On most nights, Taylor Sheridan can be found in the weight room.
It doesn’t matter the day of the week or the season of the year. It doesn’t matter the venue, although in Bozeman, Sheridan frequents the student recreation center on the Montana State campus or the Ridge Athletic Club if he’s not at the athletic department’s D’Agostino Strength Training center. The MSU senior has been a lifting fanatic since he was a teenager. And even through five years of the brutal physicality and constant training that comes with playing on the interior defensive line at the Division I level, Sheridan can’t remember a time when he hasn’t found himself at the gym in the evenings almost every single night.
Taylor Sherian
Sometimes, Sheridan just stretches. Sometimes, he lifts away the customary soreness that’s become second nature. But most times, he’s trying to better himself in an effort to achieve his lifelong dream of playing in the NFL. If those dreams don’t come true, Sheridan says he wants to pursue coaching so he can pass on his passion for strength and fitness while continuing to lead men.
For Sheridan, training is more than a physical grind or an avenue to a better life. It’s also been a catalyst for the relationships he’s cultivated. As a teenager, he idolized his father, Tad Sheridan, a longtime bodybuilder, standout football player and coach. The two began training together when Taylor reached adolescence. Taylor still employs the teachings of nutrition, recovery and a pursuit of epic strength instilled in him by his father.
After a freshman year spent attending Bozeman High, Sheridan and his mother moved to Colorado following his parents’ divorce. Sheridan found himself forging lifelong friendships at Rock Canyon High School in Littleton either lying on a bench or squeezed beneath a squat rack . He still counts his lifting buddies — Ty Henry, a Western State (Colorado) linebacker, Naval officer Kyle Hawkins and Colorado CrossFit standout Dalton Spanbauer — as close friends.
Sheridan’s last few years of high school, life was not easy . His mother, Stephanie Sheridan, worked frequently and money was tight. Sheridan didn’t always have food to eat and he didn’t have transportation to the gym. Trevor Sheridan, Taylor’s older brother by four years, moved into the family’s “tiny” apartment before Taylor’s junior year. The stay was supposed to be short for Trevor, who’s always “made good money” as a website designer, Taylor said. But Trevor began taking Taylor to the gym late at night. The 11 p.m. lifting sessions forged a bond between brothers who were previously not very close. Trevor decided to live with Stephanie and Taylor until Taylor graduated. Taylor now calls his brother his “best friend in the entire world” and credits the late-night lifting with bringing them closer.
Taylor Sheridan pressures Weber State quarterback Billy Green in 2014
When he arrived at Montana State after a highly successful prep career, Sheridan found the easiest way to break down barriers with older players came in the weight room. Over the last year and half, he has served as a mentor, forging a bond with Montana State junior linebacker Fletcher Collins, helping the former walk-on transform his body and earn a starting linebacker spot behind Sheridan.
“Working out has always been my release and I always find myself in the weight room,” Sheridan said. “I’ve always wanted to be like my dad. He’s the reason I started to love football and the reason I started working out in the first place. He taught me everything about taking care of my body. He pushed me no matter what.
“Now that’s rubbed off on everyone I’ve become really close with in my life. All my best friends from Colorado, we’ve molded into basically the same type of guy. Fletcher has gotten super into it. My brother and I still share that same bond. It’s been a huge part of my life.”
Sheridan’s dedication to his body has paid off . The 6-foot-4, 285-pound defensive tackle is a captain for the Bobcats as No. 11 MSU heads to Cheney, Washington for a non-conference showdown with No. 14 Eastern Washington on Saturday. Last season, Sheridan battled through nerve damage in his shoulders to earn second-team All-Big Sky Conference honors. He entered his senior season as a preseason All-Big Sky selection. He’s rated among the top 75 defensive tackles in the country by NFL scouts, a status that could increase if he has a productive, healthy senior season. Pro scouts have attended at least half a dozen Montana State practices since the beginning of August with Sheridan and senior left tackle John Weidenaar as the prime prospects under observation.
Taylor Sheridan hits Idaho State quarterback Justin Arias in 2014
“Sheridan is one of the best defensive tackles in the Big Sky, hands down,” Eastern Washington senior All-America left guard Aaron Neary said earlier this week. “I think he’s an All-American candidate. He’s a really high-motor, blue-collar type of player. You’ll see him running down to the ball carrier 30, 35 yards past the line of scrimmage if the play gets down field. There’s nothing flashy about him. He’s not out there with a visor or a sleeve or anything. He’s just a blue-collar, gritty type of player who brings it on literally every single play.”
Sheridan’s prodigious strength helps him compete with offensive linemen across the Big Sky. Despite fighting various ailments, he’s bench pressed as much as 425 pounds, power cleaned as much as 350 pounds and squatted as much as 605 pounds. As a junior, the burly, athletic tackle piled up 50 tackles, including 27 solo stops and five tackles for loss. He notched 2.5 sacks and forced three fumbles. He impressed coaches and teammates alike with his toughness.
“He has had a very tough time with the nagging injuries but he’s battled through that,” Ash said. “He hates to come off the field. When you have a guy on the inside who can make plays, that’s particularly special. When you watch him bull rush in a one-on-one situation and buckle the lineman back and force a quarterback into a bad throw, those kind of plays, they are inspiring for everyone else.”
“He’s tough. He definitely could sit out more than he has but he always fights through it,” MSU senior defensive tackle Connor Thomas said. “He’s just playing for the team and playing his heart out no matter how he’s feeling.”
