AFC Championship - KC at Baltimore; NFC Championship - Detroit at San Francisco
2020 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME: Then Jacksonville Jaguars Offensive Lineman Jawaan Taylor, Now Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Lineman blocks for one of the best QB’s in the NFL, Patrick Mahomes.
2020 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME: Then High Impact New Orleans Saints Player, Now Detroit Lions Player Chauncey Gardner-Johnson from Cocoa Tigers Football Recognized as Among Best Young Players in NFL.
BREVAR COUNTY, FLORIDA – Former Brevard County football superstars Jawaan Taylor and C.J. Gardner-Johnson advanced to their respective NFL conference championship after both men won their NFL playoff games on Sunday.
Cocoa native Jawaan Taylor, who plays starting right tackle, was victorious after the Chiefs held off the Buffalo Bills 27-24 in Buffalo.
Taylor, a member of the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame as part of its 2020 class, will hope to lead his team to the Super Bowl with a win in Baltimore.
Taylor was inducted alongside a pair of former Cocoa High teammates back in 2020 including Philadelphia Eagles safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean.
Another Cocoa native also punched his ticket to the NFC Championship vs San Francisco when the Detroit Lions beat Tampa Bay 31-23.
Taylor is living his NFL dream simultaneously with two peers he grew up playing with is something he seems to cherish.
“It’s a blessing. Us three all playing together in Little League,” Taylor said.
“We all started out in flag football together. Me and Chauncey have been playing football together every year since we were four years old, so we were on the same team all through little league, all through high school, all through college. That was a great experience to see all our dreams fulfilled because you know from day 1 we already knew our dreams and aspirations were to play in the NFL.”
Taylor credits some of his success to former head coach at Cocoa High School, John Wilkinson, who was inducted in the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame Prior to signing to play college football at the University of Florida, Taylor had committed to the University of Miami, but Taylor says he ended up going to Florida after Miami fired former head coach Al Golden and his staff.
“He was a father figure,” Taylor said.
It was Wilkinson, Taylor says, along with his family that helped him during a career-altering summer following his junior season in which he lost an astonishing 52 pounds, making him more attractive to prospective schools.
“I started getting really good offers then,” said Taylor, who added that the “light switch really switched on” for him that summer.
“When I was getting ready to commit somewhere, I wanted to make sure it was a place that felt like home as well,” Taylor said.
Despite overcoming some adversity in the form of having different coaches throughout his time at the school and a torn meniscus that he says he suffered prior to the start of his sophomore season, Taylor excelled at the school.
“When I was getting ready to commit somewhere, I wanted to make sure it was a place that felt like home as well,” Taylor said.
Despite overcoming some adversity in the form of having different coaches throughout his time at the school and a torn meniscus that he says he suffered prior to the start of his sophomore season, Taylor excelled at the school.
In his rookie season, Taylor started the first game and had such a successful season in 2019 that he was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team.
“I played 1,000 snaps, started every game, I owe a lot of that credit to just how I prepared,” Taylor said.
Last year, Taylor was traded to Kansas City from Jacksonville as the Chiefs looked to build a stronger offensive line for their star QB Patrick Mahomes.
Former Cocoa Tiger and Florida Gator Chauncey Gardner-Johnson has been a high impact player ever since beginning his career on the youth football fields of Brevard County, right up to his selection to the Pro Football Writers Association 2019 All-Rookie Team.
During his senior year at Cocoa High School, the 2015 Space Coast Daily – Friday Night Locker Room Prep Football Player of the Year helped guide the Tigers to a 10-3 record and a spot in the state semifinal game.
Playing in the Tigers defensive secondary, Gardner-Johnson shut down half the field against opposing high school quarterbacks, as he registered 31 solo tackles, 55 total tackles, four sacks and two interceptions in 2015.
Gardner-Johnson was also a force on offense for the then Tigers’ head coach John Wilkinson as he churned out 927 all-purpose yards and 11 touchdowns, and was frequently seen returning kickoffs for touchdowns.
He was listed as the 84th best high school prospect on ESPN’s Top 300 list, was ranked the No. 42 overall player in the country and No.4 ranked player in the state of Florida by the 247 Sports Recruiting Composite.
The much sought after Gardner-Johnson decided to take his considerable talents to the University of Florida to play for the Gators.
He was listed as the 84th best high school prospect on ESPN’s Top 300 list, was ranked the No. 42 overall player in the country and No.4 ranked player in the state of Florida by the 247 Sports Recruiting Composite.
The much sought after Gardner-Johnson decided to take his considerable talents to the University of Florida to play for the Gators.
Always the impact player, Gardner-Johnson led the Gators with eight special teams tackles and totaled 32 tackles, three pass breakups, three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and a half tackle-for-loss in his first season in Gainesville.
The 6-foot, 208-pound Gardner-Johnson appeared in every game during his three years at Florida and started 25 times in the Gators secondary.
As a true freshman at Florida, Gardner-Johnson appeared in all 13 games, making starts in the final 3 games of the season. During the 2017 Outback Bowl, Gardner-Johnson had 2 tackles and 2 interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, he was named the MVP of the Outback Bowl.
During his sophomore season at UF, Gardner-Johnson started in all 11 games, totaling 58 tackles, two interceptions, seven pass breakups, six tackles-for-loss, and one sack.
Before his junior season, Gardner-Johnson was moved to the Nickleback position and in November 2018, he announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility and declare his eligibility for the 2019 NFL Draft.
Gardner-Johnson was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round (105th overall) and then played in all 16 games during his rookie season, starting in seven at defensive back for the Saints.
When he declared his availability for the 2019 NFL Draft, Gardner -Johnson remembered those here on the Space Coast that helped him achieve his goals.
Gardner-Johnson recognized his family and friends and thanked former Cocoa Tigers head coach John Wilkinson, his youth football coach Alex Goins and former NFL player and Cocoa Tiger James Folston for their support and encouragement.
This season, CJ has battled an injury he suffered in Week 2 but is now at full strength for playoffs. In three games, he has 25 tackles and two interceptions. CJ had one key interception in the game vs Tampa Bay in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game.
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