Catch senior receiver Talyn Taylor in action on the football field for Geneva, and there’s a temptation to call the Georgia recruit a natural.
He makes it look easy.
It’s apparent the 6-foot-1 Taylor has plenty of inherited or God-given ability, smoothly reaching out to make a one-handed catch without breaking stride, winning a 50-50 battle for the ball or leaving a would-be tackler grasping for nothing but air with an elusive move after a catch.
Add to that, Taylor has a strong work ethic that has helped him develop and refine those skills.
“When he came in to take part in our summer program and what not, we all said, ‘This kid could end up being the best who has ever walked these halls,’” said Geneva coach Boone Thorgesen, who succeed Rob Wicinski in 2021, shortly before Taylor started his freshman year. “You could just tell he had that ‘it’ factor.
“Obviously, he went above and beyond what we told him he could be. He made it come true.”
That he has.
Taylor, the 2024 Beacon-News/Courier-News Football Player of the Year, capped his high school career at Hancock Stadium in Normal by catching eight passes for 116 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings in a 48-28 loss to East St. Louis in the Class 6A state championship game.
Sixty two of those yards came after the catch. Overall, Taylor finished the season with 84 receptions for 1,617 yards and 24 TDs, adding two more scores on kick returns.
Four days later, the Class 8A all-state selection by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association and the DuKane Conference’s offensive player of the year signed with powerhouse Georgia, winner of two of the last three NCAA championships.
Talyn will graduate early from high school and start the spring semester at Georgia to take part in spring practice. His mother, Venus, is the head softball coach at North Central College.
It’s been this way for Taylor from the very beginning.
“I was pretty much always a wide receiver because of my speed,” he said. “I can throw the ball but never played quarterback. I really like running with the ball. Reverses and jet sweeps are fun.
“It’s definitely an exciting position, involved in all aspects of the offense.”
While he’s aware of the criticism of 7-on-7 offseason leagues and events, Taylor is a believer. It may not be a be-all, end-all but he thinks it helped him.
“I definitely thought it could be a big contribution to my success,” Taylor said of his travel team that draws players from the Chicago area. “You’re going up against other kids who want to compete.
“We went to national events in states like Florida and Texas, definitely states they say are football states, and you faced really stacked teams with four and five-star recruits.”
Lifting with teammates, a fitness class at school and summer workouts on their own helped his connection this season with senior quarterback Tony Chahino and previously Nate Stempowski.
As a sophomore, Taylor totaled 801 yards receiving but that dropped to 512 yards last season when he was sidelined for over a month with a knee injury. He ended up with 2,930 career yards.
“What separates him from even other high-level kids is he can play anywhere on the field,” Thorgesen said. “Even big colleges recruiting him said that. We see it on a daily basis. He can play inside as a slot receiver or as an outside receiver.
“He has a big enough frame, good wingspan, and his route running is superb. His athleticism and ball skills are elite as well. He’s the total package, and it showed on film and when he went to showcase events. It makes him one of the best receivers in the nation.”
It made him the focus of opposing defenses, but that opened up windows for fellow receivers in senior Finnegan Weppner and sophomore Bennett Konkey, who had 1,037 yards and 548 yards, respectively.
“The great thing about Talyn is not only that any time he touches the ball it can go for a score,” Thorgesen said. “But just what it opens up for everyone else when defenses try to take him away.”
