Biography
2018 (Senior)
All-MEAC third-team selection as a return specialist … Played in all 11 games and started eight times … Finished second on the team with 51 catches for 585 yards and three receiving TDs … Also averaged 22.2 yards per kickoff return and 21.9 on seven punt returns, including a 69-yard return for a TD at North Carolina A&T … Led NSU with 1,329 all-purpose yards, second in the MEAC and 31st nationally … Also ranked fourth in the MEAC in receptions per game, sixth in receiving yards per game and seventh in kick return average … Did not have enough punt returns to qualify for the MEAC or national lead, but helped NSU lead the country in punt return average … Had eight catches for 120 yards and a 51-yard TD catch against Delaware State … Also posted six catches in both of his next two games, at Florida A&M (78 receiving yards) and N.C. Central (61) … Had 192 all-purpose yards against NCCU, which included 131 on five kickoff returns … Caught five passes for 74 yards and a 37-yard TD against Howard … Amassed a career-high 141 yards receiving on six catches against Morgan State, which included a career-long 71-yard TD reception … Finished his career second in school history in receptions (169) and fifth in receiving yards (1,883).
2017 (Junior)
Started all 11 games at wideout while also serving as the team’s primary kickoff return specialist for the third straight season … Was selected to the All-MEAC second team as kick returner and to the third team at receiver, becoming the first Spartan in the Division I era to be named All-MEAC at two different positions in the same year … Also selected NSU’s Offensive Player of the Year … Led the MEAC in all-purpose yards (1,392), kickoff return average (23.8) and kickoff return yards (714) … Tied for the MEAC lead with 60 receptions while ranking sixth with 629 receiving yards … Ranked 17th nationally with his 126.5 all-purpose yards per game … Ranked 25th nationally in kickoff return average and 31st in receptions … His 714 kickoff return yards are No. 2 in the NSU single-season record books, his 30 kickoff returns are No. 3 and his 23.8 average is No. 6 … The 1,392 all-purpose yards and 60 receptions are fourth-most for a single season in NSU history … Had seven receptions for 84 yards in the opener against Virginia State … Set a new school record with a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown at James Madison, the longest in school history and NSU’s first kickoff return TD since 2008 … Had a career-high nine receptions for 55 yards in the win at Delaware State … Caught six passes for 70 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown reception, and also had a 48-yard kickoff return in the win over Florida A&M … Posted his first two 100-yard receiving games in back-to-back weeks … Made seven catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns against Hampton, scoring on TD receptions of 52 and 4 yards … Caught eight passes for a season-high 132 yards and two scores (42 and 58 yards) in the win at No. 25 N.C. Central … Earned MEAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance at NCCU … Also caught seven passes against Savannah State and eight at Howard.
2016 (Sophomore)
Played in every game and started 10 times (all but N.C. Central game) … Led NSU with 37 catches for 454 yards … Also caught two TD passes, tied for the most on the team … Ran 17 times for 78 yards on the year … Served as the team’s primary kickoff returner, averaging 22.1 yards on 27 returns … Led NSU with 1,130 all-purpose yards (102.7 ypg) … Ranked third in the MEAC in kick return average, fifth in all-purpose yards and 10th in receptions per game (3.4) … Made three receptions for 70 yards in the win over Elizabeth City State … Posted season highs of eight catches for 94 yards and a touchdown (25-yarder) against N.C. Central … Also had 89 kickoff return yards in that game, totaling a season-high 183 all-purpose yards … Caught four passes for 78 yards, including a season-long 64-yarder, vs. Howard .. Had five receptions (26 yards) against N.C. A&T and seven (53 yards) against Morgan State … Also had a season-long 59-yard kickoff return in the win over MSU … Made three catches for 71 yards and also ran four times for 29 yards against South Carolina State.
2015 (Freshman)
Played in 10 games and started three times … Missed the Marshall game due to injury … Was fourth on the team with 21 receptions for 215 yards … Scored one touchdown … Led the team with 22 kickoff returns for 417 yards (19.0 average) … Also ran four times for nine yards … Finished the year with 641 all-purpose yards (64.1 ypg), tops on the team … Caught two passes in the season-opener at Rutgers … Made four catches for 40 yards in his first career start, at Bethune-Cookman … Followed that up with four receptions for 52 yards at North Carolina central … Had his best game of the year against South Carolina State, notching season highs with five catches for 76 yards … Scored on a 27-yard TD catch against SCSU … Had a season-long 46-yard kickoff return against North Carolina A&T … Had 103 kick return yards at N.C. Central and 102 at Bethune-Cookman, with five returns in each game.
High School
Lettered four years in football and four in track at Highland Springs … A first-team all-state, All-Metro and all-conference kick returner as a senior … Also named to the all-conference first team as a utility player and earned second-team accolades at running back … A two-star recruit according to ESPN.com and 247 Sports … Scored 20 total touchdowns as a senior, 10 rushing, six on kick/punt returns and four receiving … Ran for 714 yards on 85 carries and caught 14 passes for 297 yards in his final prep season … Amassed over 1,300 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior … Won four state track championships as a junior (55, 200 and 300 meters and 4x200 relay) … Was state outdoor runner-up in the 100 meters … Ranked sixth in the nation in the 55 meters as a junior … Personal-best high school times were 6.31 seconds in the 55m, 10.76 in the 100m and 21.87 in the 200m … High school football coach was Loren Johnson.
Personal
Marcus O. Taylor was born on Oct. 22, 1996 … Son of Marcus Taylor and Elicia Royal … Majoring in sociology.
Taylor’s Career Highs
Rec.: 9 (at Delaware State, 9-23-17)
Yards: 141 (vs. Morgan State, 11-17-18)
Long Rec.: 71 (vs. Morgan State, 11-17-18)
TD: 2 (2x, last at N.C. Central, 10-21-17)
Rushes: 4 (2x, last at S.C. State, 11-12-16)
Rush. Yards: 29 (at S.C. State, 11-12-16)
Long Rush: 16 (at S.C. State)
Kick Returns: 7 (at James Madison, 9-16-17)
Kick Return Yards: 199 (at James Madison, 9-16-17)
Long Kick Return: 100 (at James Madison, 9-16-17)
KR TD: 1 (at James Madison, 9-16-17)
Long Punt Return: 69 (at N.C. A&T, 11-3-18)
PR TD: 1 (at N.C. A&T, 11-3-18)
