors. The 2014 game is set for 4 p.m. ET on Jan. 2 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., and will be on ESPN.
“First of all, I want to thank God,” Taylor said. “I want to thank my family, thank Callaway, thank my community, and I will represent well in Florida."
Callaway High head coach Daryl Jones says you would never know his star player has received so many accolades because of his humility.
“We are definitely proud of Rod. The most important thing about Rod is humility. He’s very humble. You would never know the rewards he’s received ... he walks around the hall and is just a student at Callaway High School. He never says look at me, I’m this, I’m that. I’ve learned that from him ... his humility, and he continues to work hard.”
For Taylor, playing in the Under Armour All-America Game is going to feel just like college.
“It’s going to be a good thing ... it’s going to be a lot of competition, meeting the players and coaches and learning new stuff. Somebody I look up to is Robert Nkemdiche. I watch him ... he’s a good player to me. It’s going to be like college because you are playing against people [who] can play like you so you have to come with your “A” game.”
The 6-foot-3, 323-pound Taylor is the No. 50 prospect overall and the No. 2 offensive guard in the class. He committed to Ole Miss over offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Mississippi State, LSU, Georgia and many others.
