Q&A: Arkansas Signee Michael Taylor

Arkansas' late addition for the Class of 2016, Riverside (Calif.) C.C. defensive end Michael Taylor, is finishing up his final class in junior college before being able to enroll at the UA. It should be just a matter of days before he arrives in Fayetteville, so HawgSports.com wanted to do one final story with him before he got on campus.

On Sunday, what started out as a short update on where things stand with the timing of his arrival turned into a 20-minute conversation about a variety of topics. Taylor went in-depth on the struggles that many JUCO athletes face, the value of having support from his family and Arkansas' staff, the many lessons he's learned along the way, and more.

Here's our Q&A with the soon-to-be Razorback:

Danny West: I know you're focusing on finishing up your class out there, but what are some of the things you're doing to get physically ready for when you arrive at Arkansas?

Michael Taylor: “I’ve been working out. I’ve got the conditioning and workout stuff that (Arkansas strength coach Ben Herbert) sent me, so I’ve been doing that every day."

DW: What's your weight at right now?

MT: "I’m at 252 right now. I want to be heavier. I’ve been in the gym a lot, though. I’ve been doing everything that I had been doing, but I’ve taken it up a notch. I’m a guy that likes to be pushed and having someone yelling at me, but right now I’m on my own and doing my own conditioning.

I’ve been doing a lot of first-step stuff, a lot of endurance stuff, and then I’ve been watching so much film. You can find anything on YouTube. I’ll tell you this, too, I’ve watched every single Arkansas game from 2014 and 2015 and both of the last two spring games. I’ve been on top of it, so I’m pumped.”

DW: Sounds like you're ready to go.

MT: “I’ve been itching for this. I literally just got done packing some more stuff up so I'll be ready when it's time to leave. Every day I wake up, I’m just ready to go. I’ve never been so excited about football. Ever since I committed, it’s really just like an urge right now.”

DW: So, I understand you're having to finish up one last class before you can leave. You don't have to talk about this stuff if you don't want to.

MT: “Sure, I don't mind. My junior college made the mistake. I was supposed to be at Arkansas before fall camp, that was the initial plan. My junior college came back and said they had messed up. They admitted to us that they made the mistake. Now I’m in a class that I’m trying to finish as soon as possible, but the thing that upset me and upset the coaches at Arkansas, is the junior college waited until the last minute to find these things out.

I mean, I take blame for it because I should’ve been more on top of it. But on the other hand, when I first got here they told me ‘Okay, these are the classes you need to take.’ And I took those classes. So, for when it’s time for me to go and they come up with this nonsense and put a hold on my future, that’s a problem with me. And what sucks is they waited until I got back from my visit at Arkansas to tell me.”

DW: Sounds like a classic case of someone at a JUCO dropping the ball on their end. We see this kind of thing a lot in recruiting.

MT: “The thing is, it’s sad. I gave them my hard work, my dedication, my money, and this is how it worked out. The guy that messed it up actually said to me, ‘This is my fault, I told you these classes were good when they really weren’t.’ I understand he messed up, but I mean, I'm sitting there thinking 'how do you even get paid to do this?'

I wake up every day praying and hoping that I can just get to Arkansas. The other day I literally just wanted to put everything in my car and drive. As soon as they tell me I can leave, there will not be any hesitation in my heart. I’m grabbing everything I own and I’m on my way to Arkansas. I won’t look back at all."

DW: We've talked about it a little before, but I don't think people realize how hard it can be for JUCO players to make it to the next level. A lot of them can't afford to even stay in school. Some do, but then they don't have the discipline or patience that it requires to wait long enough to make it. What are some of the challenges you've met while trying to make it?

MT: “I’ve been working since I was 18, and I was in school and I am playing football. I’m living like a grownup, just doing whatever I can to get my school paid for. So for this to come up, I was devastated. I honestly fell to the ground.

There have been times when I was homeless for two weeks. There were times when I didn’t have food on the table..."

DW: So, you were literally homeless out on the street? How did that come about?

MT: "I was living out of my car for over two weeks earlier this year. My parents are really helpful, and my teammates let me crash at their place sometimes, but I was living in my car, man.

It was a situation where my dorm room got broken into. They took everything I had while I was back home on break. I had driven my car back with my dad, so I still had my car. I was getting a new place after mine got broken into, but I couldn't move into the new place for like two weeks, so I just stayed in my car.

It's frustrating because everyone here told me it was safe, then I come back from my break to find all of my stuff has been stolen. Don't get me wrong, all of the coaches here do care, but then you throw in how the school kind of messed me up with the counselor or whatever, it's just been frustrating."

