Wide receiver Terrell Jana and center Olusegun Oluwatimi are the emerging stars of the offense, those players who were significant factors in 2019 and have the chance to make a greater impact in the upcoming season. How about the defensive side of the ball?

Noah Taylor, Outside Linebacker, Junior

According to Pro Football Focus, outside linebacker Noah Taylor played 673 defensive snaps for Virginia in 2019. That’s 663 more snaps than he received as a true freshman the year before. He made the most of his increased opportunities, enjoying a breakout sophomore campaign for the Hoos.

Taylor finished the 2019 season as Virginia’s team leader in tackles for loss with 13.5, and he was second on the team behind Jordan Mack with 7 sacks. He added four pass breakups and two interceptions. The 6’5”, 220-pound Taylor displayed impressive versatility, earning praise in that regard from Bronco Mendenhall and Kelly Poppinga.

“If the prospect’s not versatile, I don’t recruit ‘em,” said Poppinga, Virginia’s Co-Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers Coach. “They have to be able to show on film the same things that we’re going to do with them in our scheme. Versatility to me is this – you look at Noah Taylor, for example. The guy can cover a guy man to man – that’s not just a tight end but also a receiver. The guy can drop into a half and play what a DB plays. He can rush off the edge. He can be our best pass rusher off the edge. He can set the edge as a 5 technique, which is basically a defensive end. That’s basically three positions right there. He’s being able to play a defensive end, a linebacker, and a safety. That’s the versatility that we’re looking at at that SAM backer position.”

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