WR Dionte Taylor Commits To Illinois

In 2012, with A.J. Jenkins wasting away on the bench in San Francisco, the leading wide receiver on the Illini was Ryan Lankford. Lankford finished the season with 37 catches for 469 yards and 5 touchdowns. Of that production, 347 yards and 4 of those touchdowns came before the calendar switched from September to October.

So, as is all too obvious, wide receiver is a position that the Illini could desperately use some help with. And hopefully Dionte Taylor is somebody who can do just that.

Taylor, a three-star receiver from Fort Lauderdale's University School committed to the Illini on Monday night. His commitment came after an official visit to Champaign on Friday and he says the overall atmosphere and culture surrounding the program convinced him to commit.

Say what you want about Tim Beckman and his coaching staff and the way this team performed in 2012, but they seem to know what they're doing on the recruiting trail.

The 6-foot, 165 pound receiver had offers from over 20 schools, including Cincinnati, Indiana, Louisville, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Syracuse and Wisconsin just to name a few. So the fact he chose us over everybody else is a good indicator of what this coaching staff is doing out there on the road.

Taylor is now the 26th member of the 2013 class, and the third -- or fourth depending on what the coaching staff does with Caleb Day when he gets here -- receiver in the class, joining Martize Barr and Marchie Murdock.