Taylor Mays facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Taylor Mays

Mays with the Oakland Raiders in 2015
Washington Huskies
Position:	Safeties coach
Personal information
Born:	(1988-02-07) February 7, 1988 (age 37) Irving, Texas, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	236 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:	O'Dea (Seattle, Washington)
College:	USC (2006–2009)
NFL Draft:	2010 / Round: 2 / Pick: 49
Career history
As player:
San Francisco 49ers (2010) Cincinnati Bengals (2011–2014) Minnesota Vikings (2015)* Detroit Lions (2015)* Oakland Raiders (2015) Cincinnati Bengals (2016)* Saskatchewan Roughriders (2017)
As coach:
USC (2022–present) Defensive analyst Washington (2025-present) Safeties coach
Career highlights and awards
3× First-team All-American (2007–2009) Second-team All-American (2006) 2× First-team All-Pac-10 (2008, 2009) Pac-10 Co-Freshman of the Year (2006)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 124 Sacks: 1.0 Forced fumbles: 1 Fumble recoveries: 2 Total touchdowns: 1
Player stats at PFR

Taylor Mays (born February 7, 1988) is a former American football player. He played as a safety in the National Football League (NFL). Before focusing on football, he was a talented track athlete in high school. He won state titles in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. Mays played college football for the USC Trojans. He was named a first-team All-American three times. The San Francisco 49ers picked him in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders. Mays played in 66 regular season NFL games. Today, he is a safeties coach for the Washington Huskies.

Early Life and Family Background

Taylor Mays was born in Irving, Texas. His father, Stafford Mays, was also an NFL player. His mother, Laurie Mays, was a business executive. Taylor was raised in his mother's Jewish faith. He attended Sunday school and Hebrew school when he was young. He had a football-themed bar mitzvah in 2001. Taylor felt this helped him grow into an adult. His family celebrated holidays like Chanukah, Passover, and Yom Kippur.

Taylor's father played defensive tackle for the University of Washington. He later played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings. Taylor's parents both had successful careers. His mother worked at Nordstrom, and his father worked at Microsoft.

From a young age, Taylor loved football. His father remembers him doing homework with his football helmet on. Taylor also watched many old football games of his father playing. His parents first wanted him to play soccer. But Taylor was very physical and bigger than other kids. This led his parents to let him try football in 7th grade.

High School Football Career

Mays went to O'Dea High School in Seattle, Washington. Before playing football, he joined the track & field team. He wanted to improve his speed. In 2004, as a sophomore, he won state titles. He won the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. After his junior year, he left track to focus on football.

As a junior in 2004, he had 124 tackles and 5 interceptions. He also caught 25 passes for 700 yards and 23 touchdowns. He returned 12 punts for 392 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named a Junior All-American. In his final year, he made 166 tackles and 5 interceptions. He also caught 36 passes for 765 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was named All-State First Team. Mays played in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl game.

In 2005, Mays attended a training camp. He was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 218 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds. He could bench press 185 pounds 21 times. He also had a 31-inch vertical jump. By age 17, he weighed 228 pounds.

Choosing a College Team

Rivals.com ranked Mays as the top prospect in Washington in 2006. He considered offers from USC, Washington, and Miami. Many expected him to go to Washington, like his father. But Mays wanted to create his own path. He chose the University of Southern California (USC). He liked coach Pete Carroll's energy. He officially committed to USC in August 2005.

College Football Career

Mays earned a scholarship to play for the University of Southern California. He played for Coach Pete Carroll's USC Trojans football team from 2006 to 2009.

Freshman Season (2006)

Mays became a starting free safety in his freshman year. This happened after another player, Josh Pinkard, got injured. Mays made his first college interception in week 5 against Washington State. He had 62 tackles in 12 games. He led his team with 3 interceptions. In 2006, Mays was named the Pac-10's Co-Freshman of The Year. He also earned Second-team All-American honors.

Coach Pete Carroll said Mays was the fastest player on the team. Mays was clocked at an amazing 4.25 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He said he looked up to former USC safety Ronnie Lott and Sean Taylor. After his freshman season, Mays changed his jersey number from 29 to 2.

Sophomore Season (2007)

Mays before 2007 Notre Dame game.

