Taylor not content despite plenty of praise going into freshman season

If there is one name that was the talk of Arizona's August camp it was that of freshman running back JJ Taylor. Although he is one of the smaller players on the UA roster he has been one of the newcomers to make the biggest impression with the season opener against BYU less than two weeks away.

Whether it was his footwork (as noted by his teammate Nick Wilson) or his ability to make plays in the open field (as noted by his coach) or his his hands (noted by others on the team), Taylor has heard plenty of compliments already before even taking the field for a single play in a college game.

Still, sometimes a player himself can be his harshest critic and despite the praise - even from some of those he is competing with - the standout running back from Corona-Centennial High in California is not content.

He's plenty aware that praise in August doesn't necessarily equate to success on the field unless the work continues.

"It's nice for me to hear that stuff," Taylor said in his first opportunity to speak to the media over the weekend at UA's media day. "But, I've still got much to work on. So hearing that stuff really doesn't affect me in a positive or negative way. I just look forward to making good things happen."

And if you listen to his coach his chance to make good things happen could be coming a bit sooner rather than later in his career. Rich Rodriguez isn't ready to hand the keys over to Taylor just yet, but the UA head coach was plenty happy on National Signing Day when the shifty back was part of the 2016 class and his level of excitement about his freshman running back remains high going into the season.

"He's been really good," Rodriguez said Tuesday. "You knew what you had physically, but you just didn't know how quickly mentally a young guy will pick it up. Coach (Calvin) Magee has done a great job, and he'll play as a freshman."

So the redshirt season is out. Taylor is going to see the field in some capacity this year for the Wildcats. Right now he'll have to fight for carries with junior Nick Wilson and sophomore Orlando Bradford, but for Taylor it is not so much about the "where" when it comes to how he can best help the 'Cats this season.

"Wherever coach puts me," he said about how he fits into this year's squad. "I mean, I'm here to play football. So if he tells me to go on defense I'll go on defense. If he tells me to go on the offensive line I'll do that, but it's not going to be beneficial. But, hey, I'm here to play."

Click here to listen to our full interview with Taylor from Arizona's media day including his thoughts on where he wants to get better before the season, what it means having friends on the team and much more.