Palmetto 5-star DT Leonard Taylor Puts the Canes in His “Top 2”

Nearly three weeks after local 5 star safety, and former Miami Commit, James Williams surprisingly put Miami in his top 2, Miami Palmetto Senior High School 5-star defensive tackle Leonard Taylor has done the same. The highest ranking teammate of the Palmetto 5 (including CB Jason Marshall, DT Savion Collins, S Corey Coller and WR Brashard Smith), Taylor is the number 2 player in Florida, behind only the aforementioned James Williams.

The 6’4, 255 pound Taylor is a fluid and rare athlete at the defensive tackle position. Taylor shows a strong first step and violent hands along with his long frame to push past offensive linemen with ease. The high motor defender does an excellent job staying active through every play and commonly finds himself around the ball, using his long arms to deflect passes, his athleticism to get to the wide side of the field and his high energy to finish plays. Even at his advanced level of play, Taylor projects to add plenty of good weight once he is in a college lifting program (*cough* Feeley *cough*) and make power and strength a more present part of his game.

Leonard Taylor also displays his athleticism as a duel sport athlete, playing AAU basketball with the Nightrydas Elite in 2019.

The addition of the Canes into Taylor’s top two strikes similar to James Williams as both elite players left Miami out of their previous top schools. Originally, Taylor sported a top 5 of LSU, Georgia, Florida, Auburn, and Tennessee, but now has the Miami Hurricanes and rival Florida Gators in his top 2.

With this coming on the heels of fellow 5 Star, Terrebonne High School defensive tackle Maason Smith’s addition of Miami to his top 8 yesterday, Canes fans should only grow more excited as recruiting continues into the season.