CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• 2 FCS NATIONAL SEMIFINALS
• 1 FCS NATIONAL QUARTERFINAL
• NATION’S LONGEST FCS CONFERENCE WINNING STREAK – 3RD MOST CONSECUTIVE CONFERENCE VICTORIES IN THE HISTORY OF D1 FOOTBALL
• 2018 FCS COORDINATOR OF THE YEAR FINALIST
• SUGAR BOWL CHAMPION
• 1ST FCS NON-SCHOLARSHIP TEAM TO WIN A PLAYOFF GAME
• MOST WINS IN WILLIAM AND MARY HISTORY
• 4 WALTER PAYTON AWARD FINALISTS
• 10 ALL-AMERICANS
• 24 ALL CONFERENCE PLAYERS. 1ST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYER EVERY YEAR COACHING
• 12 NFL PLAYERS
• 7 CONFERENCE TITLES
• TOP NATIONAL OFFENSE MULTIPLE YEARS
After helping elevate William & Mary into one of the nation’s most productive, efficient and explosive offensive units, Christian Taylor '07 enters his fourth season as the Tribe’s Offensive Coordinator and Running Backs Coach eager to continue building upon the program’s success.
Under Taylor’s leadership, W&M ascended to new heights in 2022 as he utilized a fundamentally sound, explosive and creative offensive philosophy that generated record-setting numbers and helped the Tribe equal a school record with 11 victories, win a share of the Colonial Athletic Association title and advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Additional evidence of W&M’s success in 2022 is found in the squad’s statistical national rankings (see chart below), as it concluded the regular season among the country’s best in yards per play, explosive runs, passing yards per attempt and rushing yards per carry. The Tribe also set single-season school records for rushing yards (3,455), rushing yards per game (265.8) and rushing yards per carry (5.9), while its points per game (33.5), rushing touchdowns (35) and total yards per game (448.8) all ranked among the program’s top five best figures.
| Category |
Stat |
CAA Ranking |
Nat'l Ranking |
| Sacks Allowed Per Game |
0.64 |
1st |
1st |
| Explosive Runs |
97 |
1st |
2nd |
| Yards Per Play |
7.2 yds/play |
1st |
3rd |
| Rushing Yards |
274.0 yds/game |
1st |
3rd |
| Passing Yards Per Attempt |
9.99 yds/attempt |
1st |
3rd |
| Rushing Yards Per Carry |
6.3 yds/carry |
1st |
3rd |
| Rushing TDs |
31 |
1st |
5th |
| Passing Efficiency |
169.2% |
1st |
6th |
| Rushing Yards Before Contact |
1,307 yds |
1st |
6th |
| Scoring Drive % |
49.6% |
1st |
7th |
| Successful Play % |
41.8% |
1st |
7th |
| Explosive Pass % |
19.2% |
1st |
7th |
| Passing Yards Per Completion |
14.98 yds |
1st |
8th |
| Total Offense |
457.3 yds/game |
2nd |
12th |
| TD Drive % |
36.8% |
2nd |
12th |
| Completion % |
66.8% |
2nd |
13th |
| 3rd Down Conversion |
45% |
1st |
21st |
| Scoring Offense |
34 pts/game |
2nd |
22nd |
| Red Zone Offense (inc victory) |
86.5% |
1st |
27th |
| *End of 2022 Regular Season Stats |
With a multiple, well-rounded offense, often interwoven with innovative schemes and plays not yet seen, Taylor has developed a record-breaking run game at W&M combined with one of the nation’s most efficient and explosive passing attacks. In addition to a stable of running backs that features no less than four All-America caliber standouts, Taylor has helped develop junior quarterback Darius Wilson into an elite signal caller who ranked first in the CAA and among the top 10 nationally in passing efficiency, explosive passes and yards per completion.
Among those benefiting from Taylor’s tutelage and offensive system were six standouts who earned All-CAA honors in 2022 – OL Colby Sorsdal (1st Team), OL Charles Grant (1st Team), RB Bronson Yoder (1st Team), SPEC Caylin Newton (1st Team), TE Lachlan Pitts (2nd Team) and RB Donavyn Lester (2nd Team). Additionally, Sorsdal was a consensus All-America selection who garnered an invite to the prestigious East-West Shrine Bowl before being selected by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Prior to the tremendous success in 2022, Taylor’s creative offensive approach produced impressive results in 2021 when W&M ranked 12th nationally with 205.3 rushing yards per game. Additionally, the Tribe led the conference in yards per carry (5.0) – nearly equaling the school record (5.1) set in 1990 – and ranked second in the league with 19 rushing touchdowns. W&M also ranked second in yards per play and third in total offense in conference play, as the Tribe earend the program’s first winning season since 2015.
Taylor’s ability to identify and place talent on the field into creative schemes are traits he developed at multiple highly successful programs prior to returning to his alma mater in the winter of 2020.
Honored as a finalist for the 2018 FCS Coordinator of the Year Award, Taylor led one of the nation’s most productive offensive units at the University of San Diego from 2018-19.
Under Taylor’s direction, USD ranked among the nation’s top 10 in scoring offense (10th in 2018; 5th in 2019) and was sixth in total offense in 2019. Additionally, the Toreors ranked second nationally in passing offense in 2018 and 11th in 2019, as they earned earn a pair of conference championships and FCS Playoff berths.