Taylor Sheridan
Toughness is a trait Sheridan has cultivated to overcome the adverse circumstances of his youth as well as to be like his father. Tad Sheridan was the 1984 Class AA Defensive Player of the Year at Missoula Sentinel, a Big Sky recruit who waited too long for a Washington State offer that never came. By the time the Pac 10 door shut, so had the opportunities to play at Montana State and Montana, so Tad ended playing at Montana Tech for a year. But Tad never stopped pursuing the game. He played on and off throughout his life, spending a stint with Team USA (an amateur traveling team) and earning first-team All-Rocky Mountain Football League honors as a linebacker in the mid-2000s for the Missoula Raptors, a semi-pro football team. Tad has also spent stints working as an assistant coach at Missoula Sentinel and as the head coach for the Montana Blaze, another RMFL team while consistently trying to maintain his physique through constant training. Tad has fought melanoma for two different bouts during Taylor’s playing career, but he is finally in the clear medically.
Growing up in Missoula, Taylor often dreamed of playing for the Montana Grizzlies. When he moved to Bozeman in 2007, he gained some affinity for the Bobcats. But once he moved to Littleton, he set his sights on the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Taylor Sheridan getting loose
The quest was difficult. Food was scarce, Sheridan said. He didn’t have a car. Trevor helped change Taylor’s circumstances. He bought Taylor a cell phone and still pays the bill to this day. He provided transportation to the gym on a nightly basis. Later on, Trevor purchased a truck and gave Taylor his old car.
“I would no doubt never have played college football without my brother,” Sheridan said.
Taylor’s dream of football helped stabilize his family and helped bring them closer together, MSU defensive line coach Bo Beck said. As Taylor has grown older — he turned 22 in March — he’s grown to respect his high school circumstances.
“I used to remember being mad because we didn’t have any food to eat but now that I’m older and I think about it, my mom is probably the toughest human being I’ve ever met because of everything she’s gone through,” Sheridan said. “She’s always been the hardest working person and always the sweetest person to everybody. Growing up, I always used to think, ‘Damn, where’s mom? I’m hungry.’ When I think of it now, I could not work like she did and do what she’s done.
“I’ve always wanted to be successful so I can help my mom.”
During the summer before his senior prep season, he attended Colorado and Colorado State’s individual camps. He had a standout performance at the CU camp, earning an offer. Sheridan received a few letters from South Carolina and talked to an assistant at Georgia Tech. He had his heart set on Boulder. Shortly after his Colorado offer, Dan Hawkins and his staff were fired.
Taylor Sheridan gets through a block against North Dakota in 2014
By November of 2010, Sheridan found himself near the end of an All-Metro season, a performance that earned him the distinction as the 12th overall recruit in the Centennial State. A quartet of his old friends from Bozeman High — Tanner Roderick, Heath Hunter, Justin Pierson and Manny Kalfell — were all in the midst of an undefeated run through Class AA. Each had offers from the Bobcats aside from Kalfell. Sheridan’s former stepfather still lived in Bozeman. It seemed like a good fit even if it wasn’t his first choice.
“I was so sick of everything and the ‘Cats were so consistent,” Sheridan said. “Coach (Jamie) Marshall would call or write every single week. He’d always remind me Montana State had offered me first. I was so tired of the whole thing, I decided to go where I wanted.”
Sheridan arrived at Montana State with a chip on his shoulder and an assumption he was going to play. Future Buck Buchanan winner Caleb Schreibeis was still an unknown. Future Buck winner Brad Daly was not part of the MSU program. Sheridan and defensive end Odin Coe, an equally heralded recruit, were under the impression they would play as true freshmen. Instead, Daly returned, Schreibeis emerged and the stud freshmen redshirted. Sheridan said he’s thankful for the extra year now.
His first few years in Bozeman, Sheridan pestered Beck about playing time. He would become frustrated, but Schreibeis would always tell him to be patient, knowing his time would come. Sheridan has always wanted to “play well to impress all of those guys.”
Taylor Sheridan pumps up the crowd
“He’s grown up. He came in a pup that played with a bunch of dogs,” Beck said. “That’s been a good experience for him and now he’s that guy who’s running the show.”
A part of Sheridan’s success, Beck said, is his “clean lifestyle”. Sheridan has never had a sip of alcohol but he said he would drink a beer under two circumstances. He says he’ll pop a cold one if Montana State wins the national title this fall. And if a retired Fletcher Collins flies him to Hawaii or a tropical island and offers a brew when the two are old men, he’ll drink it on the beach with his friend.
For now, Sheridan is simply trying to enjoy the anniversaries of the end. He’s enjoying the late-night lifting sessions. He’s treasuring the relationships he’s built while chasing his dreams. He’s soaking up the good times and the bad, trying to relish his last few months as a Bobcat.
“I’ve learned so much about life here,” Sheridan said late on Tuesday night. “I will miss everything. I’ll miss the worst parts too. The best times here were some of the worst times when we had to come together and we had to bring guys along. I’m going to miss being a leader in its truest form. I’ll miss that ability to bring everyone together. I get people get to do that in their jobs but it’s not the same. To literally try to come together and give it all for one common goal, that’s something you don’t find and I will miss that a ton.”
As Sheridan sat and reminisced about his time as a Bobcat, his Garmin vivofit fitness band displayed a text message from Collins and an alert. The alarm was a reminder. It was time to return to the gym.
Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
