Trooper Taylor Named Running Backs Coach
Dec 29, 2023 | Football
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M head football coach Mike Elko tabbed Trooper Taylor as the Aggies' the associate head coach on offense and running backs coach. Taylor was on staff at Duke for five years, serving in the same role in each of Elko's two seasons with the Blue Devils.
Taylor has over 30 years of coaching experience, including being on staff at Auburn for its 2010 BCS National Championship run, in which the Tigers went a perfect 14-0. In total, he's coached in 16 bowl games during a career that also includes stints at Baylor, New Mexico, Tulane, Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Arkansas State. He has also been named one of the nation's top-25 recruiters by Rivals.com on three occasions (2005, 2007 and 2010).
Taylor joined the Duke staff as an assistant coach in January 2019 and was promoted to associate head coach in 2020. He worked with the wide receivers in his first two seasons and spent the 2021 season overseeing the cornerbacks before Coach Elko tabbed him as the running backs coach in 2022. Taylor closed out his time at Duke leading the Blue Devils to victory in the Birmingham Bowl as the interim head coach.
Taylor came to Durham after spending six seasons at Arkansas State (2013-18), where he helped the Red Wolves to 47 wins, six bowl game appearances and a pair of Sun Belt Conference championships in 2015 and 2016. Over his last three campaigns in Jonesboro, he served as the program's assistant head coach. During his tenure, Taylor coached 11 All-Sun Belt selections including his son, Blaise, who was a four-time all-conference honoree as well as National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete accolades. In addition, Taylor helped Arkansas State secure five consecutive signing classes that were ranked among the top three in the Sun Belt Conference by at least two of the major recruiting services.
As the assistant head coach and wide receivers coach at Auburn from 2009-12, Taylor helped the Tigers tally 33 victories, four postseason wins and the SEC and BCS titles in 2010. Auburn boasted a perfect 4-0 record in postseason contests in the four-year stretch.
During the national championship run in 2010, Auburn's receivers helped the offense score a program single-season record 577 points while leading the SEC in scoring at 41.2 points per game as three wideouts topped the 500-yard plateau through the air.
The 2008 season marked Taylor's lone campaign at Oklahoma State as the Cowboys went 9-4, played in the Holiday Bowl and closed the year ranked No. 16 in the final AP Poll. Serving as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, Taylor was part of an offense that produced a pair of First Team All-Americans in wideout Dez Bryant and running back Kendall Hunter. That season, Oklahoma State ranked sixth nationally in total offense and ninth in scoring.
Taylor was at Tennessee from 2004-07 and coached both the running backs (2004-05) and wide receivers (2006-07). The four-year stint was highlighted by 34 victories, two 10-win seasons (2004 and 2007), two SEC Eastern Division Championships (2004 & 2007), three bowl games and three top-25 national finishes.
While with the Volunteers, Taylor coached Tennessee's first pair of single-season 1,000-yard rushers in Gerald Riggs Jr. and Cedric Houston (2004) as well as future NFL All-Pro back Arian Foster. In addition, wideout Robert Meachem received All-America honors in 2006 under Taylor's tutelage and was a first-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Prior to his time in Knoxville, Taylor spent five seasons coaching the wide receivers at Tulane from 1999-2003. Among his pupils were four individuals – Adrian Burnette, Kerwin Cook, Terrell Harris and Roydell Williams – who went on to careers in the NFL. Williams closed his collegiate career as Conference USA's all-time leader in touchdown receptions with 35.
Taylor spent the 1998 season coaching the running backs at New Mexico after spending five seasons at Baylor (1993-97), his alma mater. He began as a graduate assistant coach, working with the administration and the defensive backfield in 1993 and 1994, respectively, before later coaching the wide receivers (1995 and 1997) and defensive secondary (1996).
Taylor lettered four seasons (1989-90-91-92) as a defensive back at Baylor and helped the Bears to the Copper Bowl in his final campaign, while finishing his career as the school's career leader in both kickoff returns (53) and return yardage (1,063). He graduated from Baylor with a bachelor's degree in communications in 1992.
