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Paul Wolf:
There's an HBCU - Historically Black College and University - in the City With Soul. You might have heard of it. Jackson State University? Their football team has been in the spotlight over the past few years, so you think there'd be high expectations when things change in the coach's office. And don't get me wrong. There are expectations. But the new head coach says, "I'm going to do it my way."

Hey, it's Paul Wolf with a front row seat to conversations on culture from Jackson, Mississippi. We call our podcast Soul Sessions. It's the people, places, and events that make the City With Soul shine. Today, my colleague Yolanda Clay-Moore has a conversation with the 22nd head coach of the Jackson State University Tigers, TC Taylor. Coach Taylor talks about his lifelong preparation for this job and gives us a look at April 15th's Blue and White spring game at the Vet. And to say the coach understands the gravity of the big shoes he's filling, all that might be an understatement.

Coach Taylor:
To know all the previous coaches that had so much success here at a program like Jackson State. And you know what I say, the Mecca of HBCU football, a contender in the FCS, to be the 22nd head coach is a dream of mine. I always wanted to have an opportunity to come back here and have an opportunity to lead this program and continue success with these players, this city. It means a lot to me.

Yolanda:
When you played here, was that ever a dream?

Coach Taylor:
Not as a player. My dream was to get to the NFL. I was trying to make that next step to the next level. I never really even considered coaching then.

Yolanda:
Yeah.

Coach Taylor:
The dream of mine was just playing at Jackson State. I grew up a fan. My sister went here, so I was here a lot as a young kid, growing up in the stands, and to get opportunity to play in the Vet was something that I always dreamed of. But I never really thought I was going to get into coaching until later on. But those times, everybody had dreams of going pro.

Yolanda:
But with that being said, you're well-prepared.

Coach Taylor:
Oh, definitely. Definitely, definitely. I'm, what, almost 20 years into this thing, coaching, so I've been at a lot of places, had a lot of success last year, winning a SWAC Championship. I think that's my fifth conference championship in college football. Been around a lot of great coaches on all levels. Done some things in the NFL. College football, junior college football; so, it's a moment that I've been preparing for a while.

Yolanda:
You came in, obviously, behind Coach Prime's tenure here and you kind of had a blank slate, from players to personnel, for your coaching staff. So how did you go about identifying who was right for your program, be it a player or someone on your coaching staff?

Coach Taylor:
This has been five years in the making for me, so I've always prepared myself for this moment. I never wanted this moment to get on me and not be ready. I always knew what type of players I wanted. I want big, physical players that could run. Coaches, I wanted guys that knew the Xs and Os, but were great mentors to the young men, as well. So I always kept a little book of guys that I would cross in the coaching path, like, "If I was a head coach, I want that guy." All the great players that I was able to coach as a position coach or coordinator, I was like, "That's how that position's supposed to look. That's how I want my quarterback to play."

Yolanda:
We have a lot of eyes on us, and all of it is not positive.

Coach Taylor:
Mm-hmm.

Yolanda:
Some of them are just waiting for us to fail, crumble, and just I guess fall in a hole and cry. I don't know.

Coach Taylor:
Yeah.

Yolanda:
But what's your take on that?

Coach Taylor:
I don't listen to the naysayers, because the players and the coaches decide. We work our butts off, like I tell these coaches and players: "Everybody in the building that touches this program, if we work our butts off, that's going to be half the battle." If you get them listening and hearing a lot of the outside noise, you're going to go to believing it.

Yolanda:
Right.

Coach Taylor:
So I try to keep that block out. I don't read a lot of newspaper clippings and get caught in the listening. I'm going to do it my way. I'm going to trust the people that surround me on a everyday basis, and I'm going to trust what I see in these players. A lot of people ask me, like, "Man, you're like night and day from Prime." I keep to myself. I keep it real simple. I don't talk a lot. But it's been wonderful. It's been a whirlwind though. It's been a lot going on, a lot of moving parts, but I'm up for the challenge in the city that I love. I love the city of Jackson. I love Mississippi. This is home. I like positive vibes around me. If you know me, I'm always smiling. I always got that smile on my face. And I know me, as the leader, the people under me are looking at that.

Yolanda:
That's so true, because you do set the tone for your whole program.

