C.J. Taylor has been selected a Tennessee Titan Mr. Football Semifinalist for the TSSAA 6A Classification.  

Ballots for nominating Mr. Football were sent to the media listed in the TSSAA database, which includes the Southern Standard, and every head football coach.  

C.J. commented on being selected, “It’s a blessing to be a semifinalist. I want to thank my mom first off because I couldn’t do anything without her, and I want to thank coach Turner for giving me opportunities along with coach Bond. Last, but not least, I wanna thank God!! He has kept me injury free, and has allowed me to play the game I love at a high level.”

A select group of sports writers makeup a selection committee. They meet to discuss the potential finalists and vote by secret ballot. This will determine the finalists and ultimate winner.

Three finalists for each category will be announced by Mike Keith on the Titans website at www.titansonline.com on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. The three finalists for each award will be the ones invited to attend the awards luncheon at Nissan Stadium, where the winner of each award will be announced.

C.J. Taylor has 1,567 rushing yards for the season, which puts him in fourth place in the all-time Warren County single season record books. C.J. is behind three rushing seasons of Jeff Womack.  

C.J. has 21 touchdowns for the season, which places him in second place behind Jeff Womack for the all-time single season record.

Total offensive yards for C.J. this season are 2,065. C.J. is fourth in the state in rushing. 

WCHS coach Matt Turner said, “In my opinion that was an easy choice. Obviously, I cannot vote for one of my own players. His performance speaks for itself. His athletic ability allowed us to overcome some shortfalls due to COVID. C.J. really helped us get the rust out of our system against DeKalb. And he really moved the chains against Blackman. He had to carry the weight of this team going through an undefeated streak of eight games. We played 123 plays the other night, and he probably played at least 108 of them. It is not Mr. Football Running Back. It is about what you did for your team.”

Pioneer defensive coordinator Camron Bond said, “I think he is deserving, as deserving as any player in the state because of what he has done for our team. As important as C.J. is to our offense, he is just as important to our defense.”  

Hopefully, C.J.’s impact on the Pioneer football team’s historic season will help sports writers select him as a Tennessee Titan Mr. Football Finalist.