2019 • SENIOR SEASON
Awards: Selected All-Big Ten honorable mention by the coaches and media...Selected Academic All-Big Ten...Earned the Ridge Riley Memorial Award, for sportsmanship, scholarship, leadership and friendship as a senior, along with Dan Chisena, at the team's awards banquet...Won the Iron Lion Award for strength and conditioning...Earned the Captain's Award.
Season: Made 13 starts...Selected as a team captain...One of 11 Nittany Lions to have earned their degree entering the Cotton Bowl...Graduated with a degree in advertising & public relations in December 2018...Graduated with a degree in telecommunications in December 2019.
Idaho (8/31): Assisted on a tackle and broke up a pass. Buffalo (9/7): Posted eight tackles, including two solo. Pittsburgh (9/14): Made seven tackles, including six solo...Had one tackle for loss. at Maryland (9/27): Secured four tackles. Purdue (10/5): Recorded a solo tackle for loss. at Iowa (10/12): Collected six tackles...Added a pass breakup. Michigan (10/19): Registered eight tackles, including six solo...Recorded first career sack in the third quarter. at Michigan State (10/26): Secured four tackles. at Minnesota (11/9): Tallied 10 tackles, including five solo. Indiana (11/16): Secured six tackles, including three solo...Assisted on a tackle for loss. at Ohio State (11/23): Recorded a career-high 13 tackles, including six solo...Assisted on a tackle for loss. Rutgers (11/30): Notched seven tackles, including four solo...Registered a half-tackle for loss...Forced a fumble in the third quarter...Selected the coaching staff's Defensive Player of the Week. vs. Memphis (12/28): Collected nine tackles, including four solo...Intercepted a pass in the third quarter and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown to record first career pick-6.
2018 • JUNIOR SEASON
Awards: Was an Academic All-Big Ten selection...Named honorable-mention All-Big Ten by the league’s coaches and media.
Season: Appeared in 13 games, making 12 starts...One of 20 players to make their first career start.
Rankings: Ranked No. 8 in the Big Ten with three interceptions.
Appalachian State (9/1): Earned first career start...Made eight tackles, including six solo. at Pittsburgh (9/8): Collected five tackles. Kent State (9/15): Made three tackles...Broke up one pass. at Illinois (9/21): Recorded seven tackles...Had a career-high 1.5 tackles for loss...Named the coaching staff’s Defensive Player of the Week. Ohio State (9/29): Recorded first career interception, returning it 45 yards...Collected four tackles. Michigan State (10/13): Tallied six tackles, including five solo...Had an interception in the third quarter and returned it 37 yards...Forced first career fumble...Broke up a career-high five passes. at Indiana (10/20): Recovered a fumble in the third quarter...Added three tackles. Iowa (10/27): Collected six tackles in the second half. at Michigan (11/3): Registered seven tackles, including five solo...Recovered a blocked field goal and returned it 9 yards in the second quarter. Wisconsin (11/10): Recorded two solo tackles and one pass breakup. at Rutgers (11/17): Made five stops...Intercepted a pass in the second quarter and returned it 2 yards. Maryland (11/24): Tallied five solo tackles. vs. Kentucky (1/1): Registered a career-high 10 tackles, including six solo...Added a full tackle for loss.
2017 • SOPHOMORE SEASON
Awards: Named Academic All-Big Ten.
Season: Appeared in all 13 games...Recovered his first career fumble vs. Rutgers (11/11).
Akron (9/2): Had one tackle and one pass breakup. Pittsburgh (9/9): Made two stops...Joined Irvin Charles and Nick Scott as the coaching staff’s Co-Special Teams Player of the Week. at Iowa (9/23): Made one tackle on punt coverage. Indiana (9/30): Made one tackle on punt coverage. at Ohio State (10/28): Logged his lone stop on punt coverage. Rutgers (11/11): Recovered his first career fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half...Recovered a fumble, making it 11-straight games that Penn State forced a turnover, which was the longest streak since a 29-game stretch from 2007-09. Nebraska (11/18): Totaled a season-high three tackles. at Maryland (11/25): Made one tackle on kickoff coverage. vs. Washington (12/30): Made a pair of tackles on kickoff coverage.
2016 • REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SEASON
Awards: Named Academic All-Big Ten...Earned Dean's List accolades in the 2016 fall semester.
Season: Appeared in 12 games...One of 27 freshmen (22 redshirt, 5 true) to appear.
Kent State (9/3): Made his collegiate debut. Maryland (10/1): Made his first collegiate tackle in the second quarter on kickoff coverage. Ohio State (10/22): Made a solo stop on punt return in the second quarter to pin Ohio State at its own 11-yard line to start the drive. at Rutgers (11/19): Recovered Juwan Johnson’s blocked punt in the third quarter at the Rutgers 10-yard line, which led to Penn State’s first touchdown of the game.
2015 • TRUE FRESHMAN SEASON
Redshirt season...Earned Dean's List accolades in the 2016 spring semester.
HIGH SCHOOL
Four-time letterman and a team captain his senior year at St. Christopher’s High School for head coach Lance Clelland...Missed his senior season due to injury, but was selected for the 2015 Under Armour All-American Game and U.S. Army All-American Bowl...Collected 47 tackles, 35 solo, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and an interception as a junior...Named all-state (VISAA Division I) and All-Metro in 2013...Had 24 tackles and four picks as a sophomore...Consensus four-star player, ranking as the 86th-best prospect in the nation by Rivals, fourth-best player in the state and the eighth-best cornerback...Rated as the top cornerback in Virginia by Scout, while ranking as the fourth-best player in the state and 10th among cornerbacks by ESPN...Ran track for four years and played basketball for one year.
PERSONAL
Full name is Garrett Benjamin Taylor...Son of Irving and Sandy Taylor...Has a brother, Aaron, and a sister, Austin...Sister, Austin, played basketball at Neumann University...Hobbies include fishing...Graduated with a degree in advertising and public relations in December 2018 and is working on a second degree in telecommunications...Born November 7, 1996 in Richmond, Virginia.