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Jersey Number 29
Taylor Mays
- Height:
- 6-4
- Weight:
- 225
- Class:
- Freshman
- Hometown:
- Seattle, WA
- High School:
- O'Dea
2009: The hard-hitting Mays, a 2-time All-American first teamer who is a leading candidate for the Thorpe Award, returns for his fourth season as the starting free safety as a senior in 2009.
2008: Mays started for his third season at free safety as a junior in 2008 and had a highly-decorated season. Overall in 2008 while starting all 13 games, he had 53 tackles, including 2 for losses of 7 yards, and a team-high 9 deflections. He was named a 2008 consensus All-American first teamer (AP, Football Writers, Walter Camp, Sporting News, ESPN.com, SI.com, CBSSports.com, Phil Steele[apos]s, Pro Football Weekly, Collegefootballnews.com) and All-American second teamer (Rivals.com), was among 3 finalists for the 2008 Thorpe Award, made the 2008 All-Pac-10 first team and both Collegefootballnews.com and Phil Steele[apos]s All-Pac-10 first teams, and won USC[apos]s Bob Chandler Award. He had arthroscopic surgery on his ankle prior to 2008 spring practice. He was named to the 2008 Playboy Pre-Season All-American team.
He had a game-high 6 tackles (1.5 for losses) and a deflection at Virginia, added 8 stops against Ohio State and 6 tackles against both Oregon State and Oregon. He then had 2 tackles against Arizona State, 2 stops (0.5 for a loss at Washington State, 4 tackles at Arizona and 3 tackles and a deflection against Washington. He had 5 tackles and 4 deflections versus California to earn Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week honors. He added 5 tackles at Stanford, 2 stops against Notre Dame and a tackle and deflection at UCLA. He added 4 tackles and a deflection versus Penn State.
2007: After a decorated freshman season in 2006, Mays returned for his second season as the starting free safety as a sophomore in 2007 and continued his stellar play. Overall in 2007 while starting all 13 games, he had 65 tackles (third on USC), 1 interception, 6 deflections, 1 fumble recovery and 1 forced fumble. He was named a 2007 The Sporting News All-American first team, SI.com All-American second team, AP All-American third team, Jewish Sports Review All-American, Collegefootballnews.com Sophomore All-American second team, All-Pac-10 honorable mention and Rivals.com All-Pac-10 first team pick.
He had 5 tackles versus Idaho, 6 stops and a deflection at Nebraska, 3 tackles against Washington State and 2 tackles at Washington. He added 2 tackles, 2 deflections and an interception (to set up an USC TD) against Stanford. He had 4 tackles and forced a fumble against Arizona, then had 5 stops at Notre Dame, a career-best 12 tackles at Oregon, 6 tackles against Oregon State and 10 tackles and 3 deflections (both team highs) at California. He had 4 tackles at Arizona State and 3 stops and a fumble recovery against UCLA. He had 3 tackles against Illinois.
2006: Just a first-year freshman, Mays took over the free safety job in 2006 after Josh Pinkard suffered a season-ending injury in the opener and he ended up starting USC[apos]s final 12 games. Overall in 2006 while appearing in all 13 games, he had 62 tackles, a team-best 3 interceptions that he returned 40 yards (13.3 avg.) and 3 deflections. He made the 2006 The Sporting News All-American second team, Collegefootballnews.com Defensive Freshman of the Year, The Sporting News Freshman All-American first team, Rivals.com Freshman All-American first team, Scout.com Freshman All-American first team and Rivals.com All-Pac-10 second team and was named Pac-10 Co-Freshman of the Year, The Sporting News Pac-10 Defensive Freshman of the Year and Rivals.com Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.
After getting 2 tackles at Arkansas, he had 5 tackles against Nebraska while starting for the first time at free safety. He then had 3 tackles at Arizona, 4 tackles, a deflection and an interception near the goal line on the game[apos]s last play at Washington State, 8 stops with a deflection against Washington and a tackle versus Arizona State. He made a game-best 11 tackles (with a deflection) at Oregon State, added 4 stops at Stanford, had 4 tackles and returned an interception 38 yards against Oregon and 6 tackles and an interception against California. He had 7 tackles against Notre Dame, 3 at UCLA and 4 versus Michigan.
HIGH SCHOOL: He was named a 2005 Parade All-American (he was the defensive back MVP), USA Today All-USA first team, EA Sports All-American first team, Super Prep Elite 50, Prep Star Dream Team, ESPN 150, Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, U.S. Army All-American Game participant, Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year, Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-Western, Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West first team, Orange County Register Fab 15 first team, Tacoma News-Tribune Western 100, Tacoma News Tribune Northwest Nugget, Gatorade Washington Player of the Year, All-State first team and All-Metro League Mountain Division Offensive MVP and Defensive Co-MVP pick as a senior defensive back, wide receiver and quarterback at O[apos]Dea High in Seattle, Wash. He had 166 tackles, 5 interceptions returned for 98 yards (19.6 avg.) and 5 deflections in 2005, plus caught 36 passes for 765 yards (21.3 avg.) with 15 TDs and rushed for 3 more scores.
As a junior in 2004, he made Student Sports Junior All-American while posting 89 tackles, 5 interceptions and 5 deflections, catching 25 passes for 614 yards (20.6 avg.) with 7 TDs and returning 12 punts for 392 yards (32.7 avg.) with 3 TDs.
