OL transfer Love-Taylor excited to play on big stage with FSU football

When he announced on Twitter on Dec. 28, 2019, that he would be transferring to play his final season at Florida State, Love-Taylor quickly learned what that extra attention was like.

"When I committed, I had to put my phone on, 'Do not disturb,'" Love-Taylor said with a laugh. "I gained over a thousand Twitter followers. My messages were blowing up. Instagram posts were just blowing up. It was crazy."

Part of the reason for that fan excitement, of course, was because Love-Taylor plays a position where Florida State is in major need of help. The Seminoles' offensive line has struggled mightily the last few seasons, and offensive tackle is the primary concern with no proven starters returning in 2020.

Love-Taylor, who grew up just north of Tampa in Odessa, Fla., said it wasn't an easy decision to leave his former school. He knew his coaches wouldn't be happy, and he was worried that his teammates might be mad as well.

But after his closest friends on the team explained they would understand his decision and he received some words of encouragement from his mother, Love-Taylor officially entered the transfer portal one day after Christmas.

"My mom told me the comfortable decision isn't always the right decision," Love-Taylor said.

As soon as his name went into the portal, Love-Taylor drew immediate interest from several bigger programs. He had started 16 games with the Panthers and earned honorable mention All-Conference USA honors, so schools like Tennessee, USF, Texas Tech and UCLA all made strong pitches, along with Florida State.

But Love-Taylor said it was not a difficult decision.

Within about 48 hours, he was committed to new head coach Mike Norvell and the Seminoles.