2022 SEASON (SENIOR)
Senior leader for a much-improved Red Raider defense … appeared in all 13 games as a safety with 12 starts overall … lone game to not start came in the Big 12 opener against Texas … ranked third on the team with 74 tackles (54 solo), including 5.5 for a loss and 1.0 sack … led all defensive backs in tackles with no one within 10 stops of him … especially effective in Texas Tech’s “take three” motto as the team leader with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries … also shared the team high with two forced fumbles … was third on the team with five pass breakups … his 74 tackles easily snapped his previous career high for a season by more than 10 stops … also matched his career high for interceptions in a season … his 5.5 tackles for loss were more than twice his career total entering the year … had at least two tackles in all 13 games and had five or more stops in nine different contests … all six of his tackles for loss on the year (solo or shared) were followed by a 3-and-out, failed fourth down or missed field goal … of his eight passes defended, all but one came during Big 12 play … the Red Raiders were a perfect 4-0 when he had either an interception or a fumble recovery … credited with playing in 902 defensive snaps by Pro Football Focus, which led the team … graded out at 74.5 for the season by the website, which ranked fifth on the defense and second in the secondary among those with at least 100 defensive snaps … targeted 46 times in the passing game according to PFF with 27 of those going for completions (58.7 percent) … also made 119 snaps on special teams, according to PFF, with majority coming on the kickoff coverage and field goal block units … IN NCAA RANKINGS: closed the season tied for 22nd in fumble recoveries and 43rd for total interceptions … was tied for 17th with three interceptions against power-five opponents … was tied for 25th in the FBS with three interceptions in games the Red Raiders won … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: shared the league high with his two fumble recoveries and was tied for sixth overall with three interceptions … was tied for fifth in the conference for interceptions in wins and tied for sixth for interceptions against power-five foes … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: opened the year with two tackles in the season-opening win over Murray State (9/3) … followed with seven stops in the overtime victory over Houston (9/10), while adding a fumble recovery and a pass breakup … fumble recovery came late in the first quarter after Krishon Merriweather punched out a completion to Ta’Zhawn Henry … closed non-conference play with five stops and a forced fumble at N.C. State (9/17) … made one of the top defensive plays of the season against the Wolfpack, knocking loose a fumble near the goal line that went out of bounds in the end zone for a touchback … was the first forced fumble of his career … began Big 12 play with four tackles against both Texas (9/24) and Kansas State (10/1) … had another forced fumble at K-State, this time on a Duece Vaughn rush up the middle that was later recovered by Tyree Wilson in the second quarter … read a screen pass perfectly later in the game for a two-yard loss to force a 3-and-out on K-State’s first drive of the second half … notched seven tackles in each of the next three games at Oklahoma State (10/8) and in home games versus West Virginia (10/22) and Baylor (10/29) … picked off his first pass of the season against the Mountaineers, a key interception in the end zone just before halftime that protected the Red Raiders’ 17-3 lead … also had a tackle for loss earlier in the quarter that led to a 3-and-out by the Mountaineers … set a new career high with nine tackles at TCU (11/5), which included his first career sack … dropped Max Duggan for the sack late in the second quarter in the Texas Tech red zone that ultimately led to a failed fourth-down conversion by the Horned Frogs … matched his career high the next week against Kansas (11/12) with three pass breakups and set a new career mark with 2.0 tackles for loss … had six total tackles in the win over the Jayhawks … first of his three pass breakups led to a failed fourth down conversion by the Jayhawks to start the second quarter … closed the regular season with two tackles at Iowa State (11/19) and six in the overtime win over Oklahoma (11/26) … performance against Oklahoma included an interception and a shared tackle for loss … picked off Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel late in the first half, giving the Red Raiders the ball back at the Sooner 29 yard line … the Red Raiders followed with a Donovan Smith six-yard touchdown pass to cut their deficit to 24-20 with 1:28 remaining in the half … proceeded to share a tackle for a loss with Krishon Merriweather on a 2nd-and-5 play on OU’s next drive that led to a 3-and-out … the Red Raiders got the ball back and drove 77 yards for a Trey Wolff field goal as time expired … again all over the field in the TaxAct Texas Bowl, totaling eight tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception in the win over Ole Miss (12/28) … intercepted a deep Jaxson Dart pass late in the first quarter for the first of Texas Tech’s five takeaways on the night … fumble recovery came just before halftime, meanwhile, as he fell on a loose ball caused by Jaylon Hutchings at the Ole Miss 37 yard line … the recovery gave the Red Raiders enough time for a quick drive where Tyler Shough found Jerand Bradley on a 12-yard touchdown strike to push the lead to 26-7 at the half … AWARDS AND HONORS: recognized on the All-Big 12 second team by Pro Football Focus ... SENIOR DECISION: elected to return to the Red Raiders for a super senior season in 2023 as part of the extra year of eligibility afforded due to the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign ... announced his intentions to return before the Red Raiders even completed the regular season.

