BATON ROUGE – LSU’s Mason Taylor has been named as one of eight finalists for the Mackey Award, which is presented annually to the top tight end in college football, the John Mackey Award Selection Committee announced on Tuesday.
Taylor, a junior from Plantation, Fla., is joined the on the list by two other SEC tight ends in Eli Stowers of Vanderbilt and Gunnar Helm of Texas. Other semifinalists include: Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green),
Tyler Warren (Penn State), Colston Loveland (Michigan), Mitchell Evans (Notre Dame) and Tanner Koziol (Ball State)
In just over two years with the Tigers, Taylor has become the most productive tight end in school history with 113 career receptions for 1,131 yards and six touchdowns. He’s the only tight end in LSU history to catch 100 passes and reach the 1,000-yard mark for receiving yardage.
This year, Taylor ranks second on the team in receptions with 39 for 369 yards and two scores.
His 39 receptions led all tight ends in the SEC, while is 369 receiving yards ranks No. 3 in the conference among players at his position.
Taylor has caught at least one pass in all but one game in his 34-game LSU career. Taylor’s most memorable reception came against Alabama in 2022 when he hauled in a Jayden Daniel’s pass for a two-point conversion in overtime that sent the Tigers to a 32-31 win over the Crimson Tide.
Taylor has twice been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and earned Freshman All-SEC honors in 2022.
The three finalists for the award will be announced on Nov. 26 with the winner being introduced on the Home Depot College Football Award Show on Dec. 12.
