Taylor commits to Guelph
Close to home is where the heart is for Owen Taylor.
The 18-year-old St. Catharines native had a choice between continuing his football career south of the border or at the University of Guelph, but in the end couldn’t turn his back on his home country.
“I had a Division 1 offer (Mercyhurst) and it was between Guelph and the States and I surveyed my options and Guelph was home, honestly,” he said. “Stay close to home, great group of people, great coaching staff, my teammates that I’m coming in with, my class.
“It’s an unbelievable experience to be able to stay home and represent Canada. As a guy who, in my opinion, who had a lot of success in high school it’s pretty cool to be able to come back and play for Guelph.
“It’s like a dream come true.”
Taylor, who attended both Saint Francis and Sir Winston Churchill before moving to Clarkson Football North in Mississauga, admitted the allure of playing Division 1 ball was tempting.
“It was a decision between me and my family where it got down to where I felt was home and where I thought I would flourish my academics and my athletic career the most, and that was Guelph,” he said.
Taylor, who plans to major in sports management with a minor in economics, is eager to contribute to the Gryphons.
“I went to watch the Gryphons practise and I feel like I’m prepared and ready to be a positive contributor either out on the field or in the locker in my first year,” he said. “I have high hopes for my first year at Guelph and it’s the time of the Gryphons this year. We’re going to do something special.”
Gryphons Director of Player Personnel and Recruiting Coordinator Joe Cappiello has high hopes for Taylor.
“He is going to bring size, we think he’s going to bring leadership and we see him being a pillar of our offensive line going forward,” Cappiello said. “It’s hard to find top quality players like him and we’re excited to have him join a pretty gifted group that we think we’re bringing in this year on the offensive line.”
Cappiello feels controlling the line is huge.
“It’s something that’s very important in the Canadian game, to be able to run the ball well, protect the quarterback, and Owen does those in spades. We’re very excited to see him be that road grader on the run game and keep our quarterback safe by keeping guys away from him, which he does a great job of.”
Taylor, who 6-foot-5 and tips the scales at 335 pounds, said being an effective offensive lineman comes down to more than just brute force.
“To me it’s not about the accolades,” he said. “It’s not just banging heads. It’s truly a chess match and the way football in the modern era has kind of got to, it’s a smart man’s game. And it’s a more technical man who’s worked on his craft, worked in the weight room, who’s going to win the battle.
“It’s a smart man’s game.”
Taylor said his workouts focus on more than just bulk.
“I’ve kind of been working on different areas of the body. It’s not all bench and squat, it’s more technical than that,” he said. “You work on smaller muscles and make yourself more athletic. Work athletic movements. It’s definitely a balance. You don’t train like a big man. We don’t train like bodybuilders.”
Taylor feels his time at Clarkson, a prep school geared toward high-performing student-athletes, made a huge difference.
“We play down in the States, it’s a top competition, and a bunch of great coaches. We’ve sent a bunch of people to NCAA, including a lot of teammates who I’ve played alongside on the offensive line. That’s why I went there. It wasn’t to go to the States, it was to flourish my career.”
Taylor, whose father Jason Taylor is a former St. Catharines Falcon and Niagara Falls Canuck, loved hockey and played at the AA and A level until Grade 8 when he turned his focus entirely to football.
He became interested in football while going to the rink with his late grandfather, Bill Taylor, after noticing players working out at Kiwanis Field.
“That’s where I first saw football,” he said.
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