Blaise Taylor was on Utah State's football staff in 2023.
(Trent Nelson | Salt Lake Tribune) Dee Glenn Smith Spectrum at Utah State University in Logan on Thursday, February 1, 2024.
Blaise Taylor, a former defense analyst at Utah State University, has been arrested in connection with the deaths of his girlfriend and her unborn child.
Taylor, who left USU this month to coach at Texas A&M, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder by a Nashville grand jury. He allegedly poisoned his then-girlfriend, Jade Benning, causing her death, according to a news release.
Taylor was arrested this week in Utah, and police plan to take him to Tennessee to face charges.
Benning died in March 2023 at the age of 25, according to a news release. She was five months pregnant and rushed to a Nashville hospital on February 25, 2023, with what appeared to be an allergic reaction, police said. Two days later, her fetus died. Benning passed away on March 6th.
The murder investigation continued for several months after the death and ultimately resulted in charges being filed against Taylor.
Benning's fetus was believed to be Benning's, according to a news release.
After Benning's death, Taylor took the job at Utah State on July 1. He was assisting defensive backs as an analyst for head coach Blake Anderson.
The university said Taylor, like other employees, underwent a background check before being hired.
Taylor left USU on March 1st after one season and was hired by Texas A&M as an analyst on March 6th.
“Utah State University is aware of the arrest of former employee Blaze Taylor, who left the university on March 1, 2024 to take a new position at another university,” the athletic department said in a statement. “…The university is not involved in this law enforcement matter.”
Taylor played at Arkansas State University and then joined the Tennessee Titans staff for several seasons. He came to Utah for one season after serving as an analyst under current Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko at Duke University.
Taylor's father, Trooper, was a longtime coach at Duke University. This offseason, he followed Elko to Texas A&M.
