Pitt Freshmen Who Can Make Instant Impact: LB Emmanuel Taylor

We recently kicked off a five-part series highlighting early-entry freshmen who could contribute early for the Pitt Panthers.

In the first edition, we put a spotlight on an offensive newcomer, tight end Max Hunt. Next, a defensive rookie is featured in Part 2.

Check Out Part 1 Here.

Linebacker Emmanuel Taylor

The numbers speak for themselves - 280 total tackles, 63 tackles for loss, and 14 sacks. That’s what Emmanuel Taylor compiled over his junior and senior seasons at Green Run High School in Virginia Beach. Through his final campaign, ‘Manny’ Taylor logged a stunning 150 total tackles in 2024.

It was an incredible level of production that led to a Virginia 5A Defensive Player of the Year nod and a First Team All-State selection following the last season.

An interesting element here is a receiver background, the incoming linebacker playing on the perimeter of the Green Run offense early in his varsity career before transitioning to the defense.

According to Pitt linebackers coach Ryan Manalac during the Signing Day press conference in December, that background adds important skills to the equation.

“As linebacker coach, I love to see versatility of skills,” Manalac said. “It translates into ball skills on defense, specifically…(and) there's a lot of transferable skills, change of direction...and being able to run and get away from people.

“Coach Narduzzi taught me a long time ago we want our linebackers to be just like the running back. Find the holes and go make tackles in the same space that guy's trying to make the play. And so, we love those guys that have that offensive skill set.”

While Taylor’s transition to linebacker is still relatively new, mid-year enrollment will play a key role in his development.

“It's a huge learning curve…We pride ourselves on development. And when those guys get here in January, they have such a jump start on somebody coming in June,” Coach Manalac added.

“The ability to dive right in, see all the season cut-ups, learn with the guys through spring ball, another summer install, mentally, physically, the strength, get with the weight room, and getting with our nutritionist, all this stuff's a huge leg-up for their ability to come in and have an immediate impact.”

Along with high-quality skill players on offense, one of the strengths of Pitt’s projected 2025-26 roster in terms of returning starters and impact players is the linebacker position.

At the end of the 2024-25 season, both Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles finished in the Top 10 Highest Graded Linebackers in college football via Pro Football Focus. They’ll lead the way from the middle of the Pitt defense next fall.

Even so, there’s always room for defenders who can get after the quarterback. And among Taylor’s strengths is his ability to blitz with urgency, aggression, and a slippery nature when it comes to evading and getting off blocks. And he’s a finisher.

Those same skills translate to special teams where Taylor could make an early impact. Without question, many defensive players earn snaps through strong play on coverage units. Whether Taylor could earn a role as a situational blitzer as an underclassman will be interesting to see.

You can check out the small sample of the punishment Taylor doles out on game day in the ‘Five Plays’ section further down the page.

FIVE PLAYS

As displayed in the handful of clips shown above, Taylor is a long-levered defender, considered a hybrid at the linebacker position at a long and rangy 6-foot-1 and roughly 200 pounds.

The youngster is a sledgehammer whether he’s attacking laterally or downhill, a level of physicality that jumps out on film. He does a great job of striking through ball carriers, often arriving at the ball with bad intentions. Taylor also shows a quality chop in concert with the ability to consistently wrap and efficiently apply an ankle sweep when he extends for takedowns.

“(I) met him when he was younger, and I liked his length, had big hands, good, serious demeanor about him, and kept tracking him,” Coach Manalac said in December.

“...He's been a really productive player. (I) met his father, Phil, (who) instilled toughness in him and work ethic. A great guy. Then I had a chance to watch Manny play this year in a nice, rainy game down there in Virginia. The wind was blowing like crazy.

“It's good to see his toughness show up. I mean, he's in the backfield, one of the first guys down the field on punt and kick off. Just plays hard. So, I think he fits the mentality we want, the length, the speed, the aggressiveness. We're really excited about Manny Taylor and what he brings to the table.”

Considering the linebackers returning this year, Pitt fans shouldn’t expect a Day One starter. However, equipped with exciting skills as a blitzer and sure-handed former receiver, Taylor will have excellent examples in front of him in Louis and Biles as he learns the position under Coach Manalac.

Additionally, he’ll likely have ample opportunities to showcase his ability to chase the football under Coach Jacob Bronowski. If Taylor can prove to be capable of notching open-field tackles on coverage teams, naturally, Coach Randy Bates could look to put that ability to use in sub-packages during Taylor’s underclassman years.

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