When Damien Taylor first came to Troy in 2021, he was at the bottom of the depth chart in one of the most loaded running back rooms in program history. Now, Taylor has cemented himself as one of the key pieces of the Trojans’ offense and is 25th in the nation with an explosive 6.62 yards per carry.
The Northport, Alabama, native’s journey has not been easy. Taylor had to sit behind star running backs like Kimani Vidal, who was drafted in this year’s NFL draft, B.J. Smith, who was a former All-Sun Belt First Team selection and DK Billingsley, a power back that had over 1800 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on only 368 carries.
“You have got to trust the process,” Taylor said. “I’ve been telling the younger guys this, too; everybody has to go through a process, and everyone’s journey is different.
“When I first came in, I was trying to rush everything, and my mom told me to slow down and trust God’s timing.”
This year Taylor has taken a massive leap. Troy lost a huge piece when Vidal, the Trojans’ all-time leading rusher, entered the NFL Draft a year early, but Taylor filled the gap right away.
In the season opener against Nevada, Taylor finished with 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries. Three weeks later, Taylor recorded his second career 100-yard rushing game with 109 yards on 15 touches. When asked about his recent success, Taylor gave all the credit to his teammates.
“The offensive line and the other 10 guys on the field have been doing a great job, and they’ve been making my job way easier,” Taylor said.
Before starting his journey at the collegiate level, Taylor was a star running back at Tuscaloosa County High School and his running backs coach, Deandre Little, had a huge impact on Taylor’s development. Coach D passed in 2019, Taylor’s junior year at TCHS.
“Coach D really opened my eyes my sophomore year of high school,” Taylor said. “He was the one who made me realize that I could go to Division I for football and potentially the NFL.
“We were talking one day at practice, and he told me that he can see more in me than I see in myself and that if I could see what he sees in me, then I could achieve some great things.
When he told me that, it wasn’t just high school ball for me. I was focused on making it to college. Every time I point to the sky, I am shouting out my grandfather, and I am shouting out Coach D. That’s my way of repaying them for putting all their work into me.”
Taylor’s hard work has been paying off. In only his junior year of college, Taylor has rushed for over 640 yards in just 115 carries and has six total career touchdowns.
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