Biography
As a senior (2019)
• Finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, the "Academic Heisman".
• First-team All-Ivy League.
• Earned Academic All-District honors and was a one-time Ivy Defensive Player of the Week winner.
• The senior co-captain ranked first on the team and second in the Ivy League with 76 tackles.
• Also led the team in passes defended (14), interceptions (3) and forced fumbles (2).
• Third in the conference in passes defended (13, 1.3 per game - 14th in the FCS) and second in interceptions (three, 0.3 per game – 47th in the FCS) and fumbles forced (two).
• In Ivy games only, led the conference in tackles (62, 8.9 per game) and fumbles forced (2), was second in interceptions (three) and third in passes defended (13).
• Added 2.0 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery for a touchdown and a two-point conversion breakup.
• Had a team-high six tackles with a tackle for loss in the Big Red's season-opening win at Marist.
• Credited with a team-high seven tackles and a pass breakup at Ivy preseason favorite Yale.
• Notched seven tackles vs. Georgetown.
• Had a monster game at Harvard with 12 tackles, a half-tackle for loss, an interception and three pass breakups.
• Returned a fumble 87 yards for a touchdown, the longest fumble return in school history, vs. Colgate.
• Posted game-high nine tackles, intercepting a pass and breaking up three others in a 37-35 win over Brown.
• Intercepted a first quarter pass and made a stop on a two-point conversion, made a fourth down stop early in the second to turn the ball over on downs, sprung Eric Stoxstill-Diggs' 46-yard punt return for a touchdown with the key block on the return, and broke up three fourth quarter passes, including one on third down to force a Brown punt.
• Credited with nine tackles, a half-tackle for loss, a forced fumble and an interception against No. 12 Princeton.
• Notched seven tackles with a pair of pass breakups at Penn.
• Earned Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week accolades after registering a game-high 11 tackles with a forced fumble in the win over No. 12 Dartmouth.
• Notched a team-best seven tackles and broke up a fourth-down attempt during a 35-9 win over Columbia in his final collegiate game.
As a junior (2018)
• Named first-team Academic All-District.
• Led the team in tackles (72) and passes defended (nine), and added 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack and forced a fumble from his safety position.
• Was third in Ivy League in passes defended in Ivy play (eight).
• Credited with a team-best seven stops in the 2018 opener at Delaware.
• Had six tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup against Yale.
• Posted a game-high eight tackles in the win over Sacred Heart.
• Made seven tackles and broke up two passes in the win over Harvard.
• Credited with 10 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup at No. 17 Colgate.
• Team-high eight tackles with a pass breakup and a tackle for loss in the win at Brown.
• Made six stops at No. 17 Princeton.
• Posted five tackles and a pass breakup vs. Penn.
• Posted 11 second-half tackles, including one on fourth down, against No. 23 Dartmouth.
• Broke up three passes vs. Columbia.
As a sophomore (2017)
• Emerged in the second half of the season as an impact defensive player.
• Finished seventh on the team in tackles (32) and had a sack, eight pass breakups and a forced fumble.
• Broke up four passes, one off a Cornell record, at Dartmouth.
• Earned his first career start in the win over Brown, posting an 8-yard sack and forcing a fumble.
• Made five tackles and broke up a pass in the victory at Princeton.
• Posted a career-high nine tackles against Columbia.
• Had a tackle in each of the team’s first three games of 2017.
• Had a pass breakup in the win over Harvard.
• Made five stops with a pass breakup against Bucknell.
As a freshman (2016)
• Played in eight contests on special teams in 2016.
• Led the team with seven special teams tackles.
• Made three stops in the win at No. 25 Colgate.
• Had one tackle each against Sacred Heart and Brown.
• Made a pair of tackles on special teams at Columbia.
Prior to Cornell
• Taylor was a two-time first-team all-state selection by the Detroit Free Press as a senior safety at Beecher HS.
• The Flint Journal Defensive Player of the Year recorded 84 tackles and had five interceptions as a senior while scoring four times at wide receiver.
• That came off a year in which he had 80 tackles, four interceptions and a sack at safety and hauled in four touchdowns on offense as a junior.
• The four-year team captain and three-time first-team all-conference pick ended his career with 273 tackles, 11 interceptions and 10 sacks on defense and accounted for 17 offensive touchdowns.
• Taylor was an academic all-state selection in his final season and played safety, wide receiver and quarterback during his four years.
• He was part of a district and regional championship team as a freshman and a conference champ as a junior.
• He also lettered in track and field and basketball.
Personal
• Jelani Edward Isaac Taylor is the son of Jason Taylor and Monica McKeller and has an older brother and a younger brother and sister.
• He is enrolled in the School of Hotel Administration.
