FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (July 6, 2021) – While
Junior Taylor's football career speaks for itself, with an all-state high school career leading to five-year career at UCLA, it's what he brings away from the game that the Northern Arizona program values so significantly.
"He's doing it for the right reasons," said NAU head coach
Chris Ball. "You know, he's trying to get kids to understand it's not just about football, it's about life. Being a productive person in society, being a good husband and being a good dad, he's a great example of that."
Ball said when he initially hired his staff he asked everyone why they coached, hoping to hear they wanted to change lives and make a lasting impact on the people they brought into the program. Taylor exemplifies that, between the work he's done as a liaison between the academics side of the athletics department as well as the model he provides with his own family.
"Your coaches are the example of what you expect from your team," Ball said. "To have great character, to take ownership in what you're doing and to be present every day. I mean, it starts with us."
More than 10 of Taylor's wide receivers earned Golden Eagle Scholar-Athlete honors this past spring.
While on-field achievements are always celebrated, with three different Lumberjack receivers earning All-Big Sky or All-American honors over the past two seasons, Taylor stresses how crucial the rest of the college experience is to their futures.
"Eventually, football is going to stop," Taylor said. "It's something I take a lot of pride in, making sure that I'm setting a good example. I tell recruits this, I tell parents this, I'm a family man. You'll see my kids around, you'll see my family. And then there's the promise I made to my kids that I would never take a job if they couldn't be involved."
Taylor acknowledged this profession takes a commitment from his family and his children as well as himself, and there was no better example of it than in 2018.
Having returned to the Valley following his UCLA career, Taylor had most recently been on the coaching staff of his alma mater Mesa High School when the call came to move him into the college ranks.
The catch? The call came from Wagner College in New York, more than 2,400 miles away from Mesa.
"It was really tough, leaving my family and everything I had established, and was doing in the Valley," Taylor said. "I thought of it kind of like a challenge for me and my family to see if I was really committed to wanting to get into this business full time."
Taylor moved off to Staten Island, New York alone, with his wife and kids visiting once a month. While the move was tough, it would only last six months and served as a good test for the future.
When Northern Arizona came calling to bring him back to his home state, and just a few hours north of his home in the Valley, the patience and risk paid off.
"It was a dream come true per se," Taylor said. " I mean, it was perfect. The perfect place I wanted to be my family and I thought it was a great first move for them. We're going to stuff a little bit softer and move to Flagstaff. I think everything works out the way it's supposed to."
Back in Arizona, with connections to many across the state, Taylor's been able to pair with offensive coordinator
Aaron Pflugrad in picking up some of the top talent across the state for the Lumberjacks.
Offering the opportunity to be coached by a pair of former Pac-12 athletes, as well as many other coaches who spent time in the conference as well, NAU has positioned itself in a spot it has not been in before.
"That's what we're pitching. When we talk to receivers and quarterbacks, we're not a couple guys that just talk. We played it at a high level, me at UCLA and Aaron at Oregon and then ASU. We really know what it takes. I think that gives us some extra respect and some cachet with some coaches and players."
