Purdue lands portal commitment from Indiana cornerback

Purdue’s list of transfer portal commitments swelled to eight with a pledge from Indiana cornerback Reese Taylor.

Taylor is the third cornerback to commit to the Boilermakers this month, joining Kansas State’s Tee Denson and Adam’s State’s Bryce Hampton. And Taylor is the eighth portal commit this month for the Boilermakers.

The 5-11, 185-pound Taylor entered the portal on December 16 and will have two years of eligibility.

In 2017, the Indianapolis Ben Davis product was Indiana Mr. Football as a quarterback, leading the Giants to the 2017 Class 6A state title and 14-0 record. Taylor threw for 3,150 yards and 40 touchdowns and rushed for 802 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior.

Taylor played quarterback, running back and wide receiver as a true freshman in 2018 at Indiana due to injuries at those positions. He finished with 83 rushing yards and 174 receiving yards that year.

He moved to cornerback full-time after that and was part of the Hoosiers’ rotation the last two seasons. Taylor recorded 69 tackles, including 8.0 for loss, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions and nine pass break-ups in his career. In 2021, he struggled with lower leg injuries and finished with 25 tackles, one sack and two pass break-ups in eight games.

Taylor is the second Indiana player to commit to Purdue, as running back Sampson James left Bloomingon for West Lafayette in August. Last year, defensive tackle Damarjhe Lewis left Indiana for Purdue.

Receivers Elijah Canion (Auburn) and Tyrone Tracy (Iowa) , offensive lineman Sione Finau (Florida International), running back Christopher Brooks (Cal) and “LEO” Scotty Humpich (Murray State) all have committed in December, in addition to Taylor, Denson and Hampton.