About Maria Taylor
Maria Taylor is one of the familiar names in college sports, not as a player but as an analyst. She is one of the popular host and analyst. She works for a popular sports channel, ESPN as well as SEC Network. The popular analyst Taylor covers college sports such as football, basketball, and volleyball.
Maria Taylor was born on 12 May 1987. Her birth name is Suzette Maria Taylor. Her birth place is in Alpharetta, Georgia in the United States. She holds an American nationality. She belongs to African-American ethnicity and her religion is Christianity. She was born to a father, Steve Taylor, and a mother, Suzette Taylor. Her zodiac sign is Taurus. She has two siblings: Steve Taylor Jr. (brother), Vanna Taylor (sister).
Source: Instagram@mariataylor
Regarding her educational background, she attended Centennial High School. She played basketball and volleyball at high school and received many accolades there. She was named Fulton County Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Tip-Off Team of the Year. She was also named Offensive MVP of her high school volleyball team for three years. She was a three-time All-Region Selection and was also named All-State as a senior. She was named to the 2004 USA Volleyball Junior National A2 team.
Following her high school graduation in 2005, she received an athletic scholarship from the University of Georgia. She excelled at basketball and volleyball at George as well. Each season from 2005 to 2009, she was named a member of the ALl-SEC volleyball team. She ranked fourth all-time in program history in career kills with 1,729 and was fourth all-time in total points with 2,020. She also helped the US Volleyball Junior National A2 team to win a bronze medal during the Open Division of the US Volleyball Championships.
She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2009.
Taylor stands at a height of 1.88 m i.e. 6 feet and 2 inches tall. She has a body weight of 159 lbs i.e. 72 kg. She has an athletic and slim body build. Her hair color is black and her eye color is dark brown. Her sexual orientation is straight.
Source: @volleyballmag
Maria Taylor Career
- Taylor worked as a reporter and host for IMB College at the University of Georgia for three years from 2009 to 2012.
- Around the time, she also appeared on various studio shows including SEC Men's Basketball Tonight, Dawg Report, and SportsNite.
- She worked as the sideline reporter on ESPN2's weekly Saturday-night primetime college football telecast in 2013.
- She also covered the annual bowl game in consecutive years.
- She has been an analyst on the NCAA Women's Basketball Selection Show, NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Preview Show, and also ESPN's coverage of both the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and Women's Volleyball National Championship for the previous two years.
- She joined the SEC Network in 2014.
- On SEC Network, she is a college football reporter.
Source: @mariataylortv
- Alongside reporting, she is also an analyst on other SEC telecasts, including volleyball and women's basketball.
- She joined the ESPN College GameDay broadcast team as reporter and host in 2017. She replaced Samantha Ponder.
- She was as ESPN host and reporter for the College Football Playoff between the University of Georgia and the University of Oklahoma.
- She hosted and reported the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship between the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia.
- She also works as a sideline reporter with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit at the ABC broadcast of Saturday night football.
- Taylor began hosting the pre-game show, NBA Countdown for ESPN's Friday night, and Sunday afternoon NBA games in 2019.
Source: @theknotnews
Who is Maria Taylor Husband?
Maria Taylor is a married woman. She is married to Rodney Blackstock. They first met in 2014, at a Charlotte Hornets' game. They eventually started dating. They got engaged in 2017. and exchanged their vows on 5 May 2019 at the oceanfront location named Hilton Sandestin in Destin, Florida, United States. A former player Blackstock is the Director of Sports Marketing at Q4 Sports.
What is Maria Taylor Net worth?
Maria Taylor earns from her television career as a host and an analyst. She is associated with one of the most popular sports channels, ESPN as well as SEC Network. She receives quite a salary for her work. She has endorsed several brands as well. Some of the brands Taylor endorsed are Adidas, EXPRESS, BCBG Max Azria, SPANX by Sara Blakely, Chiara Boni La Petite Robe, Ann Taylor, AT&T, STUART WEITZMAN, Jordan, etc. She earns between $60k and $80k annually. Her net worth is estimated at $2 million at present.
