Career: First-team All-Sun Belt honors in each of his last three seasons … No. 4 in App State history in career sacks (26.5) … PFF College Preseason All-American (honorable mention) in 2021 … Sun Belt’s best pass rusher from Lindy’s … Played in 65 career games (only missing the first game of his true freshman season) and made 39 starts (37 straight to end career) … National defensive player of the week for his performance in a win at North Carolina in 2019 (first FBS player this millennium with 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble return for a TD and an INT in the same game) … 2021 watch lists for Walter Camp Player of the Year, Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award … Totaled 137 tackles, 26.5 sacks, 45.5 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, three blocked kicks, 10 passes defended and one interception ... In five seasons, App State went 52-14 with three Sun Belt titles (2017-19), an additional Sun Belt East Division title (2021) and four bowl wins (2017-20).
2021: First-team All-Sun Belt … Started all 14 games at defensive end … Recorded 7.0 sacks and 10.5 TFLs while being credited with 43 quarterback pressures by PFF … Also had 24 tackles, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble … Had one sack against South Alabama, 1.5 against Coastal Carolina, 2.0 at Georgia State, 1.0 against Georgia Southern and 1.0 in the Sun Belt title game … Named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week following the win against Coastal Carolina … Preseason watch lists for Walter Camp Player of the Year, Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award … PFF College Preseason All-American (honorable mention).
2020: First-team All-Sun Belt for the second straight year, via the league, Phil Steele and PFF … Started all 12 games at defensive end … Had 40 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks, eight QB hurries, four PBUs and two forced fumbles … Watch list for Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Award and Ted Hendricks Award in 2020 ... Preseason first-team All-Sun Belt from the league’s coaches/media as well as Lindy's, Athlon, Phil Steele and Street and Smith … Had 6.0 sacks in the eight Sun Belt games, with 2.0 vs. Arkansas State, 1.0 at Texas State, 1.5 against Georgia State and 1.5 at Coastal Carolina … … In the top 10 of FBS edge rushers with a pass-rush grade of 90.6 and a win rate of 21.6 percent, according to PFF College … Rare accomplishment of a win rate above 25 percent on over half of App State’s games, according to PFF … Recorded a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss and a season-high seven tackles against Georgia State … Had 6.5 tackles for loss and 13 total tackles in back-to-back games with his six stops and 3.0 tackles for loss at Coastal Carolina.
2019: First-team All-Sun Belt as a defensive lineman … Played all 14 games and started 13 as a defensive end … Finished season with 44 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, eight QB hurries, three forced fumbles, two blocked kicks (one punt, one field goal), four PBUs, one interception and one fumble return for a touchdown … Named the national defensive player of the week by multiple outlets for his dominant performance in a 34-31 win at North Carolina, where he came off the bench to score on a 20-yard fumble return created by his forced fumble on a blindside hit, also return an interception 19 yards, force a second fumble and finish with 2.5 sacks … Became the first FBS player this millennium with 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble return for a TD and an interception in the same game … With two blocked kicks, was part of a tie for second place nationally … Led the Sun Belt and ranked No. 12 nationally with 92 yards lost on TFLs … Had a sack, a stop on a fourth-and-goal rush from the one and a punt-forcing QB hurry in the Mountaineers’ 17-7 victory at Louisiana … Set up a TD by forcing a fumble on a sack against Charlotte in Game 2, when he had 2.5 tackles for loss … Midseason Watch List for the Ted Hendricks Award (nation’s top DE) and a finalist for the Piesman Trophy, which “honors linemen who do something that transcends their position.”
2018: Saw action in all 13 games as a defensive end, accounting for 16 tackles, 3.5 sacks for 4.0 tackles for loss … Had sacks against Penn State (8-yard loss), Troy (4-yard loss in the East Division title game) and Middle Tennessee (6-yard loss in the New Orleans Bowl) as well as half a sack against Louisiana in the regular season … Season high of three tackles in that home win against Louisiana … Tipped a punt for an official block at Georgia Southern … Increased total to 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in 25 career games.
2017: Appeared in the final 12 games as a true freshman at defensive end … Finished season with 13 tackles (eight solo), 3.0 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss … Had sacks against Savannah State, Wake Forest and Georgia State … One of three true freshmen to play on defense.
High School: Rated a two-star prospect by 247Sports and Scout.com … All-state performer in Florida as a senior, also earned All-Dade County at Miami Northwestern High School … Had 10 sacks, five blocked punts, 60 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries (one for a TD) … Recruited by East Carolina and Idaho, among others.
Personal: Full name is Demetrius Latron Taylor … Son of Yolanda Whitehead … Born May 27, 1999 … Has one sibling, Tremaine.
