YHS senior Zachary Taylor signs with Army
Yoakum High School (YHS) senior Zachary Taylor has the chance to be all he can be, on the football field and off as well as he recently signed with West Point Military Academy, commonly referred to as Army, to play football.
He has had insight into playing at and attending Army as his father’s (Roderick Taylor) college roommate, Jerry Sharp, has a son Jalen Sharp who played cornerback for the Golden Knights from 2015 to 2018.
Zachary Taylor said he started preparing to have the opportunity to play at the next level during his sophomore year at Del Rio.
The Army football program contacted Taylor during his junior year (2022-2023) when he transferred to Yoakum from Del Rio halfway through the school year.
“Army has been watching me since my junior year,” he said. “They reached out to me and as the 2023 season progressed, they continued to show more interest in me.”
Army, as a service academy, handles its football recruiting like a non-service academy, contacting potential recruits and bringing them to West Point for visits.
“I took my visit during spring break of this year. My favorite thing about the school is how everyone is together and works as a team,” Taylor said.
“Everyone is one; it does not matter if you are there for the Army or there for sports. Everybody is one big unit and they all help each other. I like the bond everyone there has.”
During his initial year at West Point, Taylor will go to the “prep school."
“Prep school to West Point is kind of what junior high is to high school,” he said. “It is getting you ready to make that step up. I will go to the prep school first and will be able to learn the offense, and when I do go to the actual academy, I will be ready to take the starting job.”
Having played at quarterback both at Del Rio and Yoakum, Taylor anticipates that is where he will play as a Golden Knight.
“I’ve talked with Jalen and I’ve talked with my coaches; everyone has set routines,” he said. “I don’t feel the routine at Army will be especially hard. It will be three classes in the morning, go to lunch, attend one more class and then you have football for the rest of the day.”
“The only time cadets who are in athletics do military things is during the summer. The firstyear football players, during their time on the team, focus mostly on football. The military part will come later down the line in school.”
The dynamics of college football recruiting has changed somewhat because of the introduction of the transfer portal.
“The portal has made it more difficult to get a full football scholarship,” RoderickTaylor said.
If Zachary Taylor is not drafted by the National Football League at end of his football eligibility, he will enter active service with the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant.
If he is selected by an NFL team, he can serve his five years (or more if he choses) following the end of his NFL career.
“If you are not drafted to play in the NFL, you do not have to worry about finding a job after graduation because you will have one waiting for you in the Army, he said.
Zachary Taylor said he plans on majoring in marketing or something in automotive.
Although he would have spent less than two school years at Yoakum when he graduates, Zachary Taylor and his family have integrated well into the community.
“I will miss my friends and my family here in Yoakum. Everybody has been good to my family and me,” he said. “It was hard when we first arrived here, moving out of Del Rio for my senior year. We overcame it.”