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Taylor: 'I can't wait to get down there'

Pitt picked up a big commitment on Friday night, both figuratively and literally. Branson Taylor is a 6’7” and 280-pound offensive tackle out of Elyria Catholic. He is a massive prospect with tons of upside, but he also plays a position of need. Pitt being able to land him over rival West Virginia certainly didn’t hurt either.

Taylor kept things close to the vest in recent weeks. He narrowed it down to the Panthers and Mountaineers earlier this month, but it was tough to get a read on which way he was leaning in the days leading up to his commitment. He opted to make his decision in front of his team and the Elyria Catholic community following their Friday night scrimmage. Taylor talked to Panther-Lair.com about that moment.

“That feeling was so unreal,” Taylor said of his commitment. “It’s just crazy how much support and love I have, just the EC community is very loving and caring with me and my family. It was an unreal moment to share with my teammates and community.”

Taylor picked up an offer from Pitt in February of this year. He also added a lot of offers in the recruiting process. Schools like Michigan State, Tennessee, Missouri, Minnesota, and Purdue were among the schools on his offer sheet. Initially, Taylor wasn’t thinking about Pitt, but the Panthers remained a constant in his recruitment.

“It’s so crazy because when this process first started I really didn’t think I was going to go to Pitt,” Taylor told Panther-Lair.com. “When they offered me they were never really in my mind, then I went to that spring game and I was still on the fence. I was like, ‘I kind of like it’, but after just thinking about it and the recruiting process dying down, they stood out to me. They were always just the ones to call me and texting me just to see how I’m doing to see how my family was doing, so they just showed genuine love and care. I could see myself there for the next four or five years.”

In the end it ultimately came down to Pitt and West Virginia. While outsiders kept guessing, Taylor said he knew he had a feeling about Pitt for some time.

“To be truthful, it was last week,” he said. “It was neck and neck for a while then I would have the one and two, then I would keep going back and forth, but last week they called me and they put me on FaceTime and it was just crazy the love they showed, so I had to go with them.”

Pitt offensive line coach Dave Borbely took a direct interest in his recruitment and on Friday afternoon, Taylor called him and let the Panthers’ coach know his intentions.

"I think he was screaming for about five minutes, the whole coaching staff was,” Taylor recounted. “Then he put me on the phone with Coach Narduzzi and we just talked for a little bit and he just said congratulations, can’t wait to get you down here again and stuff like that. I can’t wait to get down there.”

It was not only the Pitt coaches that had a hand in Pitt’s recruitment. The 2020 recruiting class all took visits around mid-June and developed a bond right away. One of the leaders of Pitt’s recruiting class is Pittsburgh native Dayon Hayes. Taylor credited Hayes with helping in the recruiting process.

“Dayon Hayes, he was one of the first ones to text me after I put out my final two and he just reached out to me and said, ‘We’d love to have you here,’ ” Taylor said. “He just kept communicating with me and he put me in the group chat with all the Pitt commits so they wanted me, so I was glad because I feel like in the next four or five years we’re going to do some big things at Pitt.”

Taylor’s senior season is set to begin next week. Now that he is committed he can just focus on football and not worry about recruiting. Though that weight has been lifted, Taylor claims he will not become complacent.

“Just keep pushing; I’m not going to stop because I’m committed,” he said. “I’m going to try to get better each and every day and try to go into Pitt with a great mindset.”

Taylor said he may not make the team’s opener against Virginia, but plans to be there week two against Ohio. He’s excited to get down to Pitt again so he can start working.

“Obviously to play right away,” Taylor said of his goals when he gets to Pitt. “But if I don’t get that opportunity I’ll just make the best of it and keep working.

“I’m just trying to get there and have some fun.”

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