Levonta Taylor had lofty aspirations when he arrived at Florida State last summer, and for good reason.
As a senior at Virginia Beach’s Ocean Lakes High, he was rated the nation’s No. 1 cornerback and the crown jewel of the Seminoles’ 2016 signing class. FSU didn’t necessarily have an opening in the starting lineup for that fall, but Taylor certainly expected to be a major contributor in the defensive backfield.
That’s not exactly the way it played out.
First, he battled through a leg injury. Then he learned that the mental preparation needed to play defensive back at the Division-I level was far more demanding than he ever imagined.
The combination of those two factors led to sporadic playing time in the early part of the season and a grand total of 16 tackles for Taylor in 13 games. He was credited with one pass deflection.
It was not a poor freshman season by any means. It just wasn't what he expected.
“I just stayed patient and found my way back on the field,” Taylor said of his freshman campaign. “Last year had some ups and downs, but I’m happy everything happened like that. Because now I humbled myself, and I’m just ready to ball out.”
Twelve months later, Taylor could be in position to do just that. The Virginia Beach product has been competing all preseason with fellow sophomore Kyle Meyers and true freshman Stanford Samuels III for the starting field cornerback position, vacated by Marquez White’s graduation. Taylor also works some at the “Star” (nickelback) spot, where he saw action at times in 2016.
FSU’s coaches haven’t yet made final decisions on who is going to start where, but Taylor is in the thick of the race. He frequently lines up with the first-team defense during drills.
