UW HUSKIES

Reports: UW to hire former O’Dea star as safeties coach

Jan 15, 2025, 10:56 AM | Updated: 11:00 am

The UW Huskies are hiring Taylor Mays, a former star at Seattle’s O’Dea High School, as their safeties coach, according to multiple reports.

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Mays, a former All-American safety at USC, is set to replace Vinnie Sunseri, who left Montlake after one season to become the defensive coordinator at Jacksonville State.

Mays has spent the past three seasons as a defensive backs coach and defensive analyst at USC. He is set to join a UW coaching staff that features new defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, who was hired earlier this month to replace Steve Belichick.

Mays was one of the most highly touted recruits to come out of Washington. He was a five-star prospect ranked first in the state and 11th in the country for the class of 2006, according to 247Sports.com. He earned All-America and All-Pac-10 honors from various publications during each of his four seasons playing for the Trojans.

The San Francisco 49ers selected Mays in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He appeared in games for the 49ers, Bengals and Raiders during his six-year NFL career, totaling 124 tackles, 11 passes defended, three tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one sack.

Mays also played one season in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Mays is the son of former UW defensive lineman Stafford Mays.

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