By Tyler Devine

IOWA CITY, Iowa – It wasn’t until receiving a scholarship offer from Iowa recently that 2021 athlete A.J. Taylor thought that he might have a chance to play football beyond high school.

Getting his first offer from a Big Ten school caused Taylor, a native of O’Fallon, Mo., to re-evalaute his plans for college..

“Honestly it feels pretty good,” Taylor said. “It’s helped me realize that maybe I can take football to another level.

“At times, I would question myself on if it was possible but something was always telling me to just have faith and stick through the process and keep working on and off the field. And when I least expected it Iowa came.”

One of the people pushing the 6-foot, 200-pound Taylor to believe in himself is his high school assistant coach, Mike McMullen

“That kid has been the best player in his class for this area since the fourth grade,” McMullen said. “His intelligence, speed and unbelievable instincts (make him special).”

No matter what else happens with his recruitment, Taylor said he will always keep in mind and appreciate that Iowa was the first school to offer him.

“It’s very special to me and I’m grateful for it,” Taylor said. “It’s definitely something I will keep in mind the rest of my recruiting process.”