Since Monday afternoon, Jackson State head football coach T.C. Taylor had been on the road with the media requirements that come with being the head coach of the two-time defending Southwestern Athletic Conference Champions.

After arriving in Birmingham, Ala. that afternoon, Taylor  met the media Tuesday during SWAC Football Media Day Presented by Pepsi talking about the 2023 Tigers. Despite being 8-0 in league play over the last two seasons and 19 consecutive wins SWAC teams in that time, only tight end D.J. Stevens was named first-team All-SWAC while JSU was predicted to finish second in the SWAC's Eastern Division.

Following flight delays that occurred after arriving at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, Taylor flew to Atlanta Tuesday evening in advance of today's Cricket MEAC-SWAC Challenge Kickoff Press Conference. While Taylor traded comments with legendary South Carolina State Head Coach Buddy Pough at 10 am central time, his mind was in Jackson thinking about what lay ahead later in the day.

Taylor left Center Park Credit Union Stadium en route to the world's busiest airport wondering if he would make on time for the most important item of Wednesday – the first fall practice of 2023.

With an efficient effort through the maze of the security checkpoint that is the south terminal at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a quick ride on the plane train to the terminal, and some divine intervention that delayed the flight about 20 minutes, Taylor was able to get a meal and sit down and enjoy it before boarding the flight.

Following a nap on the flight back, Taylor arrived at Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport around 2:30 this afternoon. After a quick shuttle ride back to campus, Taylor arrived back at the Walter Payton Center where Monday's travel itinerary began and prepared to lead the Tigers in the first fall practice of the season.

"With everything we saw this summer, it was good to finally get back home today," said Taylor. "I was kind of nervous going through the airport, and didn't think I was going to make it back on time. But man, we run into the terminal, and was able to grab a quick bite to eat before takeoff.  It was a great first day.  Anytime you can get out here on the first day and not have any injuries with guys moving around, that's a good thing. They're still trying to understand some things we're trying to do schematically, but for the most part they moved around fast. That's all we ask. The coaches did a great job in demanding them to move around and execute to be perfect on each and every play."

Wednesday's press conference which had the feel of heavyweight boxing pre-fight hype session although far more cordial, the event combined with tonight's practice symbolized the official countdown to the season opener 30 days from now at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

"No doubt it was a bit surreal," Taylor said. "That's what we talked about in the team meeting regarding everything that's going down on August 26, along with what our fans are expecting to see as well as these coaches, but also what's the expectation for yourselves as players. We want these guys to come out here and understand everybody around the league doesn't think much of you, but we know how we worked all summer and what type of players we have. We've got guys at the receiver position that made some plays today that's going to make plays come August so I'm excited about it."
 
JSU is scheduled to practice the remainder of this week with a focus on execution.
 
"We had a couple bad snaps, and that's something we'll clean up as an offense," Taylor said. "We had a couple of misalignments by the defense, but I want to make sure the execution is clean. Guys are playing hard, moving around fast and the transition should be excellent. On the first day, guys are trying to figure it out, where I need to be on the football field, what spots I need to be at, things like that.  After today, we'll move a lot faster."
 

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