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Purdue sophomore Jacquil Taylor has had a rough few years in regards to injuries. they limited his high school career, cut short his first year on campus, and caused him to miss the entire 2016-17 season. His only fully healthy season on campus was 2015-16, when he was a reserve behind Caleb Swanigan, Isaac Haas, and A.J. Hammons. He has played only 102 minutes and scored 37 points in his career due to injury, but he may be in line to finally become a major contributor:
I am fully cleared to play again with no restrictions ✊ #thankthemanabove #boilernation https://t.co/2YuAHhy690
— Jacquil Taylor (@JacquilT14) April 27, 2017
We’re pulling for Jacquil for many reasons. First, we hate to see a guy struggle with injuries. Second, he could play some major minutes next year on a team looking for an athletic big man that can also play outside. Jacquil has a ton of potential. We have seen glimpses, mostly in the 2015-16 unmerciful 52-point beating of Rutgers where he scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 14 minutes. he is a player with a huge upside if he can just stay healthy.
As for the number of years remaining, he will technically be a redshirt junior in 2017-18. He can likely apply for a 6th year of eligibility in the future, but not until after his senior year of 2018-19.
Here is hoping things work out for him. He is a 6’10” forward that can stretch the floor (3 of 9 in his very limited career from three), so a healthy Jacquil would be a nice bonus. His first test will be in the World University Games in August.