taylor leaving ut

Tennessee head football coach Phillip Fulmer confirmed Wednesday that assistant head coach for player development and wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor has accepted the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach position at Oklahoma State University. Taylor is expected to coach at Tennessee through the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1.

“Trooper has done a tremendous job for Tennessee in his four years here,” Fulmer said. “He’s an outstanding football coach and great friend. He and his family mean a great deal to me and the Tennessee staff. We wish him nothing but continued success.”

Taylor was initially thought to be a candidate for the open Tennessee offensive coordinator position vacated last week when former Vols’ play-caller David Cutlcliffe accepted the head coaching job at Duke. Taylor also interviewed for a similar position at his alma mater, Baylor, on Monday.

Taylor reportedly informed his players when he got back from Baylor that if Tennessee didn’t offer him the offensive coordinator job he would “probably” go to Baylor.

In the meantime, Oklahoma State, a member of the Big 12 conference, threw its name in the hat sometime in the last 72 hours and made the Cuero, Texas native an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Taylor will join Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy’s staff as its co-offensive coordinator, leaving Fulmer and the Vols with the task of replacing two of its top offensive coaches and arguably two of the staff’s top recruiters with National Signing Day less than two months away.

Taylor came to Knoxville four years ago after a five-year stint coaching receivers at Tulane. He spent two years at Tulane as a graduate assistant before being named the receivers coach in 1994. He coached Baylor’s secondary for two years before returning to coach Tulane’s receivers for one year.

Prior to signing on with Tulane, Taylor spent the 1998 season as the running backs coach at New Mexico.

Before taking over as receivers coach at Tennessee in 2006, Taylor coached the Vols running backs for two years, helping Cedric Houston and Gerald Riggs become UT’s only pair of 1,000-yard rushers in a season, and then coached then-freshman Arian Foster for one of the best freshman campaigns for a running back in Tennessee history.

In his first year as the Vols’ receivers coach, Taylor helped former UT wide out Robert Meachem, an eventual first-draft pick by the New Orleans Saints, set a Tennessee record for receiving yards in a year (1,298).

He accepted the appointment to assistant head coach for player development in 2005.

This past season, Taylor, 37, was named by Rivals.com a top 25 recruiter for the second time in the last three years.

“Tennessee has been great to me,” said Taylor. “I’ll always appreciate how I have grown as a coach and as a man. I will have many lasting relationships and memories. I thank Coach Fulmer for the opportunity to have coached here and also thank the players, staff and fans for the support and great memories.”