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Middle Tennessee State football running back DJ Taylor is aiming to pick up where he left off at the end of his freshman season.
Minus a shoulder injury that cost him considerable offseason work, that is.
"Mentally ... I had to get my mindset right," said Taylor, who came on strong late in the season before the injury suffered in the team's final regular-season game. "I knew I had a setback, so I had to get back on track. Physically, it was just showing up every day, hitting the weight room, rehabbing, doing treatment, eating good and getting my body back right."
The former Riverdale football and track star stepped into a role as the team's primary ball carrier late in in the 2025 season after the team lost starter Jekail Middlebrook to an injury.
MORE: MTSU football picked ninth in preseason poll. Derek Mason ready to 'run the race'
In fact, Taylor was enjoying a career day during the finale, carrying four times and 77 yards, including a 64-yard TD run before the injury. The Blue Raiders defeated New Mexico State 31-24 to finish the season with back-to-back wins.
Now healthy after missing the spring while recovering from the injury, Taylor is hoping to make a big impact over a full season in the Blue Raider backfield.
"Getting a little experience my first year definitely helped," said the 6-foot-1, 213-pound Taylor, who finished with 26 carries for 199 yards and two TDs while also catching a touchdown pass last season. "Just knowing the ball knowledge, knowing the defenses better, made me a better running back."
Middlebrook is gone, having transferred to Virginia. But the Blue Raiders brought in transfers Terrence Brown (Saginaw Valley State) and Antonio Martin (Kansas State) and returned former Oakland standout Ashton Jones.
"Our entire room is talented," Taylor said. "We have a great running back corps. Everyone can play. When all of our running backs are out there, we all look the same. There's great competition."
[IMG alt="MTSU’s DJ Taylor (29) carries the ball as MTSU’s s
Bryce Williams (30) tries to make the stop during MTSU’s media day football practice on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026."]https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-daily-news-journal/f4055b572819f558fe89055e99d1431e.jpg[/IMG]
Taylor played catch-up most of the offseason, including no contact during the summer.
"Coming back from an injury, spring was just more learning for him, which is invaluable," MTSU first-year offensive coordinator Anthony Scelfo said. "So it's just getting that rust off. He knows how to play football and he's a dynamic athlete. And (he) got a lot of reps last year that's going to be valuable carrying over to this season."
MTSU redshirt sophomore quarterback Roman Gagliano, who sparked the late-season winning last year, knows the importance of a strong running game if the Blue Raiders are going to continue putting up points (30 per game during his starts) this season.
"When you can assert and dominate the line of scrimmage, it makes my job easier," Gagliano said. "If I have to hand the ball off 40 times a game, I'll do it gladly if we're up 20."
MTSU opens the season at home Sept. 5 against Murray State.
Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: How DJ Taylor hopes to continue last year's late-season success for MTSU football
Continue reading...
Minus a shoulder injury that cost him considerable offseason work, that is.
"Mentally ... I had to get my mindset right," said Taylor, who came on strong late in the season before the injury suffered in the team's final regular-season game. "I knew I had a setback, so I had to get back on track. Physically, it was just showing up every day, hitting the weight room, rehabbing, doing treatment, eating good and getting my body back right."
The former Riverdale football and track star stepped into a role as the team's primary ball carrier late in in the 2025 season after the team lost starter Jekail Middlebrook to an injury.
MORE: MTSU football picked ninth in preseason poll. Derek Mason ready to 'run the race'
In fact, Taylor was enjoying a career day during the finale, carrying four times and 77 yards, including a 64-yard TD run before the injury. The Blue Raiders defeated New Mexico State 31-24 to finish the season with back-to-back wins.
Now healthy after missing the spring while recovering from the injury, Taylor is hoping to make a big impact over a full season in the Blue Raider backfield.
"Getting a little experience my first year definitely helped," said the 6-foot-1, 213-pound Taylor, who finished with 26 carries for 199 yards and two TDs while also catching a touchdown pass last season. "Just knowing the ball knowledge, knowing the defenses better, made me a better running back."
Middlebrook is gone, having transferred to Virginia. But the Blue Raiders brought in transfers Terrence Brown (Saginaw Valley State) and Antonio Martin (Kansas State) and returned former Oakland standout Ashton Jones.
"Our entire room is talented," Taylor said. "We have a great running back corps. Everyone can play. When all of our running backs are out there, we all look the same. There's great competition."
[IMG alt="MTSU’s DJ Taylor (29) carries the ball as MTSU’s s
Bryce Williams (30) tries to make the stop during MTSU’s media day football practice on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026."]https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-daily-news-journal/f4055b572819f558fe89055e99d1431e.jpg[/IMG]
Taylor played catch-up most of the offseason, including no contact during the summer.
"Coming back from an injury, spring was just more learning for him, which is invaluable," MTSU first-year offensive coordinator Anthony Scelfo said. "So it's just getting that rust off. He knows how to play football and he's a dynamic athlete. And (he) got a lot of reps last year that's going to be valuable carrying over to this season."
MTSU redshirt sophomore quarterback Roman Gagliano, who sparked the late-season winning last year, knows the importance of a strong running game if the Blue Raiders are going to continue putting up points (30 per game during his starts) this season.
"When you can assert and dominate the line of scrimmage, it makes my job easier," Gagliano said. "If I have to hand the ball off 40 times a game, I'll do it gladly if we're up 20."
MTSU opens the season at home Sept. 5 against Murray State.
Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: How DJ Taylor hopes to continue last year's late-season success for MTSU football
Continue reading...
