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College of the Canyons

TJ Taylor Named to CCCFCA Region III All-State Team

College of the Canyons football player TJ Taylor wearing a gray and gold jersey with the number 76, sunglasses, and pointing toward the camera while holding a stuffed animal Cougar wearing sunglasses on his shoulder against a white background.
January 5, 2026

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director 

College of the Canyons offensive lineman TJ Taylor has been named to the California Community College Coaches Association (CCCCA) Region III All-California Team.

Taylor is the only member of the Cougars' football program to earn All-State Team honors in 2025. A full listing of All-State Team selections is included here.

The All-State Team accolades come after Taylor was also named a unanimous selection to the 2025 Southern California Football Association (SCFA) National Division, Central League First-Team.

The highly touted six-foot-six-inch offensive tackle was equally effective in pass protection and run blocking, helping the Cougars rush for better than 162 yards per game and amass more than 315 yards of total offense each time out. 

The Golden Valley High School alum spent two seasons with the Cougars before announcing his commitment to the University of Illinois over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. 

Taylor then officially signed with the Illini during a ceremony at the COC Athletic Facility on Dec. 3. Taylor was the first member of the Cougars' 2025 team to sign with a four-year program. 

University of Illinois is an NCAA Division I program located in Champaign-Urbana. The Fighting Illini compete in the Big 10 Conference.

The Cougars (4-6, 4-3) finished the 2025 regular season fourth in the eight-team, recently realigned SCFA National Division, Central League standings. COC previously competed in the SCFA National Division, Northern League until the 2025 season. Canyons faced six state-ranked opponents over the course of the season and lost its first three games of the year by a combined nine points. The Cougars did not compete in the postseason for the first time since the 2022 season, and just the second time since 2015.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. 

—Photo by Robert Hanashiro/COC Sports Information