The University of Georgia added a huge piece to their recruiting class today when Geneva (Ill.) Community Top 100 receiver Talyn Taylor committed to head coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs. The 6-1, 175-pounder from the class of 2025 chose to play ball in Athens, which left Ohio State and Notre Dame finishing second and third in his recruitment respectively.
247Sports ranks Taylor as the No. 97 overall player in the country. He’s also listed at No. 13 overall at his position and No. 3 overall in the state of Illinois.
Ahead of his public commitment, Taylor shared why he wanted to play at Georgia.
“Georgia is chasing greatness,” said Taylor when asked why he committed to Georgia over Notre Dame and Ohio State. “Coach Smart, in my eyes, is the next Nick Saban. He’s a great coach. He has a great future at the University of Georgia. Coach Coley is a great coach and coach Coley is a great offensive coordinator.”
Taylor had a gut feeling for quite some time that Georgia was home for him. Coaching changes forced him to reevaluate everything, but in the end, his heart was always in Athens.
“I’ve known for a while,” said Taylor. “I was just making sure I did my due diligence on every school. I was making sure I visited every school and I was making sure I found what was right for me. I felt like I found what I liked and what I wanted to go into.”
So, what tipped the scales for the Bulldogs? In a word, everything.
“They have everything. Academics are great. Life after football is great. I talked to them about it. It’s all great,” said Taylor. “Their plan to get you to the NFL and their plan to take care of you after football and develop you after football, it was great.”
While on campus recently for his official visit, Taylor spent time talking to a variety of players on the Georgia roster. That made his decision that much easier.
“I talked to a bunch of guys,” said Taylor. “Myles Thornton, he was my host, I talked to Dillon Bell, Dominic Lovett, Nitro Tuggle, Colbie Young, Rara Thomas, all of those guys. They were cool and they really like the school. Their feedback was great.”
Former receivers coach Bryan McClendon had Taylor extremely high on Georgia. Things may have been challenging once he left, but new receivers coach James Coley genuinely stepped in and helped the Bulldogs tremendously down the stretch.
“Coach Coley thinks I’m a great receiver and knows I’m a playmaker,” said Taylor. “He thinks I’m elusive. He thinks I can play inside and outside. He’s really detailed. He knows I’m coachable, so it’s great.”