Texas Tech University Athletics
Staff Directory
Taylor Young
- Title:
- Assistant Inside Linebackers Coach
Taylor Young enters his third season on the Texas Tech coaching staff where he assists defensive coordinator Shiel Wood as the assistant inside linebackers coach.
Young’s arrival in Lubbock prior to the 2024 season reunited him with many on the Texas Tech staff from his time as a student-athlete at Baylor. Young was one of the Big 12’s most-imposing linebackers over his four-year career, totaling 325 tackles, 39.0 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks, all while earning All-Big 12 honors three times and also being named Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press in 2014 and the Defensive MVP of the 2015 Cotton Bowl.
Young, whose last season coincided with head coach Joey McGuire’s arrival in Waco as an assistant coach, remains one of the top tacklers in Baylor history as he still ranks third in career tackles for loss, fourth for both career solo tackles and sacks and tied for eighth in total tackles. Young made 40 career starts at linebacker for the Bears before being invited to training camp with the Arizona Cardinals after completing his collegiate career.
Young was able to help pass along that same wisdom during his first season with the Red Raiders as inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez earned All-Big 12 first team honors as one of the top tacklers in college football. Rodriguez, only the third Red Raider in program history to garner All-Big 12 first team honors, recorded 127 tackles on the season, ranking third in the FBS for the category, all while finishing as one of the country’s top takeaway contributors.
Texas Tech’s inside linebacker room ranked among the nation’s top units during the 2025 season, propelling the Red Raiders to a school record 12 wins and the first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. The trio of John Curry, Ben Roberts and Rodriguez were key parts of a Red Raider defense that led the country for both takeaways and rushing defense, while also ranking third for scoring and total defense.
Rodriguez turned in another memorable season, capturing the nation’s attention as a senior as the top linebacker in the country. Rodriguez was the recipient of the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Lombardi Award and the Butkus Award, to name a few, joining only former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o as the only players in history to win all four awards in the same season. He also finished fifth overall in the Heisman Trophy voting, becoming only the third linebacker since 1995 to finish in the top five for the nation’s top honor.
Rodriguez, a second round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, became the first FBS player dating back to 2005 to record at least five forced fumbles, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries all in the same season. Roberts, meanwhile, created six takeaways of his own during the 2025 season, including two during the Edward Jones Big 12 Championship where he was named the Most Outstanding Player.
This is Young’s third coaching stint at the collegiate level as he was previously a graduate assistant for Baylor during the 2019-20 seasons as well as a quality control assistant at North Texas for the 2021 campaign. Young assisted the linebacker room at both schools, while also contributing to North Texas’ special teams units during his lone season in Denton.
Like many members of McGuire’s staff, Young also has experience at the high school ranks as he served as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at Richardson High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex during the 2022-23 seasons.
Young began his coaching career after earning his undergraduate degree in education from Baylor in 2016. He completed his master’s of sport pedagogy from Baylor in December 2024.
Young’s arrival in Lubbock prior to the 2024 season reunited him with many on the Texas Tech staff from his time as a student-athlete at Baylor. Young was one of the Big 12’s most-imposing linebackers over his four-year career, totaling 325 tackles, 39.0 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks, all while earning All-Big 12 honors three times and also being named Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press in 2014 and the Defensive MVP of the 2015 Cotton Bowl.
Young, whose last season coincided with head coach Joey McGuire’s arrival in Waco as an assistant coach, remains one of the top tacklers in Baylor history as he still ranks third in career tackles for loss, fourth for both career solo tackles and sacks and tied for eighth in total tackles. Young made 40 career starts at linebacker for the Bears before being invited to training camp with the Arizona Cardinals after completing his collegiate career.
Young was able to help pass along that same wisdom during his first season with the Red Raiders as inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez earned All-Big 12 first team honors as one of the top tacklers in college football. Rodriguez, only the third Red Raider in program history to garner All-Big 12 first team honors, recorded 127 tackles on the season, ranking third in the FBS for the category, all while finishing as one of the country’s top takeaway contributors.
Texas Tech’s inside linebacker room ranked among the nation’s top units during the 2025 season, propelling the Red Raiders to a school record 12 wins and the first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. The trio of John Curry, Ben Roberts and Rodriguez were key parts of a Red Raider defense that led the country for both takeaways and rushing defense, while also ranking third for scoring and total defense.
Rodriguez turned in another memorable season, capturing the nation’s attention as a senior as the top linebacker in the country. Rodriguez was the recipient of the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Lombardi Award and the Butkus Award, to name a few, joining only former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o as the only players in history to win all four awards in the same season. He also finished fifth overall in the Heisman Trophy voting, becoming only the third linebacker since 1995 to finish in the top five for the nation’s top honor.
Rodriguez, a second round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, became the first FBS player dating back to 2005 to record at least five forced fumbles, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries all in the same season. Roberts, meanwhile, created six takeaways of his own during the 2025 season, including two during the Edward Jones Big 12 Championship where he was named the Most Outstanding Player.
This is Young’s third coaching stint at the collegiate level as he was previously a graduate assistant for Baylor during the 2019-20 seasons as well as a quality control assistant at North Texas for the 2021 campaign. Young assisted the linebacker room at both schools, while also contributing to North Texas’ special teams units during his lone season in Denton.
Like many members of McGuire’s staff, Young also has experience at the high school ranks as he served as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at Richardson High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex during the 2022-23 seasons.
Young began his coaching career after earning his undergraduate degree in education from Baylor in 2016. He completed his master’s of sport pedagogy from Baylor in December 2024.
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