Taylor Potts

Taylor Potts
	Potts with Texas Tech in 2009
No. 9
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	October 13, 1987 (age 36); Abilene, Texas, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:	222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school:	Abilene (TX)
College:	Texas Tech
Undrafted:	2011
Career history
	St. Louis Rams (2011); San Diego Chargers (2012);
	* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
	Player stats at PFR

Last updated August 04, 2024

Taylor Potts (born October 13, 1987) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Texas Tech,^[1] and was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He was waived during training camp, and then signed as a free agent by the San Diego Chargers in May 2012, where he was expected to compete for the third-string quarterback position.

Early life

Prior to coming to Texas Tech, Potts played at Abilene High School in Abilene, Texas. In his senior season, Potts threw for 3,162 yards and 53 touchdowns and garnered Class 5A Region and All-State teams.^[3] In addition to Texas Tech, Potts was recruited by Michigan, Baylor, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M.^[1]

College career

Potts spent his 2006 freshman season as a "redshirt," seeing no game action but working as a member of the scout team.^[1] He then served as a backup to Graham Harrell for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, seeing limited playing time in several Tech blowout victories. In those two seasons, he compiled 669 yards passing, 5 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.^[4]

2009 season

Potts was named Harrell's heir apparent and starter by Mike Leach in April 2009. Potts beat out classmate and former walk on Steven Sheffield and highly touted Redshirt Freshman Seth Doege. In his first game against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, he completed 34 of 48 passes for 405 yards 2 touchdowns passing and 2 on the ground, and threw three interceptions in a 38–13 win. The next week against the Rice Owls, Potts threw 7 touchdowns and no interceptions in 55–10 blowout win. For his performance he was named Big 12 Offensive player of the week. The next week, Potts played his best game to date as he faced off against # 2 Texas Longhorns led by Colt McCoy. Potts started slow but ended up with 46 completions out of 62 attempts for 420 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. Potts took a vicious hit from Texas Defensive End Sergio Kindle that caused a turnover that in effect sealed the close win for the Longhorns, but got back up to throw his third touchdown of the game to Tramain Swindall. Despite losing 34–24, pundits noted that Potts outplayed McCoy with better numbers, and going into a hostile environment against a top 2 team and taking a vicious hit in the process. Tech fans were optimistic after the Texas game, however a shocking 29–28 loss to the Houston Cougars in which the Texas Tech offense failed to convert on fourth and goal from inside the one led to the Houston victory. Critics blamed Potts' inability to use his 6'6 frame to punch the ball in and seal the victory. In the next game against the New Mexico Lobos, Potts started slow and was knocked out with a Concussion. With the game tied at 7 with a minute left, back-up Steven Sheffield came in and scored to give the Raiders the lead en route to a 48–28 win. Potts was taken to the hospital and sat out the next 2 games, as Sheffield led Tech to blowout wins over Kansas State and Nebraska 66–14, and 31–10, respectively. Potts found himself back as the starter against the Texas A&M Aggies as Sheffield broke his foot against Nebraska. Potts played poorly and was benched by Leach and was replaced Seth Doege to the chants from the crowd of "No more Potts." Tech lost to A&M 52–30. Doege started the next game against the Kansas Jayhawks but was largely ineffective and Potts led the Raiders to a 42–21 win off the strength of the ground game. Potts had a fairly effective game despite a loss to Oklahoma State, 24–17 in the next game. Potts delivered his biggest win to date, a 41–13 drubbing of the Oklahoma Sooners and finished the season with a 20–13 win over the Baylor Bears, giving Tech an 8–4 overall record and 5–3 in Big 12 play.

2009 Alamo Bowl

Tech was invited to the Alamo Bowl to play against Michigan State. Potts was given the start in the Alamo Bowl, despite a healthy Steve Sheffield. Potts was effective for most of the game, but was pulled late in the 4th quarter by the interim staff, as Mike Leach had been fired earlier in the week. With Tech behind, Sheffield rallied Tech to two late scores to beat the Spartans 41–31. Potts was named offensive MVP with 29–43 passing for 372 yards and 2 touchdowns.

