Photo courtesy of North Alabama Athletics.
University of North Alabama linebacker Christon Taylor, a Hoover High School alumnus, was named the Gulf South Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year after totaling 67 tackles and three interceptions this fall.
It didn’t take long for Christon Taylor to realize his potential.
Upon his June arrival at the University of North Alabama, the Hoover High School alumnus caught a glimpse of what his first college football season could hold. He prepared accordingly.
While intense workouts in a new environment challenged Taylor, a freshman linebacker for the Lions, they paid off throughout the fall.
In November, he was named the Gulf South Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year.
“At first, I was just like, ‘Is this true? Is it me?’” Taylor said in December. “After looking at it, I was just really, really thankful and thanked God for giving me the talent that He’s given me to be able to go out and compete at the level that I do.”
Taylor started for North Alabama from the get-go, making nine tackles in his team’s Sept. 1 opener. He finished the season with 67 tackles, including five and a half for a loss, andthree interceptions.
None was more memorable than his first.
In the Lions’ second contest of the season, he returned a pick 36 yards for the game-winning touchdown against Valdosta State. As a result, he was named the GSC’s Freshman of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week.
He identified the play as the highlight of his season, which saw the Lions go 5-5.
“I knew they were going to go deep, from the film,” Taylor said. “I jumped it, and the ball fell right in my hands. I just took off.”
Taylor’s stellar freshman campaign was a continuation of his two-year varsity career at Hoover. Playing a hybrid role that saw him rotate between defensive end and linebacker, he helped lead the Buccaneers to the 2016 Class 7A state title.
The defense he anchored with the assistance of teammates like Kholbe Coleman-Abrams and K.J. Vault allowed only 10 pointsper game.
“He is just a tenacious football player. He has a motor that doesn’t quit,” said Hoover defensive line coach Adrian Abrams. “He is physical. He is relentless. When you saw us on defense, he would jump off the screen. He’s somebody opposing coaches had to prepare for.”
Taylor made a name for himself at Hoover as a pass rusher who frequently terrorized opposing quarterbacks. In the 2016 state title game, he sacked McGill-Toolen quarterback Bubba Thompson three times.
Adrian Abrams said Taylor’s performance on Friday nights transferred directly from the practice field. His business-like approachnever faltered.
“Not only is he a remarkable talent, but he prepares for it every day with how hard he works,” Adrian Abrams said.
Taylor chose to sign with North Alabama, which competes at the NCAA Division II level, over current Football Championship Subdivision schools Central Arkansas and Chattanooga. He wasn’t alone in his decision. Three of his Hoover teammates — C. J. Sturdivant, Will Singleton and Cortez Hall — elected to join him in Florence.
Taylor said he selected North Alabama based on the program’s upward trajectory. The Lions advanced to the 2016 Division II national title game and are slated to join the FCS this coming fall as a member of the Big South Conference.
Taylor credited his time at Hoover, when he worked closely with Adrian Abrams and head coach Josh Niblett, for equipping him for his next phase of life. In the classroom, he is pursuing a degree in sports management and has aspirations of becoming either a physical therapist or a sports agent.
But that might be a second career.
Taylor’s former position coach said he wouldn’t be surprised to see him playing on Sundays at some point in the future.
“Coach Abrams really pushed me, and they gave me the tools and techniques that I needed to be able to be the best player that I can be,” Taylor said. “They also gave me a work ethic, so I know how to go in and work hard to be what I want to be.”