Tennessee commit Alontae Taylor adds offer from "dream school" Alabama

Coming off of a stellar senior season and with the uncertainty facing the coaching staff in Knoxville, it's not a surprise that some of the nation's top programs are coming after Rivals250 Manchester (Tenn.) Coffee County and Tennessee wide receiver commit Alontae Taylor. Last month he added offers from Notre Dame and Ohio State but even he was shocked when Alabama assistant coach Derrick Ansley officially extended an offer from the Tide on Friday.

"Dream school," Taylor said in reference to the offer. "They are going to get an official visit for sure."

After visiting Notre Dame last weekend, Taylor had recently shuffled his deck to include official visits to Georgia (Nov. 18) and Wake Forest (Dec. 2). He said he's unsure which weekend he will visit Tuscaloosa but that will be sorted out soon.

"I'm looking to visit sometime in December but the date is undecided," Taylor said. "But before I sign on December 22."

Despite being a longtime Tennessee commit, Taylor said he grew up admiring the Tide from afar.

"Growing up I thought I would be a baseball player my Little League baseball coach was a big Alabama fan," Taylor said. "He showed me some things with Alabama and I started to watch them play and I said one day I'll play for them. They were my childhood dream school."

Taylor, who plays primarily quarterback for his high school team but is committed to the Vols to play wide receiver said Alabama is recruiting him to play safety. Notre Dame is also pursuing Taylor as a defensive player. He said regardless of where he could potentially play for the Tide, the offer holds a lot of weight.

"This offer means a lot to me because like I said dream school but if you see the talent 'Bama brings in every year you have to be elite," Taylor said. "Just the fact that 'Bama offered me means a lot. I'm very thankful and shocked."

Taylor will be back in Knoxville this weekend for the Vols game against Southern Miss. He's set to enroll early and will announce his final decision during the early signing period window (Dec. 20-22).