TAYLOR'S TURNAROUND A&M receiver finds comfort zone in Aggieland By Rusty Burson

When he steps onto the Kyle Field playing surface Saturday afternoon against Notre Dame, Texas A&M sophomore wide receiver Jamaar Taylor realizes he will be instantly identified by his former coaches and Irish teammates.

He’s lost some weight since 1999 when, as a true freshman, he first donned a golden helmet under the glow of the golden dome. But the slight physical changes certainly aren’t enough to make him unrecognizable to them.

Internal changes, however, could leave his old friends asking, "Who is this guy?" In fact, even his mother has noticed such a striking difference in his outlook and perspectives that Taylor almost seems like a new person to her.

A new and improved person.

"He’s always respected me," Rachel Taylor said of her son. "But I think in the classroom, if he could get away with something, he would. But I think Coach (R.C.) Slocum kind of put him in another gear by sitting down and talking to him. He’s a lot more serious now about his priorities, he’s a lot more mature, and he’s just different."

Sophomore Jamaar Taylor

Whereas he used to look for the easy way out, Taylor is now willing to go the extra mile. That positive change has helped to make him one of the most pleasant surprises in the early part of the 2001 season for the Aggies.

Entering last Saturday’s Oklahoma State game, Taylor led all A&M players with 125 receiving yards and had averaged a whopping 17.9 yards per reception. He had also shown a knack for the big play, hauling in a 33-yard pass against Wyoming and a 37-yarder against McNeese State.

"He’s been impressive," A&M quarterback Mark Farris said of Taylor. "And I think what really stands out are the little things he does in addition to just catching the football. He’s very dangerous after he makes the reception, and you should see some of the blocks he has laid on people when he doesn’t have the ball. He may not be a Robert Ferguson, but he’s a pretty good player."

Taylor contends that what A&M fans have seen thus far of him is just the beginning. That’s because he is just beginning to understand what it takes to be a true student-athlete.

When he decided on Notre Dame after a brilliant high school career at Mission High School, it was a mistake, Taylor says. And when he transferred to Texas A&M just prior to the start of the 2000 season, Taylor acknowledges that his attitude was not where it needed to be.

Getting things in order wasn’t an easy endeavor. It didn’t happen overnight, either.

He needed an attitude adjustment. But he has undergone a complete overhaul. It took some stern discussions with Slocum, and took a bleak look into the future to realize that it was time to grow up.

"I came (to A&M) and I sat out last year (because of NCAA transfer rules) and that was pretty tough on me," said the well-spoken Taylor, a first-team All-State performer on the high school level. "My attitude was like, ‘I’m going to have to sit out this year and have to practice for nothing.’ I should have been thinking, ‘I’m going to have the chance to get better on the scout team.’

"But my attitude was not as good as it is now. And plus, I had to sit out (part of last year on the scout team) with grade problems, so the trust the coaches had in me went down pretty far. I talked to Coach Slocum, and he basically told me to shape up or ship out."

Taylor is also known as a devastating blocker in the open field.

Taylor acknowledges that he thought about leaving, especially when the academic troubles carried into the summer and threatened his eligibility for the 2001 season. But he was stricken by the reality of a future without football. And, more importantly, he thought about his future without a college degree.

It was an awakening of sorts. His approach to academics, as well as athletics, has been different ever since.

"I had a decent spring, then fell into some grade problems again and got that taken care of in the summer," said Taylor, a sports management major. "I was fortunate to get that taken care of. But I was thinking about going back to Mission. I told my mom I wasn’t going to play football anymore. Then (school officials) told me, ‘OK, you passed.’ At that point, I was so thankful to be a part of this university and to have another chance.

"You’ve got to learn your lesson after that, and I have. I could see my future being taken away from me. My attitude toward class, toward school, has changed dramatically. I take it very seriously. The rest of my life, from a career standpoint, depends on it."

