Ivan Taylor grew up with a front-row view of what it takes to last in the NFL, but he didn’t need family lore to study his father’s game. The Alabama safety could just open YouTube.
As the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, Ivan spent time around the NFL from an early age, including workouts and Steelers training camp during his father’s playing days. But the education he got went beyond being around pros. He watched the details for himself, building his own picture of the career his dad put together over 12 seasons in Pittsburgh.
"Scouting my dad, I think a big thing was it was kind of just me on my own," Taylor said. "It was like going to YouTube, just looking at him, how I'm able to really just be like him."
Ike Taylor’s résumé is a big one: 12 seasons, two Super Bowl wins. Ivan Taylor isn’t trying to match it. He’s aiming higher.
"My biggest thing is just trying to be better than him," Taylor said. "Whatever I'm able to do to do that, I will."
What stood out to him most from watching his father wasn’t a specific coverage trick or footwork detail. It was the standard that never changed, no matter the setting.
"The biggest thing for him was just working hard, no matter what," Taylor said.
That message has carried over to Alabama, where Taylor is entering his sophomore year and trying to make another leap in the Crimson Tide secondary. He said the program has reinforced the same demands he grew up with, only now they come in a different uniform and a louder spotlight.
"You see a whole bunch of consistency here," Taylor said. "Without being here, I wouldn't think it would be as high, but I feel like Alabama holds you to a different standard."
Taylor also said the Crimson Tide is leaning into the criticism and outside noise that has followed the program. In his view, the response inside the building has been straightforward.
"We speak it into existence, so we're going to be the best," Taylor said. "Our mentality has completely changed. A lot of people have, like, disrespected our names, so we're gonna make sure that we show them."
Alabama opens the 2026 season against East Carolina at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Sept. 5, at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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