COLUMBIA, S.C. —Dabo Swinney’s contact with Will Taylor isn’t limited to when the sophomore receiver comes over to the football facilities for a bite to eat.
And while Clemson’s coach joked about the nature of his relationship with the two-sport athlete out of Irmo’s Dutch Fork High School, he was serious when he talked about the progress that Taylor has made.
“I see him actually a good bit,” Swinney said during Wednesday’s Prowl and Growl tour in the Midlands. “I text with him quite often as well. I’m really just supporting him in his baseball role right now. He’ll be ready to roll once baseball’s over. I can’t wait to get him back out there.”
A receiver and punt returner for the football team, Taylor has spent the better part of seven months rehabbing his knee following reconstructive surgery. He sustained the injury during the football team’s win over Boston College on Oct. 2 — just five games into his collegiate career.
“It’s a shame he got hurt when he did because we were just really starting to transition him,” Swinney continued. “But, he’s in a good spot. He mentally continued on through the season and built a good foundation from a receiver standpoint. We spent a lot of one-on-one time together, actually, during the bowl prep. He and I were just doing some drill stuff, some technique stuff and really trying to teach him as we transition into receiver. He’s got a good foundation of our offense and got a good foundation for us.”
Swinney got the chance this past Sunday to watch Taylor take the diamond for the first time this season. Taylor went 5-for-12 at the plate this past weekend as Clemson swept Georgia Tech in a three-game set.
“It’s fun to see him back out there and awesome to see him make a contribution right away,” he said.
Taylor added two more hits in Clemson’s 7-5 loss to College of Charleston Tuesday.
There’s something about Taylor, who earned the nickname “Maverick” from former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, that both the football and baseball team(s) marvel at.
“I think baseball sees exactly what we see in football, that’s why you saw us put him out there right out of the gate,” Swinney said. “I don’t know when the last time I started a true freshman as a punt returner on the road in a game like that. That may be the first, but that’s how confident we were in him. He’s a unique competitor and really, really talented.”
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