That success led to numerous individual accolades for his players, as he produced a pair of Walter Payton Award finalists at quarterback – Anthony Lawrence and Reid Sinnett – and another at wide receiver, Michael Bandy. One of the nation’s elite Division I quarterbacks, Sinnett received contract offers from multiple NFL teams before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Additionally, tight end Dalton Kincaid began his career with the Toreros before transferring to Utah after Taylor’s move to W&M and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
In Taylor’s six years as an offensive assistant at USD, he mentored four All-Americans, one Pioneer Football League (PFL) Offensive Player of the Year and 17 All-PFL performers. Three of those standouts went on to play professionally in the NFL – Sinnett, Brian Riley and Ross Dwelley.
In his first season as the sole offensive coordinator for the Toreros in 2019, Taylor developed first-year starting quarterback Reid Sinnett into one of the top signal-callers in the FCS. The redshirt senior was a Payton Award Finalist after ranking among the nation’s top-five in passing efficiency, passing touchdowns, completion percentage and passing yards per game. Taylor also helped lead wide receiver Michael Bandy and tight end Dalton Kincaid to All-America honors on the way of piloting an offense that finished sixth-best in the country and won its sixth straight conference championship.
As co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2018, Taylor led one of the most prolific offensive seasons in Toreros history. USD broke multiple national, conference and individual records and ranked first in the country in passing efficiency and passing touchdowns; second in passing offense; fifth in completion percentage; sixth in tackles for loss allowed; seventh in sacks allowed; and 10th in scoring offense.
In addition to the team accomplishments, Bandy (WR) and Lawrence (QB) were named Walter Payton Award finalists and finished among the top-12 in the country in voting. Three players earned All-America honors (Michael Bandy, Anthony Lawrence, Daniel Cooney) and Kincaid was named a Freshman All-American.
Under Taylor’s tutelage in 2018, Lawrence was one of the most dominant quarterbacks in the nation, ranking No. 1 in passing efficiency, passing touchdowns, and yards per attempt, as well as ranking in the top five in four other offensive categories.
As the keystone of Taylor’s offense that year, Lawrence led the PFL with 342 yards per game and set a number of records along the way, as he became the PFL’s all-time leader in career passing yards (12,628); tied Josh Johnson for most career touchdown passes in USD football history with 113; tied the program record with seven touchdowns in a single game; set the USD record for most passing yards in a single season (3,496); and became USD’s all-time leader in career total offense with 12,061 yards.
Lawrence earned PFL Offensive Player of The Year honors for his efforts in 2018.
Alongside his coaching of Lawrence, Taylor guided Bandy to the most successful season for a receiver in USD and the PFL, registering the fifth-most single-season receiving yards in FCS history.
Prior to serving as USD’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Taylor also coached the Toreors wide receivers (2016-17) and running backs (2012-13).
After two years as the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Illinois Wesleyan (2014-15), Taylor returned to the USD football staff in 2016 to coach the wide receivers and coordinate the team’s passing game. That year, he helped the Toreros (11-2) become the first non-scholarship FCS program to win a playoff game as the Toreros defeated Cal Poly, 35-21.
The following year, USD went 10-3, and Taylor led receiver Justin Priest to first-team All-PFL honors and guided the offense to top-10 national rankings in passing efficiency, completion percentage and yards per attempt.
Helped by Taylor’s coaching on offense, the Toreros posted an undefeated record in conference play during his tenure from 2016-19.
Taylor began his coaching career as W&M’s tight ends coach in 2008 before leading the Tribe’s quarterbacks in 2009, helping lead the squad earn a FCS Playoff semifinal appearance. He also served as an assistant at San Diego State (offensive assistant, 2010) and Michigan (offensive analyst, 2011).
En route to helping W&M win 11 games and advance to the FCS semifinals in 2009, Taylor was instrumental in the success of former all-conference signal caller RJ Archer, who signed NFL contracts with Minnesota, Detroit and Seattle. Taylor also had responsibilities with the Tribe’s placekickers, the video editing system and in the team's recruiting efforts.
From W&M, Taylor moved on to be an offensive assistant at San Diego State with a team that was 9-4 and won the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl. It marked the program’s first bowl win since 1969 and featured a talented offensive roster that was highlighted by four players who went on to play in the NFL.
In 2011, he joined the University of Michigan as an offensive analyst, working with a team that went 11-2 and won the Sugar Bowl.
Taylor's first stint with USD came during the 2012 and 2013 seasons as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator. The Toreros went 8-3 in back-to-back seasons with the 2012 squad earning a share of the PFL championship.
For two years from 2014 to 2015, Taylor worked for Illinois Wesleyan where he was offensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and strength and conditioning coordinator. In 2015, the IWU offense averaged 34.3 points per game and ranked first in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) for red zone offense (88.4%, 8th nationally).
Taylor began his football career at W&M, earning a pair of varsity letters as the quarterback for the Tribe as well as a degree in kinesiology. He was a four-year member of the team's travel squad and a part of the 2004 team that advanced to the FCS Playoff semifinals.
Originally from Yorktown, Virginia, Taylor attended Grafton High School. He is married to Shay Taylor and they have two sons, Anthony and Tyler.
