Washington appears to be on the verge of completing their on-field coaching staff, with various sources indicating that USC assistant defensive backs coach Taylor Mays is set to be hired as the next UW safeties coach. ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke the story first, followed immediately by Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports.
It was unclear what approach Jedd Fisch would take in overhauling the defensive coaching staff. This offseason, Washington lost both defensive coordinator Steve Belichick and safeties coach Vinnie Sunseri to new FBS DC roles. The Huskies appointed Ryan Walters to the DC post, but he had substantial experience as a safeties coach, so it was plausible that he would also handle the safeties, a role.
Instead, Fisch chose to employ a one-to-one replacement for each position, a safety coach who is well-known among Husky fans. Mays has spent the previous three seasons with the USC Trojans as a defensive analyst and assistant defensive backs coach. He also served as the interim safeties coach during the 2023 Holiday Bowl.Mays has strong links to both Seattle and Washington football. His father, Stafford Mays, played defensive tackle for the Huskies before being selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft. Taylor Mays attended O’Dea High School in Seattle, where he was the top recruit in the state. He ultimately chose Pete Carroll’s USC over his local Huskies when he graduated from high school in 2006. Mays became a starter in his freshman year’s second game and was a four-year Trojan powerhouse noted for his savage hitting and countless accolades.For all of his collegiate career, Mays was viewed as a future first-round choice, but the San Francisco 49ers took him in the second round, #49 overall. It was somewhat surprising when then-new Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who had previously coached Mays for four years, chose Earl Thomas over Mays with the 14th overall choice. Mays had 15 total starts in the NFL over six seasons, but never had an interception.The arrival of Mays provides the Huskies more ammo in their Be A Pro mantra, as he has vast NFL experience. It also provides them with additional opportunities to join one of the city’s premier high school football programs. Taylor graduated from O’Dea High School, where his father still serves as an assistant coach. Washington did not sign O’Dea’s four-star recruits Papa Ahfua (Texas A&M) or Jason Brown (Arizona State) from the 2024 class, who were two of the state’s top three recruits. The 2026 O’Dea class boasts the currently #2 and #3 ranked recruits in the state, with edge rushers Fameitau Siale and David Schwerzel.
Mays has only been an on-field coach in college for one season, but he brings name recognition to recruitment with strong links to both Seattle and Los Angeles. The addition of Walters as DC gives Mays more tools to rely on while he learns the complexities of being a safeties coach at this level.
Welcome back to Seattle, Taylor!
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