Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 13, 1995                   TAG: 9501130091
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TAYLOR STANDING BY UVA COMMITMENT, BUT VISITING TECH

Shannon Taylor, a former All-Group AAA quarterback from Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, said Thursday he has not backed off an oral commitment to play football at Virginia.

``Right now, I'm still committed to Virginia and have not told [the Cavaliers] any differently,'' Taylor said. ``But, I'm going to visit Virginia Tech. UVa knows that.''

Taylor, enrolled this year at Fork Union Military Academy, said he reserves the right to change his mind following his visit to Tech the weekend of Jan.20-22. He will make an official visit to UVa the following weekend.

Taylor originally committed to Virginia in February 1994, but did not meet NCAA requirements for a Division I scholarship. He took the American College Test (ACT) for the first time in December and made a 16 - just short of the required 17.

``It was a lot different than the SAT,'' said Taylor, who has not scored higher than 650 in numerous attempts at the Scholastic Assessment Test, on which the required score is 700. ``It seems like there's more of what you've learned on the ACT.''

Taylor said he is scheduled to take the tests again on back-to-back weekends and will not be diverted as he was last year, when he skipped one opportunity to take the SAT to make a recruiting visit to Syracuse. He said he has canceled a planned trip to Tennessee.

Taylor, a 6-foot-5, 225-pounder, said he was not heavily recruited by Tech out of high school, but thinks the Hokies will give him the best opportunity to play quarterback in college.

``They laid it out on the table,'' he said. ``They said they do not have a quarterback who has taken a snap [as a starter,] and if I prove I'm the best guy for the job, they're willing to have me start as a freshman.

``Virginia isn't saying that I can't play quarterback, but they also tell me that I have the athletic ability to play a lot of other spots. I'm comfortable with UVa because my best friend [basketball player] Curtis Staples is there to show me the ropes.''

Taylor, whose playing time this year was limited by a shoulder injury, is one of 22 players to have made an oral commitment to UVa. However, Taylor and at least five other ``committed'' players still are taking visits.

The Cavaliers, quickly approaching the 25-scholarship NCAA limit for next year, received some good news when defensive line recruit Maurice Anderson from Nottoway was cleared to enroll for the second semester, which allows him to count against this year's limit.