CLEMSON — Will Taylor’s longtime love for football put him on the field at Memorial Stadium for two seasons.

But it’s his love for baseball that has him permanently patrolling the outfield at Clemson's Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

“This is the first time in his life that he has specialized in baseball,” Clemson baseball coach Erik Bakich said Friday prior to his team’s first practice for the 2024 season.

Taylor announced in July that he was giving up football heading into his junior year to focus on his baseball career.

The decision came at a cost — he surrendered a football scholarship to play baseball without one — but given his abilities, there’s a good chance there will be a financial windfall in his not-so-distant future.

“I expect him to have a phenomenal year and get drafted high and have a great baseball career,” said Tyler Grisham, who was Taylor’s wide receivers coach in football.

So, too, does Bakich.

“Now that he’s exclusively focusing on baseball, we’re seeing another level of his progression,” Bakich said. “I think everybody recognizes that he’s got a very bright future in baseball.

“He’s got all five tools — hit, hit for power, run, field, throw — he can do it all. There’s nothing he lacks. He’s good at everything. Guys who are good in everything end up being great players.”

Taylor appears to be well on his way. Despite playing baseball part-time until last fall, he batted .362 last season and led the team in walks (48) and on-base percentage (.489).

He also was successful on all 11 of his stolen base attempts and was second on the team in runs scored (67) and doubles (16).

The first Clemson athlete to play on an ACC championship football team and baseball team in the same academic year since Rusty Charpia in 1988-89, Taylor is confident in his decision.

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“It feels great to be a full-time baseball player,” said Taylor, who was a three-star quarterback at Dutch Fork High School. “I’m excited to get a full year with these guys and seeing how far we can go.

“I knew I had to make a decision and last summer was that time. It was tough, but in the long run it’s going to be awesome. Hopefully I’ll have a long career in baseball. We’ll see. That is my dream.”

Taylor and the Tigers, the defending ACC Tournament champs, will open their 56-game regular season with a three-game home series (Feb. 16-18) against Xavier.

Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Given choice, Clemson's Will Taylor has given up football for baseball