Max Taylor and Drake Davis are well versed in Princeton Tiger football.

Taylor lived it and Davis watched it.

Both are getting a closer look this fall as new assistant coaches.

Taylor, a 2022 PHS graduate and former Tiger, is coaching F/S defense and safeties for varsity.

Davis, who watched his three brothers - Wyatt (’20), Cael (’21) and Teegan (’23) - play for the Tigers and had a successful run as a college quarterback, is coaching the quarterbacks this fall.

Both are having fun.

“It’s cool, It’s fun. I’m learning it from a different perspective now. It’s pretty fun. I like it,” Taylor said.

The former Tiger is gaining a whole new perspective coaching under head coach Ryan Pearson after playing for him.

“He’s like a mad scientist. Does lot of fun stuff that I would have never thought of,” he said.

The past two seasons, Taylor was on the sidelines for Kewanee for the longtime rivalry between the Tigers and Boilermakers, who are coached by his uncle, Matt Taylor.

“Matt’s my uncle, so that was fun,” Taylor said. “So then I got to work with him and then Ben and Lane, his kids, are my cousins, so that was cool. Like a little family thing. Then I’ve got another cousin over there, a Hicks.”

He said it was “definitely a little weird” being on the opposite sidelines from the Tigers.

“Everyone over there, the kids and coaches, (asked) ‘so you know their calls and everything? (I’m like) more or less, yeah,’” he said, noting he did not divulge any inside secrets.

Tiger coach Ryan Pearson was happy to get Taylor back in the Tiger family.

“Former player of mine. Actually helped out with PYFL two years,” Pearson said. “He came to me and said he had an opportunity to go and help his uncle, Matt, who just got named head coach at Kewanee. I said, ‘you’ve got to go. You’re going to learn more as a high school coach than you’re going to learn as a PYFL coach.’

“It was a little different having him on the other sidelines wearing those gross (said jokingly) black and orange colors, but we’re certainly very, very fortunate to have him back. He does a great job with our kids and brings some of that youthful energy that maybe some of us old guys don’t do anymore.”

Taylor’s playing career ended abruptly when he sustained a broken neck on a return in the 2019 quarterfinal win over Paxton-Buckley-Loda. While he tried to play basketball that year, he was never able to play sports competitively again.

“It was rough for probably the rest of high school,” he said. “It happened when I was a sophomore. Once I graduated, it was all right. It just happened. You get over it.”

Despite the injury, Taylor took good memories from his playing days “hanging out with the guys.”

“We were best friends. Grew up with them. Every day was fun,” he said.

Davis was a ball boy for the Tigers coming up in the youth football ranks. His football journey took him to Bureau Valley for three years, when his dad, Spencer, became the Storm coach. He moved on to Naperville North as a senior before continuing his career in college at the University of Illinois, Northern Illinois, Northern Michigan and Quincy University.

He wrapped up his seven-year collegiate career at Quincy last fall and was wanting to stay in the game.

“It’s nice to be around and nice that Coach Pearson let me come on and help him and allowed me to share my knowledge of the years I played,” Davis said.

Davis, Pearson said, brings a wealth of football experience and knowledge to the staff.

“He’s been at the Division 1 level. Been at the Division 2 level for quite a few years. When you can bring a kid in with that kind of experience and he has quite a bit of experience in different programs is good,” Pearson said. “You know how it is. You learn what not to do. Sometimes you take positive and negative things from every place you’ve been and I think that’s certainly added to his resume as far as a great coaching hire.

“Certainly love the knowledge that he brings to our kids. I think he relates well and I think our kids really respect Coach Davis.”

Pearson figures you can’t get enough of the Davis kids having coached his three younger brothers.

“Drake was the only one I never had the opportunity to coach and I just think it’s cool now I get to experience him in a coaching role,” Pearson said. “Now I’ve had experience with all the Davis family and very appreciative of what all of the Davises have meant to the program.”

Davis said the best thing about getting back in the game is the team aspect of it.

“The coaches are fun guys to be around and the kids are a good group to be around, too. It’s not that I’ve been out too long, just got done playing but it’s good to be back around the game,” he said.

Pearson was more than happy provide his new hires with a coaching venue like he got when his playing career ended at Monmouth College after playing for Stark County High School.

“As a player when your career is done, the next best thing is getting the opportunity to coach and still being able to give back to the game that was very generous to you,” he said.