Recruiting notebook: Desert Pines sophomore draws Power 4 interest
It’s rare for a football player to get a college offer before ever playing a high school game.
But that’s what happened to Desert Pines sophomore Mike Taylor.
Taylor received an offer from UNLV after the school’s 7-on-7 event last summer, before the start of his freshman season with the Jaguars.
“It was a great feeling,” said Taylor, a tight end and linebacker. “That was a great opportunity for me to showcase my talent before I even got to high school. The opportunity was just amazing that they gave me.”
Taylor has since picked up seven more Division I offers. Arizona State, Cal, Oregon and Washington are the Power Four schools that have already expressed interest.
“It was amazing,” Taylor said. “It’s all the work I put in, still plenty of work to do, but it was an amazing feeling.”
Taylor, listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, is considered a three-star recruit by 247Sports’ composite rankings. He’s played a big role in Desert Pines’ 2-1 start to the season. Taylor said college coaches love his “explosiveness and the way I can move for my size.”
He said he took unofficial visits this spring to Arizona State, Oregon and Oregon State. Taylor said he doesn’t have any visits planned during the season.
He said he’s leaned on all of his coaches for how to best handle the recruiting process.
“I’ve gotten tips from all my coaches,” Taylor said. “(Some) of my coaches were (Division I college football players), so they know the process and I really appreciate them for that.”
Baseball commitments
Basic baseball senior Troy Southisene announced his commitment to play college baseball at Oregon State on his Instagram account Tuesday.
Southisene wasn’t the only Basic player to commit this week. Senior infielder Lyndon Lee announced his college commitment to Arizona on his social media accounts Monday.
Southisene hit .346 with 13 RBIs last season. He was also 2-0 on the mound with a save to help Basic win the 5A Southern Region and state titles. Southisene has played in the infield, outfield and pitched for the Wolves.
Lee hit .340 with five home runs and 38 RBIs for the Wolves and was a second-team All-Southern Nevada selection last season.
Southisene is the youngest of the four brothers.
Ty Southisene was drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs and is currently with the club’s Single-A affiliate in Myrtle Beach. Tate Southisene was drafted in the first round of this year’s MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves and is in Single-A Augusta. Tee Southisene played with USC last season.
Offer report
Two Bishop Gorman football players added offers from prominent college football programs this week.
Four-star cornerback Hayden Stepp, a junior, announced he received an offer from Auburn on his social media accounts Sunday.
Stepp is the state’s top class of 2027 recruit, according to 247Sports. He added 31 Division I offers this offseason and holds notable offers from Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State.
Three-star running back Terrance Grant Jr., also a junior, announced on his social media accounts Tuesday that he picked up an offer from Michigan.
Grant is the state’s fifth-ranked recruit in the class of 2027 by 247Sports and has 26 Division I offers. He holds other notable offers from Georgia, Ohio State, Miami (Florida), Notre Dame and Oregon.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com with any recruiting information. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