DW: That's pretty rough. On the bright side, though, hopefully you're almost done and you can move on.

MT: “That's what the Arkansas coaches keep telling me, too. See, here's the thing. I didn’t have any idea that I was going to be leaving this soon. I didn’t have any big offers at first. My first big offer was UCLA, and then schools started to flow in.

But UCLA offered for midyear, and Arkansas offered for right now. I told Coach (E.K.) Franks immediately, ‘I’m going to the University of Arkansas. That’s my dream, to play in the SEC. I’ve been dreaming about that since high school.’ To have that opportunity is a blessing and a dream come true. On the other hand, having people mess with that opportunity and potentially have it taken away from me is my worst nightmare.

Don't get me wrong, Coach Franks has always told me 'We're not giving up on you. We're going to be with you side-by-side no matter how long it takes.'

DW: That's got to make you feel good, knowing that in a worst-case scenario, you've still got a spot at Arkansas.

MT: “Coach Franks has been one of the biggest reasons I wanted to go to Arkansas. He’s just a family man, and he’s not one of those coaches that only want you at this time or that time. He told me, ‘Don’t worry about when it is, just make sure you get here.'

And I'm not really worried about that part of it, really. I believe them, it's just, man, money is tight. I'm getting ready to go to work right now. I've still got to work, you know. I don't know how much longer I'll be here, but I can't just stop working. I've still got to eat."

DW: You say you're about to go to work right now. What's your job?

MT: "I'm a bouncer at a club."

DW: I'd say you probably have the qualifications to do that.

MT: "I actually just got promoted to manager at the club I work for, so I'd say I do my job well. I’ll tell you a quick story. The other night we had this guy in the club who was being aggressive and putting his hands on a female, so I did exactly what I do on the football field when I get a bull rush and extend on somebody. I did the same thing to this guy and put him down.

So, I take football right into the club. It works alright for me.”

DW: That's awesome. You know Arkansas has a guy, Dan Skipper, who's a bouncer down on Dickson Street, too.

MT: "It's a lifestyle."

DW: So, how good is this going to feel when it's all over out there and you finally make it to Arkansas?

MT: “I’m really blessed. Like I I told them when I committed, I’m not taking any more visits no matter what. I’m a committed Razorback no matter what. I told them I want to get there right now and I’ll work day and night to do it.

"I just can't wait to get up there and get my school, my career, and really my life started there. I mean out here, I'm living, but I'm working."

DW: People don't realize that most of you guys have to work one, sometimes multiple jobs, in order to stay in school. I talked with a JUCO guy a few months ago who worked three different jobs.

MT: "I'm sure you saw the Netflix show 'Last Chance U.'

DW: Just got done watching it.

MT: “That was a good example, but if they want to see what really goes on sometimes then they need to come to California. Don’t get me wrong, they struggle out there, too. But if they really want to see the money and the time that some cats put into this, then they need to come to California.

They can follow me or my friends around and see guys that work until 3-4 in the morning, then wake up at 5:30 in the morning to go to practice, and then to class, and then back to work that night. It's a grind. There are many nights when I don't even go to sleep, but it’s a harsh world.

I have a lot of respect for anyone that goes through the JUCO life. I'm blessed to have a car so I can go to work and stuff like that. My parents have helped me out a lot. That's one of the reasons I want this so bad. It's not just for me, it’s for my family."

DW: How excited is your family to see you make it to Arkansas?

MT: "I don't think you understand. As soon as I get to school, I know my dad will buy tickets to every game on the schedule. Every home game, every away game, every out-of-country game we play, he’ll have a flight booked from Orlando. He’s not playing around about this; he’s even more excited than me. I can't even describe it."

DW: I know you've got to go to work and throw people around, but I appreciate you doing the interview because I think it'll show people some of the things you had to go through to get here.

MT: “Well, I’m not looking for people’s sympathy. I want people to know that what I have gone through in junior college is really a blessing. It sucks sometimes -- like when the counselor comes up with some nonsense about me not having the right class -- but it really is a blessing and it's opened my eyes to what's important in order for me to make it.

Like, I'll be 100 percent honest with you. I’ve never been a big fan of school. I just never liked it. But I know this, though: You’ll never have to get on me about going to class. I’m going to go to class. I’m not going to miss any class. I’m going to do my work.

And I want to say this, too. None of this would even be possible without my mom and dad. None of it at all. They pay my rent every month just for me to share a room. This last class that I had to take right now, it cost $600. Where did that come from? My family. And they don’t mind doing it because they know this will be worth it for me.

The first day my parents can see me play at Arkansas, I'll probably bust out in tears."