A native of Cuero, Texas, Taylor is married to the former Dr. Evi Crosby of Harbor City, California, and the couple has one daughter, Starr, and one son, Blaise.
Taylor has over 30 years of coaching experience, including being on staff at Auburn for its 2010 BCS National Championship run, in which the Tigers went a perfect 14-0. In total, he's coached in 16 bowl games during a career that also includes stints at Baylor, New Mexico, Tulane, Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Arkansas State. He has also been named one of the nation's top-25 recruiters by Rivals.com on three occasions (2005, 2007 and 2010).
Taylor joined the Duke staff as an assistant coach in January 2019 and was promoted to associate head coach in 2020. He worked with the wide receivers in his first two seasons and spent the 2021 season overseeing the cornerbacks before Coach Elko tabbed him as the running backs coach in 2022. Taylor closed out his time at Duke leading the Blue Devils to victory in the Birmingham Bowl as the interim head coach.
Taylor came to Durham after spending six seasons at Arkansas State (2013-18), where he helped the Red Wolves to 47 wins, six bowl game appearances and a pair of Sun Belt Conference championships in 2015 and 2016. Over his last three campaigns in Jonesboro, he served as the program's assistant head coach. During his tenure, Taylor coached 11 All-Sun Belt selections including his son, Blaise, who was a four-time all-conference honoree as well as National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete accolades. In addition, Taylor helped Arkansas State secure five consecutive signing classes that were ranked among the top three in the Sun Belt Conference by at least two of the major recruiting services.
As the assistant head coach and wide receivers coach at Auburn from 2009-12, Taylor helped the Tigers tally 33 victories, four postseason wins and the SEC and BCS titles in 2010. Auburn boasted a perfect 4-0 record in postseason contests in the four-year stretch.
During the national championship run in 2010, Auburn's receivers helped the offense score a program single-season record 577 points while leading the SEC in scoring at 41.2 points per game as three wideouts topped the 500-yard plateau through the air.
The 2008 season marked Taylor's lone campaign at Oklahoma State as the Cowboys went 9-4, played in the Holiday Bowl and closed the year ranked No. 16 in the final AP Poll. Serving as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, Taylor was part of an offense that produced a pair of First Team All-Americans in wideout Dez Bryant and running back Kendall Hunter. That season, Oklahoma State ranked sixth nationally in total offense and ninth in scoring.
Taylor was at Tennessee from 2004-07 and coached both the running backs (2004-05) and wide receivers (2006-07). The four-year stint was highlighted by 34 victories, two 10-win seasons (2004 and 2007), two SEC Eastern Division Championships (2004 & 2007), three bowl games and three top-25 national finishes.
While with the Volunteers, Taylor coached Tennessee's first pair of single-season 1,000-yard rushers in Gerald Riggs Jr. and Cedric Houston (2004) as well as future NFL All-Pro back Arian Foster. In addition, wideout Robert Meachem received All-America honors in 2006 under Taylor's tutelage and was a first-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Prior to his time in Knoxville, Taylor spent five seasons coaching the wide receivers at Tulane from 1999-2003. Among his pupils were four individuals – Adrian Burnette, Kerwin Cook, Terrell Harris and Roydell Williams – who went on to careers in the NFL. Williams closed his collegiate career as Conference USA's all-time leader in touchdown receptions with 35.
Taylor spent the 1998 season coaching the running backs at New Mexico after spending five seasons at Baylor (1993-97), his alma mater. He began as a graduate assistant coach, working with the administration and the defensive backfield in 1993 and 1994, respectively, before later coaching the wide receivers (1995 and 1997) and defensive secondary (1996).
Taylor lettered four seasons (1989-90-91-92) as a defensive back at Baylor and helped the Bears to the Copper Bowl in his final campaign, while finishing his career as the school's career leader in both kickoff returns (53) and return yardage (1,063). He graduated from Baylor with a bachelor's degree in communications in 1992.
A native of Cuero, Texas, Taylor is married to the former Dr. Evi Crosby of Harbor City, California, and the couple has one daughter, Starr, and one son, Blaise.
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