NFF National Scholar-Athletes
Jelani Taylor, S – Cornell University
3.96 GPA - Hotel Administration
Head Coach: David Archer | Athletics Director: Andy Noel
Faculty Athletics Representative: John Sipple
A standout safety boasting a 3.96 GPA while facing the rigors of an Ivy League education, Jelani Taylor has overcome numerous obstacles to become Cornell’s third NFF National Scholar-Athlete.
A 2018 Academic All-District and Academic All-Ivy League selection, Taylor is on track to graduate in May with a degree from Cornell’s prestigious school of hotel administration. Earlier this month, he was named the 2019 recipient of one of the university’s highest honors, the Richie Moran Award, which is presented annually to a senior student-athlete who has distinguished himself/herself through "academics, athletics and ambassadorship." A member of the 400 Club for student-athletes with a semester GPA of 4.0, Taylor was selected to receive the PSP Excellence Award and is a five-time Dean’s List honoree.
This season, Taylor leads Cornell and is tied for third in the Ivy League with 42 tackles while also boasting two interceptions. Against Harvard on Oct. 12, the team captain posted a career-high 12 tackles along with an interception and three pass breakups. A week later against Colgate, Taylor returned a fumble 87 yards for a touchdown, marking the longest fumble return in Cornell history.
As junior in 2018, Taylor led the Big Red and was seventh in the Ivy League with 72 tackles and his nine pass breakups were tied for the most in the conference. The Beecher, Michigan, native is a three-year starter and currently boasts 153 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 26 pass breakups in his career.
Taylor is an inspiration to others after overcoming dire circumstances while growing up outside of Flint, Michigan, which included a point while he was in high school that he and his family were homeless. A two-year member of the Cornell football team’s Leadership Cabinet, he tutored and advised students in financial accounting, quantitative analysis and anthropology of money, serving student-athletes and multicultural students within the School of Hotel Administration with a goal to help them excel in their coursework. Taylor served as a summer intern in the office of Cornell’s Executive Vice President & CFO, and he was chosen to represent the Big Red at the 2019 Ivy League Football Media Day at ESPN.
