BLOOMINGTON – Circumstances forced Reese Taylor back behind center in 2018, but the quarterback who led Ben Davis to a Class 6A state title as a high school senior has always seen his future on the other side of the ball.

A prolific passer for Ben Davis, Taylor was meant to split time between offense and defense as a freshman at Indiana in 2018. That was before Brandon Dawkins’ unexpected departure forced the 2017 IndyStar Mr. Football to quarterback on an emergency basis, and before Michael Penix’s torn ACL planted him there.

But that move was never meant to be permanent. Taylor always planned to leave the quarterback position behind in college, and now he has.

“He came here, he wanted to play in the secondary,” IU coach Tom Allen said at Big Ten media day last month. “He wanted to play corner. He believed that was his best chance to be where he wants to be years from now.”

Penix’s recovery and Jack Tuttle’s arrival hand Allen the deepest quarterback room Indiana has had since at least 2013. They’ve also allowed Taylor to switch to defense full-time, a move he’s already maximizing.

“He’s really good. He’s a tough, mental guy,” secondary coach Brandon Shelby said. “Being a quarterback has allowed him to understand the game as a whole, what (opponents) want to do offensively, what they’re trying to do. He brings that kind of thinking over to the defensive side of the ball.”

Taylor entered fall camp listed as a second-team cornerback, with veterans Raheem Layne and Andre Brown ahead of him. But Taylor, like fellow sophomore Jaylin Williams, has already mixed in with IU’s first-team defense in practice.

Not that the transition, which began in the winter and picked up speed in spring practice, has always been straightforward.

“It’s tough, because it wasn’t something I did in high school,” Taylor said. “It’s more learning. I have to do a lot more. But it’s good. I’m getting a feel for it.”

Taylor’s quarterbacking past made some parts of the transition easier.

For a player who used to have to master an entire offense, picking up Indiana’s defensive scheme and learning his responsibilities at corner came naturally. And the former signal caller can put himself in a quarterback’s head more easily than most of his position mates. It’s hard for him not to notice the subtle tells that betray a quarterback’s intentions.

“I can read a quarterback’s eyes, head, the way they’ll throw the ball,” Taylor said, “because that’s what I was doing.”

The biggest adjustments have been instinctive.

Learning proper technique, where to keep your eyes. How to kill the old quarterback’s urge to worry about everything at once, and just focus on one task.

Taylor has embraced the work he needs to do at his new position, and he hasn’t been shy about the more physical demands of defense.

“A lot of times, it’s tough for an offensive guy to come play defense, that mentality. He has it,” Shelby said. “He’s not afraid to stick his head in there.

“At corner, you don’t have to be a killer, but you can’t turn down stuff. One thing I wanted to see if he would do is turn down (contact), and he didn’t do that. Not only does he have a good football IQ, he doesn’t turn down tackles. That’s a plus.”

Taylor will pair his defensive assignment with punt return duties this season, so he won’t go the whole fall without the ball in his hands.

But after a year spent filling an unexpected hole Indiana needed him to plug, Taylor is back where he always planned to be.

“He’s tough. He can run. I like him,” Shelby said. “He’s gonna play a lot of football.”

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.