Player Profile: Taylor Peacock (with VIDEO)

By ADAM PRUIETT

adamp@nwfdailynews.com

NICEVILLE - Rocky Bayou Christian football coach John Reaves can't help but wonder how gratifying it would have been to oversee four years of Taylor Peacock's development on the gridiron.

Of course, one year is better than none at all.

"He's without a doubt the best senior athlete we have," said Reaves, who will lead the Knights into their inaugural season. "We have other young men who are great athletes who don't quite have the frame to play at the next level. He certainly does."

If Rocky Bayou is going to make its first football season a memorable one, Peacock will have to live up to the potential that is making him a small college prospect despite zero experience - unless you count flag football when he was around 6 years old.

At 6-foot-4 and a muscular 210 pounds, Peacock has the build, range and natural athleticism to become a force at tight end and defensive end. Whether it's making catches or blocking for teammates, he'll be heavily involved offensively.

"We're not going to be 50-50 (in run-to-pass ratio), but when we pass the ball he's going to be one of the primary targets," Reaves said. "When we run the ball, with his frame and strength, we're going to be running behind him a great deal."

When it was announced that Rocky Bayou was implementing football to its athletic program, Peacock was one of the first in line to sign up.

"I was excited. I've always wanted to play football ever since I was little," he said. "I've been in a private school since the third grade, so I've never had a chance."

So what does he think now that he's strapped on the pads?

"I love it, more than any sport I've played," said Peacock, also a soccer and basketball player for the Knights.

He's not quite sure yet whether he prefers offense or defense, probably having to wait until he records his first touchdown and his first sack before a decision can be made.

"I love to hit," he said. "I get a little bit of both of that on both ends."

With a team that will be stocked with a heap of underclassmen, Rocky Bayou will need its upperclassmen to be quality role models, something Peacock is fully aware of.

"I can tell that the other guys look up to me," he said. "When I was a younger student, I looked up to all the seniors. They were always impressive."

An impression is what Peacock is hoping to make this season. He doesn't want his football career to last one season.

"I'd love to," Peacock said of playing in college. "I'll just keep praying and I'll see what happens. I'm going to work at it. I get excited thinking about it."