A&M’s immediate football future may, from a receiver’s standpoint, depend largely on Taylor’s continued development. Ferguson’s early entry into the NFL draft put the preseason focus on A&M’s young receivers. And the situation was clouded even further following the second game of the season when senior Bethel Johnson suffered a bruised spleen against Wyoming.

Johnson underwent surgery to remove his spleen on Sept. 17, possibly ending his football career.

That suddenly leaves Taylor – at least in terms of his age – as one of the handful of "veterans" among the youthful receiving corps. And with the onslaught of injuries to A&M’s tight ends this year, there’s a strong possibility that the Aggies will utilize more multiple-receiver sets throughout the rest of the season.

All of those factors place an increased responsibility on Taylor – a responsibility he now believes he is fully equipped to handle.

"Even if I had been eligible to play last year, I don’t think I was ready to handle this kind of role," Taylor said. "I know I wasn’t ready from an attitude standpoint, and I probably wasn’t ready physically, either. I was weighing about 210 last year, which was too heavy. I weigh 192 now, and I feel a lot better, a lot quicker.

"After losing the weight and changing my focus, it was just a matter of going out ant proving I could do it. I think I am doing that now, and I think my teammates are gaining confidence in me. They know I don’t break down under pressure. I actually like that. Like when we were in the Wyoming game, I was rallying the troops. I was like ‘Lets go, it’s our turn to answer.’ I really like this increased role, and I’m looking forward to getting even better and taking my game to the next level."

A&M coaches always knew Taylor was capable of making a major impact on the collegiate level. That’s why the Aggies made a concerted effort to recruit him coming out of Mission High.

But Taylor, a Catholic, was lured out of the Lone Star State by the mystique of Notre Dame. It didn’t take him long in South Bend, Ind. to realize it was a mistake.

"I kind of went in blindfolded," Taylor said. "I didn’t really have people telling me, ‘Jamaar, you know this school would be the better fit for you, or you should think about staying in Texas.’ I didn’t really talk to any of the (Texas natives) at Notre Dame about that, either. But when I got there, they all felt the same way I did, kind of homesick."

Taylor was redshirted in 1999 and did not play at all after suffering a concussion and knee injury when he was thrown off a bicycle on the Notre Dame campus. That’s a sore subject that Taylor doesn’t even like to discuss.

But in some ways, he says it may have been a blessing.

"It made the whole Notre Dame experience terrible for me," Taylor said. "I was pretty much down that whole year. I was ready to go somewhere else, but my mom wasn’t too excited about that initially. She was into the Notre Dame hype and everything. But now, she is A&M all the way."

Indeed, it took just one trip to Kyle Field for Rachel Taylor to realize her son had made the right decision. She was floored by what she witnessed on Sept. 1 in College Station. And that was just the A&M-McNeese State game.

"I thought Notre Dame had tradition, but Texas A&M took it to another level," said Rachel, who was a track star in her high school days. "I was very impressed. Now, I can’t wait to go back over and over again. And the big thing to me now is that Jamaar is happy.

"He’s always been a good kid and a very competitive athlete. But he’s happy now, and he’s got his attitude right. That’s made a big difference. I expect great things from him the rest of this season and throughout his career at A&M."

Taylor is especially excited about the great things he can accomplish this weekend against Notre Dame. He has no animosity toward Notre Dame, but he knows this will be a special game for him.

"To me, it’s going to be like homecoming almost," Taylor said "That’s going to be a true test on a national level, and everybody is going to see that game. I have a lot of friends, family, people back home who are going to watch that game.

"And the thing about that is, I think it’s going to be one of my more comfortable games. It’s not like I’m going to get jittery against Notre Dame. I’ve practiced with those guys, I’ve played with them, those are friends of mine. It’s not like I get nervous anyway, but that will be an especially comfortable game for me. I can’t wait to play those guys and let them know that I’m back and better than ever."

Regardless how he performs Saturday, it’s already clear that Taylor is certainly more well-rounded and mature than ever before.