Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University School receiver Dionte Taylor has committed to Illinois, a source close to the situation confirmed with 247Sports.
This season Taylor caught 40 passes for 577 yards and seven touchdowns in helping University School go 13-0.
The 6-foot, 170-pound Taylor chose the Illini over his other finalists Boston College, UCF and Wake Forest. He took official visits to see all four programs including a trip to Champaign this past weekend.
“I liked it a lot,” Taylor told 247Sports national analyst Chris Nee following his official. “There is a lot of upside to it.
This season Taylor caught 40 passes for 577 yards and seven touchdowns in helping University School go 13-0. He has a strong relationship with Illini receivers coach Billy Gonzales.
“He told me he wants me to come in and make an early impact,” Taylor said. “He said I could make an immediate impact. He said they are short on guys. They had to move their third-string quarterback to wide receiver for the last couple games this season. He let me know how important it was he got a guy like me for next year. It is a great chance in a great conference to play early.
Taylor is the 26th commit for Illinois in the class-of-2013.
“I really like their academics,” Taylor said. “It’s a prestigious public school. They are No. 7 for public schools and No. 46 overall for all schools. They have a really good business program. A lot of their business programs are in the top-15, so I know that they have a good reputation from an academic standpoint.”
Other programs to offer Taylor includes Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Syracuse.
- Steve Wiltfong
- National Recruiting Writer - 247Sports