Coach Taylor:
Yeah, you bet.

Yolanda:
So I completely understand that. I've had the privilege to be a part of your recruiting team. At least I'm saying I'm a part of your recruiting team. But I've seen you in action, Coach. I won't say the player, but this recruit, he was there and you spoke to his mom.

Coach Taylor:
Okay.

Yolanda:
She gave the okay. And this is all by phone, now. And then, he called his father and you spoke to him and he gave the okay. He turned to look at you and said, "What are you saying to my parents?"

Coach Taylor:
I remember that. I remember that.

Yolanda:
So, give us a little insight as to how you go about securing these commits.

Coach Taylor:
I always tell myself and my staff, "Let's make sure we recruiting the parents as well," because they got to be assured that they're sons are coming into a good situation and they're going to be taken care of and we got their best mindset at heart. I tell them about the city. How we're doing good things around here. Tell them about the program and the plan that we have in store for them in order to get that education, and also to get them to the pros. You can't just sit up and recruit a kid. You got to let the moms know, the dads know, that everything is going to be okay on a day-to-day basis, because, look, I mean, four years here, they're not here with them.

Yolanda:
Right. Right.

Coach Taylor:
So we turn into those parents. And like I told them that night, I said, "It's like a relay race. I'm running the last leg for you right now, and it's time for you to hand that baton off me." So we going to do continue to do a good job recruiting these parents as well, because when we take a young man in, we're taking in their mom, dad, grandma, grandfathers in as well.

Yolanda:
For sure. Okay, let me ask you this. We got a big game coming up here. The Blue and White game. So just tell us a little bit about that.

Coach Taylor:
We're going to get after it. Like I told the guys before we took off with everything: The beauty about spring ball, you're just trying to see who can help you in the fall.

Yolanda:
Right.

Coach Taylor:
So the thing is: You're not playing a Southern or a Grambling or a Texas State. Jackson State is playing Jackson State. So it's important for us to install our system offensively, defensively, special teams, and go out there and put together a great day in front of fans on April 15th. I'm expecting a huge turnout. You know how JSU fans support, so we want to put a good product on the field that day. At the same time, want to make sure we're developing our young men in these 15 practices.

From day one, it's got to look different than that last practice or that spring game. So we're steady, on a day-to-day basis, preaching to them, "Get better than the last day. We got to stack days." That's what I say at the end of every practice, "Make sure we're stacking days and not taking any steps back." But it's going to be electric on April 15th. We got a lot going on that week. Blue and White Week. The city is... It's abuzz. And then, everybody got eyes on T.C. Taylor. They're following Coach Prime, and, "What is it going to look like?" So what is it going to look like? So we'll be ready to go. We're having some phenomenal practices right now, so we're excited.

Yolanda:
What do you think is special about Jackson?

Coach Taylor:
Man. The love. It's the love. Everybody don't really understand, far as being a player here and a coach, how the people come out and support one another. That, to me, is what's special. Also, the food. Let me say that, too. I had sneak that one in there because I love to eat. But the support and just how everybody got everybody back in the city.

Yolanda:
Yeah.

Coach Taylor:
It's a great city to come to, and like I said, it's always something going on to be entertained. You got great people around the city. And I use it in recruiting. I talk to the parents about it. Everybody got each other back around here. We look out for one another and you know you're going to have a great time while you're here.

Yolanda:
We'd like to thank the 22nd head football coach of the Jackson State University for being with us today.

Coach Taylor:
I appreciate it. Can't wait till April 15th. The first time to put this football team on display in front of the city and let them know that, "Hey, everything's going to be okay going forward. We're going to be fine. We're going to win football games and continue to develop these young men."

Paul Wolf:
That’s my colleague Yolanda Clay-Moore speaking with JSU head coach TC Taylor. The spring game on April 15 is free – just pay for parking. We’ll put links in our show notes.

Soul Sessions is produced by Visit Jackson, the destination organization for Mississippi's Capital City. Our executive producers are Jonathan Pettus and Dr. Rickey Thigpen. You want to know more about us? You can go to our fabulous website. It's up-to-date every single day at Visitjackson.com. I'm Paul Wolf and you've been listening to Soul Sessions.

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