CLEMSON, S.C. — "Maverick" is back.
Will Taylor was given that monicker by former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott who said Taylor carried himself with an edge like a young Tom Cruise from the movie "Top Gun".
That edge was certainly needed after week five when Taylor went down with a season-ending knee injury. After the former Dutch Fork and Ben Lippen quarterback had successful surgery to repair the torn ACL, he made his debut with the Clemson baseball team in early May, recording a single in his first at-bat against Georgia Tech.
Taylor spent his high school career running the offenses for Dutch Fork and Ben Lippen and his first season at Clemson was spent in the quarterback room. That knowledge of the Tiger offense from a QB's perspective is helping Taylor at his new position where he can understand not only what his role is but how it works in tandem with the other wideouts and what the quarterback may be seeing, especially when defenses force the issue wtih various blitzes which can lead to decisions made on the fly by the skill players.