LITTLE ROCK, ARK – West Chester University junior LB
Jackson Taylor (Glenside, Pa./Abington) was named a finalist for the ninth annual 2022 Cliff Harris Award, which is handed out by the Little Rock Touchdown Club to the top small college defensive player in the country.
The award represents more than 5,000 players from almost 500 NCAA Division II and III and NAIA colleges and universities and is named for former Dallas Cowboys safety and NFL Hall of Famer, Cliff Harris, who played his college ball at Division II Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas.
The winner of the Cliff Harris Award will be announced on Friday, Dec. 30, and that individual will be honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club's annual awards banquet on Jan. 13. In addition to the winner, top vote-getters from each division will also be announced Dec. 30.
Taylor is the sixth finalist in the nine-year history of the award. He joins Ch'aim Smith (2019), Tyler Morrissey (2017), Andrew Cohen (2015), Al-Hajj Shabazz (2014) and Ronell Williams (2013) on that list. He is the third linebacker among that group to reach the finalist stage.
Taylor, a second-team All-America selection by both the Associated Press (AP) and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), led the team in tackles with 97 stops this fall. The three-time, first team All-PSAC East linebacker and two-time PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year reached double figures in tackles five times and posted a season-best 15 against Millersville. His 97 stops on the year was a single-season high. It ranked seventh overall in the PSAC and third in the Eastern Division. He was second in all of Division II and led the conference in fumble recoveries with four. His 20 tackles for a loss ranked eighth in the nation and second in the PSAC. He was credited with seven QB hurries and six sacks.
He has 262 tackles in his three seasons at West Chester and ranks ninth all-time in assisted tackles with 130. His 39 career tackles for a loss is fourth all-time at the school as well.
