ORLANDO, Fla. — Alontae Taylor is one of the headliners of Tennessee's 2018 recruiting class, and the Coffee County Central standout repped the Vols all week down at the Under Armour All-American Game.
Each night, Taylor took the time to recap his day for VolQuest.com, so here's an exclusive look at the 4-star wideout's thoughts and experiences down in Orlando.
SATURDAY
So this morning I flew here, checked in and got all my gear. I got my jersey, and I’ll be wearing No. 13. We took pictures and got a haircut! We got to pick out our different kind of gear that we wanted as far as shoes, shorts, colors and stuff like that. After that we went and did media and took pictures. Then we had some downtime to just chill and hangout with the team.
We had a ‘Welcome’ meeting tonight at 9 p.m. on the first day. We heard from an Under Armour guy telling us what we had in store for us this week, giving shoutouts to the brands supplying us like Gatorade, American Family Insurance and Samsung. We found out that since Herm Edwards is now the new coach at Arizona State, our new coach will be Deion Sanders.
Deion being the head coach for my team is (great). Later, we had team meetings with the offensive coaching staff for Team Highlight. Tomorrow will be the first day of practice. This is a business trip. Time to get to work.
SUNDAY
Day 2 here in Orlando, had breakfast and team meetings at 8 a.m. We had practice and got to checkout the locker room.
I had a really good practice. I did well in some 1-on-1s. I enjoyed going up against Olaijah Griffin, Trey Dean and guys like that. Very successful deal. After practice, I got some praise by the footwork doctor. It was a really good day. I got more comfortable with my route running, more comfortable around the guys and more comfortable with the team.
Then we chilled until we go to an event called the Blue Man Group.
MONDAY
I woke up this morning, had breakfast and team meetings and all of that. Practice No. 2 today was tough. It was cold and rainy. Little sloppy.
Everyone is excited about tonight where we’re going to the K-1 Speed Go Cart Racing.
TUESDAY
Another practice. Weather still not good. At night we went to Universal Studios and got a $25 gift card for dinner and fast passes for rides. It was fun.
WEDNESDAY
Today was our walk-through. We had to change plans and didn’t go to the field because of all the rain, so we had our walk through at the hotel. We had a jersey presentation ceremony, where we were officially presented with our Under Armour uniforms.
I’ve had a blast here. I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve had a lot of learning experiences. I’ve met a lot of people. I’ve gotten closer to some guys. Me and Olaijah Griffin are really close now. I’ve been on him all week.
Me and Jacob Copeland are pretty close. We’re still talking. I just want to give all the glory to God for allowing me to be here and play with these great guys and meet these great coaches.
THURSDAY
GAMEDAY! We played today, and we came out with a good team win! We would’ve won by more but we kept turning the ball over! I played every other series with me and Justin Watkins rotating.
I wasn’t targeted any but I was open on my routes. I also threw a pass and had a tackle. I enjoyed everything going on this week. It’s a blessing to be an Under Armour All-American!!!!
I'd like to Thank Vol Nation for the support throughout the week. It's very appreciative!! And to my guy Olaijah: I enjoyed getting to know him and recruiting him this week. Great player but even better person!!! Now it's time to get on Rocky Top
Vol Nation, AT checking out! ✌️