Mays returned as the starting safety. He played alongside Kevin Ellison, who he called his mentor. His best game was against California. He made 10 tackles and deflected 3 passes. This helped USC win 24–17. He also had a career-high 12 tackles against Oregon.

Mays finished the 2007 season with 65 tackles, 6 pass deflections, and 1 interception. He earned First-team All-American honors from Sporting News.

After the 2007 season, ESPN The Magazine featured Mays. They called him a "Workout Warrior." He was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 226 pounds. He ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash. He could bench press 225 pounds 23 times. He also had a 41-inch vertical jump.

Junior Season (2008)

Taylor Mays

Before the 2008 season, Mays was named a Preseason All-American. He was also on watch lists for top defensive player awards. The USC defense was one of the best in the nation. They allowed only 6 touchdowns through the air. Mays was a key part of this success. He had 8 pass deflections, but no interceptions.

Mays had a great game against California. He made several big hits. These hits caused receivers to drop the ball. He finished the regular season with 53 tackles and 8 pass deflections. The Trojans played Penn State in the 2009 Rose Bowl. USC won 38–24. Mays made a memorable hit on wide receiver Jordan Norwood.

Mays signs autographs for school children after a USC practice in fall 2008.

Mays finished his junior season as a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. He earned First-Team All-American honors from several sources. He was also named All-Pac-10 First-Team.

On January 13, 2009, Mays announced he would return to USC for his senior year. Many thought he would be a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. But he wanted to finish his education. He also wanted to help USC win the BCS National Championship.

Senior Season (2009)

Mays wanted to play a more active role in the defense. Free safeties in Pete Carroll's defense usually stay deep. Mays wanted to be closer to the action. Coach Carroll agreed to change Mays' duties. In his last season, Mays had a career-high 96 tackles. He also added another interception.

In October, he was named a midseason All-American. The USC defense gave up more passing yards in 2009. Mays was still named First-team All-Pac 10 for the second year in a row. He was also named First-team All-America for the third straight season.

College Statistics

Professional Football Career

Before the 2010 NFL draft, Mays was considered a top talent. He was compared to other strong safeties like Adrian Wilson and Sean Taylor. Mays participated in the 2010 Senior Bowl. He also attended the NFL Scouting Combine. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds. This was the fastest time among safeties. Experts thought he would be a second-round pick.

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers drafted Mays in the second round (49th overall) of the 2010 NFL draft. He was the fifth safety chosen that year. Mays signed a four-year contract with the 49ers in July 2010.

Mays played on special teams for the first three games. Then, he started playing strong safety. In his first start, he had 11 tackles. He also scored a special teams touchdown. After this game, Mays became the regular starter at strong safety.

Cincinnati Bengals (First Time)

Mays at Cincinnati Bengals training camp in 2013.

In August 2011, Mays was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals. He played in all 16 games in 2012, starting 3 of them. In 2013, he played 203 snaps. The Bengals re-signed Mays for the 2014 season. He played in all 16 games that year.

During his time with the Bengals, he started 10 games. He had 98 tackles and 6 pass break-ups. He also made 21 tackles on special teams. He played safety and sometimes linebacker.

Other NFL Teams

Mays signed with the Minnesota Vikings in March 2015. He was released in June. The Detroit Lions then signed him in June 2015. They released him in August.

In August 2015, Mays signed with the Oakland Raiders. He was released before the season started. But he re-signed with the Raiders in September 2015. This happened because their starting safeties got injured.

Cincinnati Bengals (Second Time)

In March 2016, the Bengals signed Mays again. He was released by the Bengals in July 2016.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

In October 2017, Mays joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League. He played one game for them. He was released in April 2018.

Career Statistics

Coaching Career

After his playing career, Taylor Mays became a defensive analyst for USC in 2022. In December 2023, he was promoted to interim safeties coach. This happened when the previous coach took a job at another university. Mays was praised for helping the USC secondary players improve their tackling. This was seen in the 2023 Holiday Bowl game. In January 2025, Mays was named the safeties coach at Washington.

Honors and Recognition

• On June 26, 2011, Taylor Mays was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
• In 2018, Mays was honored by his high school. He was inducted into The O'Dea High School Athletic Wall of Honor.

Personal Life

The Mays family lives in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle.

See Also

• List of select Jewish football players