Nikko Taylor
Nikko Taylor
Fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge. Nikko Taylor has been at Oregon State through two head coaches in three seasons. The receipt: 4 tackles against Washington State — Week 14, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jonathan Smith → Trent Bray. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
JaMarcus Shephard
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 1 · 2-deepR04 · Rotational
Rotational. Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Oregon State | 30 | 11 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 3 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Oregon State | 46 | 23 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 3 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Oregon State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 78 | 35 | 13.0 | 3.5 | 6 | -- | -- |
How he plays
Play style
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Oregon State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Linebacker · Oregon State
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: -15 net (20 in / 35 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Oregon State · Last season: 2-10 · Talent rank #60 · 2026 recruiting class #100
DNA match
Player DNA
Thumper
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Charles Esters III’s 2024 season.
Matches Charles on
Differs from Charles on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Habakkuk Baldonado's junior season at Pittsburgh (2022).
Matches Habakkuk on
Differs from Habakkuk on