When the Wisconsin coaches got Jonathan Taylor on campus this fall for an official visit, the staff had a clear message for the four-star running back from New Jersey.
"They said me and Wisconsin are a match made in heaven with my style of running," Taylor told BadgerBlitz.com. "They just told me that I'd be a perfect fit for what they want to do."
That point was well received.
A 5-foot-10, 201-pound senior from Salem High School, Taylor arrived at UW in mid-October committed to Rutgers. But a little over two weeks later, he flipped his pledge to the Badgers.
"It was really a combination of what Wisconsin does on and off the field," Taylor said when asked what ultimately put UW on top. "Academics at Wisconsin are great and they are a top-20 school in the country. Being in that top bracket, that really separates them from schools that have great football but aren’t ranked as high, academically.
"Everyone knows that football ends and you need to fall back on something, so that degree from Wisconsin is going to carry a lot of significance."
Taylor, the South Jersey Times Offensive Player of the Year this fall, was in attendance for Wisconsin's overtime loss to Ohio State, a defeat that highlighted the character on head coach Paul Chryst's current roster.
"The visit went excellent. The town was great and it’s such a great atmosphere, before and after the game," Taylor said. "Despite the loss, you could tell the fans had a lot of pride in their school. The guys were upset but you saw the fans had a true love for their school. The guys in the locker room were upset that they lost a close football game, but they had their heads up and they knew they had a lot more to accomplish during the season.
"I spent a lot of time with coach (Joe) Rudolph, coach (John) Settle and coach Chryst. All those guys kept telling me they wanted tough, dependable athletes, and that really spoke to me because I saw guys on the team right now who were fighting until the very end. At the end of the day, you saw guys who were mentally tough and prepared for the next challenge. Overall it was a great visit."