He also ran track (best of 10.88 in the 100 meters) at O[apos]Dea, where he was a 2-time (2004-05) state 3A champion in the 100 and 200 meters.
PERSONAL: He[apos]s a sociology major at USC. His father, Stafford Mays, was a defensive lineman at Washington in 1978 and 1979 who then played in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals (1980-86) and Minnesota Vikings (1987-88 when current USC head coach Pete Carroll was an assistant coach there).
TAYLOR MAYS ON: His game: 'I[apos]m able to cover a lot of ground. I[apos]m able to get to the ball no matter where it is on the field. I[apos]ve developed a great understanding of what the offense likes to do, so I[apos]m able to react before the play has even happened.'
Playing safety at USC: 'This is a great system for a safety, because I can be a hybrid linebacker/cornerback. And because the coaches really give us the freedom to attack and go make plays.'
His decision to return to USC in 2009: 'I felt like I had more to prove in college football and I wanted one more chance to win a national championship...There are a lot more things I want to accomplish as a player, a student and a person, things that I[apos]ve dreamed about for a long time and that are big goals to me. Returning to USC will help me be the best player I can be and put me in the best position possible for the next level. It came down to whether I felt I was ready physically and mentally. I feel there are some more things in my game that I can improve upon, things that would help me take the next step. I didn[apos]t want to sell myself short. Plus, I want to be here for my teammates and provide an example to them as a leader and a player. I love the camaraderie here and the atmosphere. USC is a special place. From all the players I[apos]ve talked to in the NFL, they say it[apos]s a whole different world up there. They enjoyed college more than the NFL. I want to enjoy my last year of fun before it turns into a business. I[apos]m also on track to graduate this fall and I know that[apos]s a big deal to my parents.'
The advice he received from his father: 'He retired in 1989, so it wasn[apos]t like I ran around NFL practice fields when I was young. But he gave me a lot of insight. He could tell me about things because he went through them.'
His bar mitzvah: 'I don[apos]t think at the time I really understood what it meant. Now, looking back on it, I feel like I have come a long way in regards to maturity and becoming an adult. I think it helped me do that.'
WHAT OTHERS SAY: USC head coach Pete Carroll: 'He[apos]s a high achiever, driven, all of the positive things. He wants to be great and he[apos]s willing to do what it takes to be great. He doesn[apos]t just talk about it, he does it...We were obviously delighted to learn of Taylor[apos]s decision to return for the 2009 season. He and his family did a lot of research and made an educated decision. He embodies all the virtues of staying. He wanted to do this not only to improve as a player, but he came back for his team, for his school and for the fans. We[apos]re looking forward to Taylor having another outstanding season in 2009 and furthering his standing as a player and a person. He[apos]s one of the most gifted safeties to ever play at USC and he wanted to come back and do it one more time.'
Former USC safety Kevin Ellison: 'He[apos]s a great athlete, but people don[apos]t give him enough credit for how smart he is about football. He studies the game. He works hard. He wants to be great. He[apos]s going to do his job. You can count on Taylor to take care of his responsibility.'
USC strength and conditioning coach Chris Carlisle: 'Have I ever seen anyone that big move that fast? Maybe when I walked by the cheetah cage at the wildlife park.'
GAME-BY-GAME WITH TAYLOR MAYS
2008
2007
2006
*Starter
| TAC | LS/YDS | DFL | FR | INT | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | |
| 2006 (Fr.)... | 62 | 0/0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 13.3 | 0 | 38 |
| 2007 (So.)... | 65 | 0/0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 (Jr.)... | 53 | 2/7 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| CAREER....... | 180 | 2/7 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 40 | 10.0 | 0 | 38 |
| TAC | LS/YDS | DFL | FR | |
| Virginia* | 6 1.5/3 | 1 | 0 | |
| Ohio State* | 7 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oregon St.* | 6 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oregon * | 6 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona St.* | 2 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 |
| Wash. St.* | 2 | 0.5/4 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona* | 4 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington* | 3 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 |
| California* | 5 | 0/0 | 4 | 0 |
| Stanford* | 5 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 |
| Notre Dame* | 2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 |
| UCLA* | 1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 |
| Penn St. (RB)* | 4 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 (Jr.)... | 53 | 2/7 | 9 | 0 |
| TAC | LS/YDS | DFL | FR | INT | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | |
| Idaho* | 5 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nebraska* | 6 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wash. St.* | 3 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington* | 2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stanford* | 2 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona* | 4 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Notre Dame* | 5 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oregon* | 12 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oregon St.* | 6 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| California* | 10 | 0/0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona St.* | 4 | 0/0 | 0 | 0v0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | |
| UCLA* | 3 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Illinois (RB)* | 3 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 (So.)... | 65 | 0/0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| TAC | LS/YDS | DFL | FR | INT | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | |
| Arkansas | 2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nebraska* | 5 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona* | 3 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wash. St.* | 4 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
| Washington* | 8 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona St.* | 1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oregon St.* | 11 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stanford* | 4 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oregon* | 4 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 38 | 38.0 | 0 | 38 |
| California* | 6 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Notre Dame* | 7 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| UCLA* | 3 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan (RB)* | 4 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 (Fr.)... | 62 | 0/0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 13.3 | 0 | 38 |
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