April 28, 2008
RUSTON - Georgia Tech signal caller Taylor Bennett announced Monday his intentions to enroll in graduate school at Louisiana Tech this summer and play football for Derek Dooley and the Bulldogs in the fall.
Bennett will graduate from Georgia Tech this semester with a bachelor's degree in international affairs and will be eligible to play for the Bulldogs this fall after receiving a waiver from the NCAA.
The 6-foot-3-inch Bennett started all 12 games for the Yellow Jackets last year. He said he chose Tech after visiting the school and being impressed with the direction of the football program and the school's academic reputation.
"I wanted to play football for Coach Dooley," Bennett said. "He wants to win. If I can come down (to Tech) and work hard and prove myself this summer and fall, then we will see where it leads. Coach Dooley has made it clear that he wants to win.
"To be honest with you, I considered a lot of schools. I was looking for a master's program (that could benefit me). What I found that Louisiana Tech offered was a master's in business with a focus in network and information security. It's a program that only eight schools in the country offer. That goes right in line with my undergraduate degree that I've got here at Georgia Tech. We found that as something we wanted to do, and that's one of the main reasons I chose Louisiana Tech.""
Dooley said he is pleased that Bennett will be joining his program.
"Taylor is a fine young man with outstanding character and leadership qualities," Dooley said. "He comes to Louisiana Tech with a tremendous amount of experience at his position, and I am sure that the leaders on our team will welcome him with open arms."
Bennett signed with the Yellow Jackets out of Lafayette High School in St. Louis, Missouri. As a prep star, he was named to the Missouri Top 20 by Rivals.com and was tabbed the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Super 30 team.
At Georgia Tech he served as the backup to Reggie Ball in 2005 and 2006 before taking over the starting role in 2007. He started all 12 games in 2007, completing 162 of 327 passes for 2,136 yards and seven touchdowns while leading Georgia Tech to the Humanitarian Bowl.
Bennett also started the 2006 Toyota Gator Bowl where he completed 19-of-26 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-35 loss to West Virginia. Bennett will join Ross Jenkins, Steven Ensminger and Al Hawkins in the competition for the starting quarterback position this fall.
"Everyone wants competition; it brings out the best in everyone," Bennett said. "I think everyone will get a shot at it. I'm hoping I can push those guys, and they can push me."
However, as important as competition is to Bennett, he said it's not his first priority as he is set to move to Ruston this weekend.
"My first priority is to become part of the team," Bennett said. "I'm not trying to be anyone's answer. I just want to go play football with those guys. I'm the new guy. I just want to get to know everyone and become teammates with them. The most important thing is to become part of the team."
