Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of stories highlighting Grand County High School student-athletes moving on to compete at the collegiate level
2014 Grand County High School graduate Cameron Taylor will take his ball-carrying skills to the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind.
Taylor, who earned second-team all-state accolades in 2012 and 2013 from both the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune, finishing his Red Devil career with 166 carries for 1,049 yards and 17 touchdowns as well as 19 receptions for 284 yards, said he chose to become a Fightin’ Engineer because of the top-notch engineering program the NCAA Division 3 institute offers and because he felt like the institute really wanted him and cared about him playing for its football team.
“Other schools showed a lot of interest, but I could tell Rose-Hulman really cared about me and cared about me coming there,” he said. “I also enjoyed being on the campus and the other football players seemed like guys I could easily get along with.”
The institute has been U.S. News and World Report’s No. 1 engineering college whose highest degree offered is a bachelor’s or master’s degree for 15 consecutive years.
“When it comes to engineering, no one does it better,” Taylor said.
Taylor’s parents, Karen and Ray Taylor, said they are excited for their son’s future.
“It’s a fabulous school; We’re proud that he’ll be going there,” Karen Taylor said before Ray Taylor added: “Cameron has always wanted to do something with engineering. After watching Star Wars as a kid, he got really upset with me because he wanted us to build a pod racer together.”
Cameron Taylor demonstrated the academic acumen to go with his football skills as he was the GCHS Student of the Month in December 2013 and was an academic all-stater in both football and baseball. He said math and science have always been his strongest subjects.
The Fightin’ Engineers have been enjoying a football renaissance over the past decade, finishing above .500 for nine consecutive years and winning a share of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference title in 2013. Head coach Jeff Sokol was named the conference’s Coach of the Year in his third year at the helm.
Cameron Taylor said the institute found him after he registered on the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) recruiting site last summer, and after some emails back and forth, he visited the campus in February.
“The technology of recruiting is amazing,” Ray Taylor said. “He just posted videos and they found him.”
Cameron Taylor said he is happy with the time he spent as a Red Devil.
“I enjoyed it,” he said. “I’m going to miss Moab and all the friends I have here. All athletes have regrets – wish they worked harder back, did this better or that better, but I’m happy with my success.”
Cameron Taylor said Rose-Hulman’s coaches have been sending him workout and conditioning programs to help him prepare for the season. He said South Town Gym head-trainer Nick Oldroyd has been modifying his program there to help him build muscle, leading to an added 10 pounds of muscle mass.
Cameron Taylor said a little over half of the cost of attending the institute will be paid by scholarships. In the mean time, he’s looking for a job until he reports to the team for practice on Aug. 16. The Fightin’ Engineers play at Kalamazoo, Mich., on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 1 p.m.
“Other schools showed a lot of interest, but I could tell Rose-Hulman really cared about me and cared about me coming there. I also enjoyed being on the campus and the other football players seemed like guys I could easily get along with.”
GCHS grad to play at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
