BLACKSBURG, Va. — The Hokie faithful envisioned moments like this when Tyrod Taylor signed with Virginia Tech out of Hampton High School in 2007. It's not every day one of the top quarterback recruits in the country decides to come to Blacksburg, even in Frank Beamer's ACC-owning heyday.
Popular high school prospect ranking site Rivals.com had Tyrod one spot above Cam Newton in the 2007 class. Taylor was the top-rated, dual-threat quarterback in the country. When someone like that signs, visions of greatness are inescapable.
Those visions don't always become reality. With Tyrod Taylor, they did. Taylor went on to become one of the best in Hokie history, one of the best in the country, and a role model throughout his career on and off the field. Here's what Hokie Sports had to say in Monday's press release:
"Taylor, one of the most electric quarterbacks to take the field for Virginia Tech in its history, wrapped up his career as a three-time ACC champion. The Hampton, Va., native was the 2010 ACC Player of the Year, along with the MVP of that season’s ACC Championship game.
As a true freshman, Taylor started five games and played a supporting role in Virginia Tech’s 2007 ACC Championship game victory over No. 12 Boston College. In 2008, the mobile quarterback took the reins of the offense and guided the Hokies to another conference championship, giving Tech back-to-back ACC titles. With Taylor at quarterback, the Hokies defeated No. 18 Boston College in Tampa, Fla. That was the second of three ranked wins for Virginia Tech in 2008, preceding Tech’s 20-7 win over No. 12 Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2009.
In 2009, Taylor’s passing game took major strides, as he threw for 2,311 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Hokies capped off another 10-win season that year with a 37-14 win over Tennessee in the 2009 Chick-Fil-A bowl, as Taylor passed for 209 yards and rushed for a touchdown.
Taylor’s career was capped off with a remarkable 2010 campaign, in which he set career highs in passing yards (2,473) and passing touchdowns (24). After an 0-2 start, the Hokies fired off 11 consecutive wins, headlined by a 44-33 ACC Championship game win over No. 20 Florida State. Passing for three scores and rushing for one, Taylor garnered MVP recognition en route to a third ACC championship.
At his career’s conclusion, Taylor posted a 34-8 record, the most wins by a starting quarterback at Virginia Tech. He stands as Tech’s second leading passer in school history with 7,017 yards and ran for the 15th-most yards in program history with 2,196. His 9,213 total yards rank second-most all-time at Virginia Tech.
Taylor was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2011 and won a Super Bowl with the team in 2012. In 2015, as the starting quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, Taylor set the franchise record for most rushing yards in a season by a quarterback, becoming the first Bills quarterback with over 500 yards rushing in a season. He was named to the Pro Bowl following the 2015 season. In 13 NFL seasons, Taylor has 12,135 yards and 65 touchdowns."
Along with Taylor, track and field athlete Jeff Artis-Gray, tennis coach Larsen Bowker, football player Duane Brown, track and field coach Dave Cianelli, track and field athlete Brittany Pryor, swimmer Heather Savage, and diver Logan Shinholser will also be inducted.