2010 season

After battling against Steven Sheffield for the starting quarterback job in spring and summer practices, Potts was named the starter for the 2010 season under new Red Raider head coach Tommy Tuberville and offensive coordinator Neal Brown. Potts suffered a hand injury in spring 2010 workouts and missed the spring Red-Black scrimmage. However, he was named the starter for Tech's season opener against SMU. Potts threw for 359 yards, completing 34 of 53 passes, in Tech's win over SMU. Potts started every game for Tech during the season except for the Nov 6 game against No. 14 Missouri. Sheffield started the Missouri game, but Potts came in shortly before halftime and led Tech to a 24–17 upset win over the Tigers. Potts was named the AT&T/ESPN All-America Player of the Week after passing for a Cotton Bowl-record 462 yards in Tech's 45–38 win over Baylor on Oct. 9. In his final home game, against Houston on Nov 27, Potts threw for 373 yards in a 35–20 win over the Cougars. For the season, Potts finished with 3,726 passing yards, completing 369 of 551 passes (67.0 percent) with 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He finished his final season as Tech's fourth-ranked all-time leader in passing yards (7,835) and the school's third-ranked all-time leader in touchdown passes thrown with 62.^[5]

2011 TicketCity Bowl

Texas Tech faced Northwestern in the inaugural TicketCity Bowl, played on January 1, 2011, in the historic Cotton Bowl stadium. Potts threw for 369 yards, completing 43 of 56 passes in Tech's 45–38 win over the Wildcats. Potts connected with former high school teammate Lyle Leong Jr. for two touchdown and also had scoring passes to Austin Zouzalik and Tramain Swindall. Potts also scored one touchdown on a perfectly executed trick play, a double pass from Potts to Zouzalik and back to Potts. For his efforts, Potts was named offensive Most Valuable Player for the game.^[6]

College statistics

Year	Team	Attempts	Completions	Completion %	Yards	TDs	INT
2006	Texas Tech	Redshirt
2007	Texas Tech	49	32	65.3%	409	3	1
2008	Texas Tech	36	23	63.9%	260	2	1
2009	Texas Tech	470	309	65.7%	3,440	22	13
2010	Texas Tech	551	369	67.0%	3,726	35	10
Totals		1,106	733	66.3%	7,835	62	25

Professional career

St. Louis Rams

Potts went undrafted in the 2011 NFL draft and was later signed by the St. Louis Rams on July 26, 2011, but was waived on August 15.

San Diego Chargers

In May 2012, Potts was signed as a free agent and agreed to terms with the San Diego Chargers after a workout with the team.^[7] He was subsequently released.

Personal life

Potts is a member of the Catholic Church. Potts is a Republican. As of 2011, Potts was engaged to Erin Methvin, alumna of Lubbock Christian University.

Related Research Articles

Sonny Jack Cumbie is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is the head football coach at Louisiana Tech University, a position he has held since the 2022 season. Cumbie previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas Tech University and was the interim head coach after the departure of Matt Wells in 2021. He also served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas Christian University (TCU). Cumbie played college football at Texas Tech and was the team's starting quarterback during the 2004 season, when he led the nation in passing and total offense and a guided the Red Raiders to win in the 2004 Holiday Bowl, earning MVP honors for the game. Cumbie played professionally in the Arena Football League (AFL), the Indoor Football League (IFL), and briefly in the National Football League (NFL).

Sean Glennon is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Virginia Tech.

Cody Hodges is a philanthropist, motivational speaker, and former professional American football player, playing in the National Football League (NFL), Arena Football League (AFL), and the Arena League 2. Hodges is best known for his one season as the starting quarterback for the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the 2005 season. As a fifth year Senior, he led the nation in passing and total offense and an appearance in the 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic and a 9–3 overall record. He was the 3rd straight fifth year senior to start for Mike Leach and Texas Tech and was also the second of 4 West Texas natives to take the quarterback reins in the Leach era, along with predecessor Sonny Cumbie and successors Taylor Potts and Seth Doege.

Graham Stanton Harrell is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Purdue Boilermakers. He played college football for Texas Tech Red Raiders from 2004 to 2008. He played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL) from 2009 to 2013, with his longest tenure as a player with the Green Bay Packers. He served as the offensive coordinator of the North Texas Mean Green (2016–2018), USC Trojans (2019–2021) and the West Virginia Mountaineers (2022).

The 2007 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University as a member of the Big 12 Conference during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Mike Leach, the Red Raiders compiled an overall record of 9–4 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the Big 12's South Division with Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. While all three teams had a matching 4–4 conference record, Tech had a better overall record of 9–4 compared to the Aggies and Cowboys, who both had a record of 7–6. Texas Tech was invited to the Gator Bowl, where they defeated Virginia. The Red Raiders were ranked No. 22 in the final AP Poll and No. 23 in the final Coaches Poll. The team played home games at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.

Tyrod Diallo Taylor is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft.

The 2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University as a member of the Big 12 Conference during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Mike Leach, the Red Raiders compiled an overall record of 11–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, finishing in a three-way tie with Oklahoma and Texas atop the Big 12 South Division standing. To break the tie, the Bowl Championship Series BCS rankings were used to determine who would face Missouri in Big 12 Championship Game. Oklahoma, ranked No. 2 in the BCS poll, was chosen to represent the South Division in the game. Texas Tech was invited to the Cotton Bowl Classic, where they lost to Ole Miss. The Red Raiders played home games at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.

