TE/FB Shield Taylor commits to Stanford!

The Class of 2021 is slowly taking shape for the Stanford Cardinal, and top target Shield Taylor has made it official. Committing to Stanford over the weekend, Taylor is the state of Louisiana’s top tight end prospect but will reportedly play fullback in David Shaw’s offense.

After announcing his decision on Twitter, fellow Stanford commit Ari Patu, his future quarterback teammate, welcomed him officially to the Cardinal.

Taylor plays a variety of positions for Alexandria Senior High School in Alexandria, Louisiana, and is his state’s 15th-best player overall, while ranking as the top tight end.

Recruiting service 247Sports ranks him as the 25th-best tight end in the country and he’s a consensus three-star prospect with over 20 scholarship offers. He chose Stanford due to the pro-style offense as well as academics as he currently boasts a 4.3 GPA.

“I decided to commit to Stanford after I was accepted,” Taylor said in a message to Cardinal Sports Report. “They have everything I could possibly ask for and more. Their coaching staff speaks of such a bright future for me and that’s exactly what I want for my family and for myself. I want to be the best and Stanford is the place that will help me get there.”

Though he wasn’t able to visit in person due to COVID-19, Taylor also remarked that the virtual visits and the direction of his recruiting by the Stanford staff are what settled the deal as well.

“There was a lot of things that were directed to my mom which I greatly appreciated,” Taylor said after the visit. “It was mainly the programs of how they would help me and the environment I would be in, such as injury prevention programs. I think it made her more comfortable with me going far away.”

“It is the exact place I’ve always dreamed of playing for as a kid and the virtual visits helped instill that for me once again.”

He becomes the second offensive player committed for the class of 2021 and he was recruited heavily by Ron Gould to play a ‘utility player’ role, spending time at tight end, H-back and fullback.

He’s mainly been a factor in his high school’s offense as a lead blocker out of the backfield, but potential with his route-running and receiving skills demonstrated on specialized film sent to Stanford, is apparently what sold the Cardinal staff on him as well.

“One thing I really liked about Stanford is … they saw my potential in the film and they immediately saw ways they could use me. That made me feel good. It made me feel welcomed. They didn’t ask for any more film of me running around catching the ball. That was really comforting.”

Welcome to The Farm, Shield!

Go Card!