When Tony Elliott went shopping for a running back in the transfer portal during the offseason, he and staff viewed numerous possibilities on video until they landed on little-known J’Mari Taylor from tiny North Carolina Central University.
Taylor, a 5-foot-9, 200-pound tailback, had a highlight of eye-popping runs that Elliott and his Virginia coaching staff couldn’t ignore.
That was when the offseason portal opened, flooded with running backs. While Taylor impressed during the spring, he really blew the coaches away in August training camp when UVA running backs coach Keith Gaither said he believed Taylor was as good as any back in the ACC…