MASSILLON A coaching change couldn’t sway Massillon senior linebacker Kentrell Taylor on where he wanted to continue his academic and athletic career. In the end, Kent State University was the place for him.
Massillon head coach Jason Hall confirmed Friday morning that Taylor will sign a National Letter of Intent with the Golden Flashes on Feb. 6, which is National Signing Day. Taylor, who was also considering the University of Toledo, could not be reached for comment.
Taylor had been considering Kent State prior to Darrell Hazell’s decision to depart the program last month to take the head coaching position at Purdue. In Hazell’s second season with the Golden Flashes, he guided them to a school-record 11-3 mark, including a Mid-American Conference East Division championship and a trip to the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
Hazell, who coached Kent State in its bowl loss earlier this month to Arkansas State, was replaced by Paul Haynes. Haynes, a Kent State alum, previously had been the defensive coordinator at the University of Arkansas, as well as spending time under Jim Tressel at Ohio State.
A three-year letterman for the Tigers, Taylor — a special-mention Division I All-Ohio selection last fall — played both running back and linebacker. It was on the defensive side of the ball, however, where the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder excelled.
In Massillon’s 11-2 campaign in 2012, Taylor led the Tigers with a credited total of 55 unassisted and 42 assisted tackles while playing in 12 games. He had a team-high nine unassisted tackles — along with four assisted stops — in their regional-final loss to Whitmer, while notching seven unassisted and four assisted stops in the regular-season win over McKinley.
Along with the tackles, he also had 2.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. He also tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
However, the lone interception of his Tiger career may stand as arguably the biggest highlight of his three years on the varsity. With Massillon and eventual Division III state champion St. Vincent-St. Mary tied late in the third quarter, and the Irish driving inside the Tiger 10, Taylor came up with a tipped pass and returned it 93 yards for a touchdown to give Massillon the lead for good in an eventual 44-23 Tiger win.
Taylor carried the ball 38 times for 220 yards last year as a running back, but only four times for a net of two yards over the final eight games. His best game yardage-wise was an eight-carry, 78-yard, two-touchdown effort in Week Three at Maumee, a game that was called at halftime due to weather.
