Former Vols commit Alontae Taylor has his official visit schedule set

When the news broke of Butch Jones departure from his position as the Tennessee head coach on Sunday, it was quickly followed by news of Rivals250 wide receiver commit Alontae Taylor backing off his pledge to the school. The long-time commit had already taken an official to Notre Dame and received interest from several new programs so it didn't exactly come as a major surprise.

What did shock Vols fans was the fact that when Taylor listed his options going forward was that Tennessee was nowhere to be found.

"I'm no longer committed to Tennessee here are my final Top 5," Taylor said in a message to Rivals.com on Sunday. "Louisville, Georgia, Alabama, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech."

Taylor will officially visit Georgia this weekend and declared the Bulldogs as his current leader heading into the trip.

"UGA is my leading school I like everything Coach Smart is doing," Taylor said. "I love how Coach Chaney is putting the ball in playmakers hands and I love how they are recruiting me as an athlete so I can have a chance to play both sides of the ball."

But while Taylor has a new leader and his visits already set, it's clear that the Vols aren't completely eliminated, as some fans initially feared.

"Tennessee could most definitely get back in it," Taylor said. "I didn't speak much on them but depending on the hire Tennessee could get back in the mix and them just being the home state team helps them a lot."

Taylor said he will continue to follow the school's coaching search and see how things play out. As far as potential candidate Jon Gruden, Taylor said he would like to see a coach come in and bring an explosive offense with them.

"I know Gruden is a smart quarterback mindset guy," Taylor said. "So I hope if he was the guy they hired he would bring the spread or air raid type offense."

An offensive weapon who played mostly quarterback in high school, Taylor now has options to play on either side of the ball at the next level.

Following his trip to Georgia, Taylor has plans to visit Wake Forest on Dec. 2. His cousin D.J. Taylor is already a member of the Demon Deacons team and a big reason why they are in the mix.

"It's a positive is that my cousin goes there," Taylor said. "I like that they are spreading the ball over the field all receivers are getting touches and the chances of playing early are very high. It's also a great academic school and in the ACC, one of the best conferences."

Taylor will follow his trip to Winston-Salem up with a trip to Tuscaloosa to see Alabama. The Crimson Tide offered recently and view Taylor as a defensive back at the next level.

"I like how they continue to ask what position I wanna play but I know Alabama puts a lot of corners and safeties in the NFL," Taylor said. "And that's the end goal to make it to the league and Alabama is a very special place if you want to be great."

Taylor's last official visit before a decision is set for Louisville, with the Cardinals laying out a vision for him to stay at his high school position of quarterback.

"I love the fact they are giving me the opportunity to play quarterback in a great system with the run and pass option," Taylor said. "Coming in after a guy like Lamar Jackson leaves high standards and just to have his goals to beat would bring out the best in me. I love what Louisville has to offer with the quarterback position being wide open for next year if Lamar decides to leave for the NFL."

Taylor plans to announce his commitment on Dec. 22 and enroll early in January at the school of his choice.