Florida Gators Make Top Five for Elite 2021 DL Leonard Taylor
The Florida Gators find themselves in the fourth top-schools list for Miami Palmetto (Fla.) prospects over the last month, securing a spot in elite 2021 defensive tackle Leonard Taylor's top five schools.
Taylor is one of Florida's most prized targets of the 2021 recruiting class, as defensive line coach David Turner looks to continue stockpiling the trenches. Taylor is a consensus five-star prospect, considered the No. 3 defensive tackle and No. 27 overall 2021 prospect by the 247Sports Composite.
Florida joins Auburn, Miami, Louisiana State, and Tennessee is Taylor's five schools of choice. Taylor most recently visited Florida for junior day in March, and he has visited Gainesville frequently in the past.
The 6-4, 255 lb. defensive tackle is a wrecking ball on Palmetto's defensive front. Taylor posted 11 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, and 68 tackles in 2019, alongside Miami commit and Gators nose tackle target Savion Collins. In our 2021 defensive line target board for the Gators, Taylor comes in as the number one prospect.
A three-technique tackle with a great motor, Taylor wins with great length that he effectively uses to swipe away blocks and swim-move over the heads of offensive linemen, while carrying solid pad level that has led to the use of an effective dip-and-rip move. Provided the length he carries, Taylor should be expected to see tremendous physical growth in a college weight room, without it hurting his explosion.
Taylor follows defensive backs Jason Marshall Jr. and Corey Collier Jr., as well as wide receiver Brashard Smith, as Palmetto prospects to place Florida in their top five schools, since Marshall dropped his top three on April 27th. Smith, a former UF commit, released his top five schools on Thursday, while Collier posted his top six the day before.