Roc Taylor misses ice cream.

Memphis football's leading receiver is in the midst of a breakout season because, among other things, he stopped eating sweets after the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in December. He misses ice cream more than anything else.

"It's hard," he said. "Real hard."

But there's no question it has been worth it. In his third year in the program — which has a bye week and plays next on Oct. 13 against Tulane — Taylor has become quarterback Seth Henigan's favorite target, surpassing his career highs, and has had back-to-back games of more than 100 yards receiving.

Plenty of Tigers fans this season are learning about the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Taylor for the first time. His high school coach, Keith Etheredge, learned how good Taylor was after exactly one play in his junior year at Oxford High School in Oxford, Alabama.

"We were struggling a little bit and he runs a short little drag route," Etheredge said. "He catches it across the middle, and he breaks about four or five tackles and takes it about 65 yards for a touchdown. Right then I knew he was gonna be special."

If Etheredge still wasn't sold, he would be soon enough. In a game against Pinson Valley High School, Taylor went up against Kool-Aid McKinstry — now an Alabama cornerback who is expected to be a 2024 first-round NFL draft pick — and reeled off more than 100 yards receiving.

Etheredge left Oxford for Auburn High School in 2021, but he has a plaque on his new desk that Taylor gave him after graduation. "Presented to Coach Keith Etheredge in appreciation for your interest time and devotion," it says.

Taylor arrived at Memphis in 2021 and played sparingly as a freshman, then a little bit more as a sophomore. His talent was obvious, but he was behind several other receivers on the depth chart. Then he stopped eating sweets, developed more chemistry with Henigan, and his career took off. He also had an opportunity to learn from those ahead of him, including Calvin Austin III, who is on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Javon Ivory, who is now at South Alabama.

"I learned from Calvin it don't matter what if it's bad, good, just keep working, never stop working," he said. "And from Javon, just the mental part, control what you control and just have fun with it."

Through five games this season, he already has more than doubled his career receiving yards. He caught seven passes for 143 yards against Missouri, then followed that with five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown against Boise State.

Those 102 yards also included two critical receptions on the drive that turned the game around for the Tigers in their 35-32 win last week. First, he bombed down the sideline for a 53-yard gain that jolted the offense awake. Two plays later, he scored from 19 yards out.

"Roc is one of those that you just see the growth," coach Ryan Silverfield said. "Day in and day out off the field, and then it's paying huge dividends on the field. He's smart, he cares, he's a big-time wide receiver and obviously having a massive year."

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Memphis lost almost all of its receiving production from last season, and there were questions coming into 2023 about who would fill those roles. Five games in, there's no question Taylor has filled the most important job — as No. 1 receiver.

And now it's about how far he can go, and how much he can still improve.

"You never had to worry about him working," Etheredge said. "Because when he was there, he was going to work. He was going to be a good teammate and all those things. It's just really, really awesome to see him doing all those same things at Memphis and helping Memphis win football games. I think he has the opportunity to play on Sundays. I think he's that good."

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football receiver Roc Taylor drops ice cream, gains yardage