The 2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the 114th season of Sooner football. The team was led by two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award winner, Bob Stoops, in his 10th season as head coach. They played their homes games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. They were a charter member of the Big 12 Conference.

Richard Edward McIvor is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Longhorns Longhorns. After his football career, he was the sheriff of Jeff Davis County, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Kansas State Wildcats football team</span> American college football season

The 2009 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats played their home games in Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, in Manhattan, Kansas as they have done since 1968. It was the 114th season in school history.

Ryan Timothy Tannehill III is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, playing wide receiver until his junior year, and was selected eighth overall by the Miami Dolphins in the 2012 NFL draft.

The 2009 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University as a member of the Big 12 Conference during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by tenth-year head coach Mike Leach during the regular season and, following Leach’s dismissal, interim head coach Ruffin McNeill for the bowl game. The Red Raiders compiled an overall record of 9–4 with a mrk of 5–3 in conference play, tying for third place in the Big 12's South Division. Texas Tech was invited to the Alamo Bowl, where they defeated Michigan State, 41–31. The Red Raiders played home games at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.

The 2008 Big 12 Conference football season saw ties is both northern and southern divisions, with tiebreakers used to select divisional representatives for the 2008 Big 12 Championship Game, in which Oklahoma won 62–21 against Missouri to qualify for the 2009 BCS National Championship Game.

The 2010 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University as a member of the Big 12 Conference during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by first-year head coach Tommy Tuberville, the Red Raiders compiled and overall record of 8–5 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, placing fifth in the Big 12's South Division. Texas Tech was invited to the inaugural TicketCity Bowl, where they defeated Northwestern, 45–38. The team played home games at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas

The 2011 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University as a member of the Big 12 Conference during the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by second-year by head coach Tommy Tuberville, the Red Raiders compiled an overall record of 5–7 with a mark of 2–7 in conference play, placing ninth in the Big 12. 2011 was the first losing season for Texas Tech since the 1992 season and the Red Raiders failed to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since the 1999 season. The team played home games at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.

Steven Sheffield is a former American football quarterback. He played for the Spokane Shock, San Antonio Talons and Pittsburgh Power of the Arena Football League (AFL).

Seth Colton Doege is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Marshall Thundering Herd. After playing college football for Texas Tech University, he was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2013. On February 27, 2014, he was signed to the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. Doege was Texas Tech's starting quarterback for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

The 2012 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University as member of the Big 12 Conference during the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by Tommy Tuberville in his third and final season as head coach the Red Raiders compiled an overall record of 8–5 with a mark 4–5 conference play, placing in a four-way tie for fifth place in Big 12. Texas Tech was invited to the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, where they defeated Minnesota. The team played home games at Jones AT&T Stadium on the university's campus in Lubbock, Texas.

Jarret Doege is an American professional football quarterback for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Bowling Green, West Virginia and Troy.

Behren Morton is an American football quarterback for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

References

1 2 3 "Taylor Potts Profile". Texas Tech Official Athletic Site. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
↑ McDonald, Brian (February 23, 2009). "2009 Look Ahead: Big 12 South". College Fantasy Football Insider. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
↑ Murphy, Brendan. "'Summer House' profile: Taylor Potts". ESPN . Retrieved February 25, 2009.
↑ "Taylor Potts Stats". ESPN . Retrieved February 25, 2009.
↑ "Player Bio: Taylor Potts - TEXAS TECH OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". www.texastech.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2011.
↑ "Texas Tech Tops Northwestern in TicketCity Bowl, 45-38 - TEXAS TECH OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". www.texastech.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2011.
↑ "Chargers sign QB Taylor Potts". NBC Sports . May 14, 2012. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2013.

External links

Player bio at Texas Tech athletics
Media related to Taylor Potts at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Profile-1] 1 2 3 "Taylor Potts Profile". Texas Tech Official Athletic Site. Retrieved February 25, 2009.

[2] McDonald, Brian (February 23, 2009). "2009 Look Ahead: Big 12 South". College Fantasy Football Insider. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2009.

[3] Murphy, Brendan. "'Summer House' profile: Taylor Potts". ESPN . Retrieved February 25, 2009.

[4] "Taylor Potts Stats". ESPN . Retrieved February 25, 2009.

[5] "Player Bio: Taylor Potts - TEXAS TECH OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". www.texastech.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2011.

[6] "Texas Tech Tops Northwestern in TicketCity Bowl, 45-38 - TEXAS TECH OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". www.texastech.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2011.

[cha-7] "Chargers sign QB Taylor Potts". NBC Sports . May 14, 2012. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2013.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]