2018 Tennessee Commit Alontae Taylor Will Visit Notre Dame

Notre Dame wasted little time making recruiting waves on the bye week as 2018 Coffee Country Central athlete Alontae Taylor‍ added an offer on Tuesday. The four-star prospect has been committed to Tennessee since June of 2016, but the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder was pretty fired up to get an offer from the Irish. 

“I talked to coach Clark (Lea) today,” Taylor told Irish Sports Daily. “We spoke on the phone. He told me that they loved me at Notre Dame. They really liked the fact I am a good student and how I play. 

“Then he offered me a full-ride scholarship as a cornerback.”

Taylor committed to the Vols to play receiver, and a few programs have mentioned defense, but Notre Dame is going against the grain with the offer coming for his defensive talents. 

“There are some schools that have brought it up,” Taylor said of playing defense. “As far as the defensive side of the ball, cornerback would be the spot I would want to play. If not, I would just play receiver.”  

The Vols struggles as of late have been well-documented, but the Tennessee native has remained committed. 

“All I can say is that I am committed,” stated Taylor. “I can’t say if it’s a hard commit or a soft commit. I am committed.” 

Tennessee will have some stiff competition to keep Taylor in the class, as he plans to use his official visits this fall. 

“My official visits were set, but after talking to coach Lea, my official visits are going to change,” Taylor said.  “I will be taking an official visit to Notre Dame. I am unsure of when, but I will talk to Coach Lea tomorrow to set it up. I will be taking an official visit to Notre Dame.” 

“I am going to visit Tennessee, Louisville, South Carolina, and Georgia too.”  

Georgia is the team on that list that has a lot of momentum as they are currently ranked in the Top 5, but Taylor doesn’t like them because they are one of the hot teams in college football. 

“I wouldn’t say it’s about the momentum,” explained Taylor. “I’ve been talking to UGA since the summer, so I can’t really say that liking them has anything to do with how their season is going. The bond I have with coach (James) Coley and coach (Kirby) Smart is the reason I like UGA.” 

One of the reasons Taylor is interested in Notre Dame is from an educational standpoint. The Coffee County Central star has always been told about the importance of academics, so he is going to give the Irish a fair shot. 

“My mom is always preaching about how academics come first,” Taylor said. “I have had some ideas of what I want to major in. Physical Therapy or Sports Management are two majors I have thought about.” 

As for his commitment to the Vols, Taylor committed to Tennessee for more reasons than just football. 

“It’s the in-home state school, in the SEC and I love everything about the university without football,” said Taylor. “As far as football goes, I love coach Jones and what he’s doing, even with the ups and downs right now. 

“I love coach (Kevin) Beard, so it has a family feeling every time I get on campus is a big reason why I committed there. 

“I understand the academic part isn’t a Notre Dame, Vanderbilt or Stanford, but they do have a great education.”