2021 SEASON (JUNIOR)
Put together a breakout season in the secondary as a junior … appeared in 12 of 13 games overall and became a regular starter late in the season … missed only the season-opening win over Houston (9/4) due to a preseason injury … made seven starts overall at safety, which all came during Big 12 play … made 62 tackles (41 solo) from his spot in the secondary, which ranked fourth on the team and second among defensive backs … doubled his career total for tackles (31) coming into the season … ball-hawk in the secondary with 10 pass breakups and a team-leading three interceptions … combined for 13 passes defended which led the team … made 88.7 percent of his tackles during Big 12 play as well as all his interceptions and pass breakups … had at least one tackle in 11 games overall and five or more stops eight times on the year … graded out at 76.0 on the season by Pro Football Focus, which ranked second on the team among regular contributors, trailing only Eric Monroe (76.7) … credited with appearing in 746 snaps defensively plus an additional 119 on special teams as a regular on kickoff coverage and punt block … ranked sixth on the team for total defensive snaps despite missing one regular-season contest … was Texas Tech’s highest-rated player in coverage, grading out at 80.2 overall … IN NCAA RANKINGS: closed the season ranked 36th nationally in total interceptions and 51st in interceptions per game (0.2) … IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: was third in the league for total interceptions and fourth for interceptions per game … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: made his season debut with seven tackles in Texas Tech’s victory over Stephen F. Austin (9/11) … did not record a tackle in the non-conference finale versus Florida International (9/18) but rebounded with five in the Big 12 opener at Texas (9/25) … performance against the Longhorns included two pass breakups and his first career interception … picked off Texas quarterback Casey Thompson in the end zone on the Longhorns’ first drive of the second half … had three tackles in the road victory at West Virginia (10/2) … made first start of the season against TCU (10/9), finishing with six stops … created his second interception of the season the next week at Kansas (10/16) to go along with a pair of pass breakups and three tackles … interception came on Kansas’ first play of the second quarter, giving Texas Tech prime field position for an eventual Jonathan Garibay field goal … had another pass breakup and six tackles the following week against Kansas State (10/23) … set a career high with eight tackles at Oklahoma (10/30) … later matched that total a few weeks later in the regular-season finale at Baylor (11/27) … combined for 12 tackles in the two games between that with five versus Iowa State (11/13) and seven against Oklahoma State (11/20) … win over the Cyclones also included his final interception of the year, which came on a deep pass to close Iowa State’s opening drive of the second half … closed the season with four tackles and a career-high three pass breakups in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Mississippi State (12/28) … AWARDS AND HONORS: honorable mention All-Big 12 selection by the conference coaches.

2020 SEAS0N (SOPHOMORE)
Appeared in all 10 games with three starts as a sophomore ... regular either on special teams or in the secondary … earned the start at the Spur position over the final three games of the season against Baylor, Oklahoma State and Kansas … the Red Raiders were 2-1 during that three-game stretch … majority of his 16 tackles on the year came during those three games as well … matched his total in tackles from his 2019 true freshman season despite playing in one less game … shared one tackle for a loss on the year, the second of his career … two of his tackles came via special teams with one on kickoff coverage and the other on punt team … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: combined for two tackles over the first six games of the year with one stop against Texas (9/26) and another versus Oklahoma (10/31) … surpassed that total with three tackles alone at TCU (11/7) … had four tackles the next week in his first start of the season against Baylor (11/14) … limited to one tackle at Oklahoma State (11/28) before closing the season with a career-high six stops in the win over Kansas (12/5) … performance included a tackle behind the line of scrimmage that resulted in a one-yard loss.

2019 SEASON (FRESHMAN)
Became a regular in both the secondary and on special teams as only a true freshman … appeared in 11 games overall with two starts at safety after missing only the regular-season finale at Texas … one of four true freshmen on the defensive side of the ball to appear in five or more games … impressed coaches early after transitioning to the secondary from his spot at running back in high school ... totaled 16 tackles on the year, including one for a loss, to go along with a fumble recovery ... saw significant action in the secondary during Big 12 play … logged at least four tackles in three different games … SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: made his Red Raider debut with a tackle against Montana State (8/31) … inserted at safety late in the first half at Oklahoma (9/28) following an injury to Adrian Frye … finished the game with four tackles, including his lone takedown that went for a loss … earned the start at safety the next two weeks against Oklahoma State (10/5) and at Baylor (10/12) … recovered his first career fumble in the top-25 win over the Cowboys while adding four tackles … fumble recovery came in the final seconds of the third quarter off a Jordyn Brooks sack … set a season-high with five tackles several weeks later in a road win at West Virginia (11/9) … final tackle of the season came against TCU (11/16).

HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Carl Albert High School in Oklahoma City, Okla. … was a standout running back for the Titans but moved to the secondary at the collegiate level … named the Oklahoma 5A Player of the Year following his senior season … also an All-State selection at running back … named the Big All-City Offensive Player of the Year by The Oklahoman … compiled 1,365 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns over the 2018 season … strong season helped push Carl Albert to its third-straight Class 5A state championship … produced a solid junior campaign as well with 1,977 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on 215 carries … earned All-City and All-Conference honors … finished his high school career with 4,611 rushing yards on the ground … a three-star prospect by 247Sports … listed as the No. 28 recruit in the state of Oklahoma by 247Sports … CHOSE TEXAS TECH OVER: Air Force, Army, Utah State.

PERSONAL
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson … father to Layla Grace Taylor, born March 2022 ... son of Fred and Shan Taylor ... one of four siblings ... nicknamed "Rabbit" by friends and family ... a university studies major at Texas Tech.