Living in San Antonio, as a student at the University of Incarnate Word, Dekalon Taylor wanted to see the Colorado Buffaloes in person during the Alamo Bowl in December.

“Tickets were just way too high for me, so I ended up watching it on TV,” Taylor said.

He never envisioned that just a few months later he would be joining the Buffs.

“It’s crazy how the tables turn,” he said.

After a stellar season at UIW last year, Taylor entered the transfer portal and committed to the Buffs last month. He’s now going through summer workouts but talked with BuffZone before those workouts began.

“I chose Colorado just for the fan base, as well as the coaching staff and what they have to offer, all the vets on the staff,” Taylor said. “They’ve been in the position that I’m trying to get to, and that’s the NFL, so why not go to the best?”

CU running backs coach Marshall Faulk, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, and assistant running backs coach Johnnie Mack reached out to Taylor when he hit the portal.

“They were very interested in me and my play style,” Taylor said. “We talked about the things I could work on, things that I’m really good at, and overall, I feel like they could develop me the best. I feel like I can add a lot of value to that room, just off my speed and agility and my vision.”

At 5-foot-7, 180 pounds, Taylor isn’t a big back, and he said that’s possibly held him back from opportunities, but he also views that as a positive in his game.

“I also feel like that’s an essential part of my play, my height and my size, just because it puts a chip on my shoulder and allows me to continue to prove people wrong and prove myself right,” he said.

A standout at Longview (Texas) High School, Taylor had just two options for playing in college: Tyler (Texas) Junior College and a very late offer from UIW.At UIW, Taylor spent his first two seasons as a slot receiver but didn’t get the ball much behind a few 1,000-yard receivers. Because of some injuries, he got an opportunity late in 2023 to play running back, and it stuck.

Last year, he won the job in the backfield and rushed for 909 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 6.0 yards per carry. He likely would have topped 1,000 yards but missed the last three games with a hand injury.

“I finally saw the opportunity to show the world, hey, like, I can play,” he said. “I am who I say I am, and this is my opportunity.

“It was like a breath of fresh air, because I knew I could do it. I just needed the opportunity and somebody to trust in me.”

As a kid, Taylor played tackle football and didn’t like it, so he stopped. He was more of a baseball player. But once he returned to football in eighth grade, he grew to like the game and even the contact.

“I actually kind of enjoy tackles a little bit, because it helps wake me up a little bit,” he said. “Sometimes in games, like when I get hit, I’ll finally wake up, and then that’s when I’ll hit that second gear and that second notch and move around a little bit more.”

Where Taylor fits in with CU remains to be seen. It appears to be a wide-open competition with returning backs Dallan Hayden, Micah Welch and Charlie Offerdahl, as well as Taylor and Coastal Carolina transfer Simeon Price, who committed this week. Each offers a different skill set.

“Diversity is great for running back rooms, especially because we all have different talents to offer, and we all can excel and shine when it’s our time,” Taylor said.

Taylor may get some opportunities in the return game, as well, because he excelled in that role at UIW.

Considering where he was just a year ago — a former slot receiver trying to prove himself at running back — Taylor will welcome whatever opportunity comes his way at CU.

“I’ve been really amazed just how God’s working in my life and with these opportunities,” he said. “Because it’s like, man, it took a while for somebody to give me a chance, and when they finally did, it’s like doors have just been opening. So it’s been really cool just seeing everything unfold in front of my eyes.”