O'Dea's Mays growing out of father's NFL shadow, headed to USC

Stafford Mays remembers entering his son's room one day a couple years back and seeing Taylor, then a 14-year-old freshman, doing his homework — while wearing his football helmet.

"That's how over the top he was," Stafford Mays says with a chuckle. "The guy loves the game."

The image shouldn't be a surprise. Taylor has been around football since he was waddling around in diapers.

His father, who played defensive tackle for Washington in the late 1970s and professionally for the Vikings and Cardinals, started taking his son to practices when he was just 6 months old.

Taylor begged his father to play football. Stafford relented only when Taylor hit seventh grade. Even then it was clear that Taylor was bigger and faster than the other kids, that he might have a future.

In junior high, father and son started watching "Monday Night Football" together. Taylor began asking about defensive schemes and coverages. Stafford taught Taylor about pass-rushing techniques on the driveway of their house.

Meanwhile, the boy kept growing. He started weightlifting as a sophomore and packed on 40 pounds. He ran track to increase his speed. At 17, he is a college-ready 6 feet 3, 228 pounds.

Taylor grew up in a strict, disciplined household. Taylor's mother, Laurie Black, is president of Nordstrom Rack. Stafford is a senior manager at Microsoft.

"I have high expectations in my house, so I'm always striving to achieve them, trying to be the best at the things I do," Taylor says. "Anything mediocre I do, I kind of get admonished for it."

Recruiting is behind him — Taylor this month picked USC over Washington and Michigan — and now he can concentrate on football.

Taylor intercepted five passes as a Seattle Times all-state safety last year and scored 10 touchdowns, seven on receptions, three on punt returns. To make him an even bigger threat, O'Dea coach Monte Kohler plans to use Taylor at quarterback at times.

Taylor talks about football reverently. He learned that from his father. "I feel like I'm very fortunate to have a role model, someone I can talk to, who knows what he's talking about."

As a kid, he worried that he would be lost in his father's NFL-sized shadow. But as Taylor's game and name grow, it soon might be the other way around.