With rumors swirling about the future of the Tennessee coaching staff and new schools joining the mix with offers, Rivals250 Manchester (Tenn.) Coffee County wide receiver Alontae Taylor has elected to take additional visits, with a weekend trip to Notre Dame first on the schedule.

"I know everyone is talking about the whole hot seat with Coach Jones and I’m just unsure right now who is going to be on the coaching staff at Tennessee when I’m there," Taylor said. "That’s why I’m staying I’m committed but I have to look at my options just in case Coach Jones isn't there."

Taylor's options have been expanding in recent weeks with schools like Notre Dame and Ohio State both recently extending offers. Now, Taylor will take an official visit to South Bend to see what the Irish have to offer.

"At the end of my sophomore year they were talking to me about playing quarterback but then I committed and we kind of broke off contact," Taylor said. "But the coaches at Notre Dame recruiting me when they were at Wake Forest and that relationship carried over, especially with Coach Clark, so I decided I should take an official visit."

Taylor, a versatile athlete who plays mostly quarterback for his high school team, is being recruited by the Irish to play defensive back.

"They want me to play corner," Taylor said. "They are playing catch up and it's going to be very hard for them to flip me but I want to give them a chance to show me what Notre Dame is about and I'm going to go up there and see what it's like."

This weekend's trip will be Taylor's first visit to South Bend and he said he's hoping to see something different than trips he's made in the past to other campuses.

"I want to really see the different type of environment," Taylor said. "I’ve visited a lot of schools in the SEC and ACC and I know Notre Dame is different than those schools. I want to see those differences, check out some of the history and see the fan base and how they interact with the team and stuff like that."

After his trip to visit the Irish, Taylor is tentatively scheduled to visit Ohio State State the weekend of Nov. 10. He will follow that up with trips to Louisville (Dec. 1) and Tennessee (Dec. 9) before announcing a final decision on Dec. 20. Georgia is also in the mix to receive an official visit, although Taylor has yet to schedule that trip. Ohio State is recruiting Taylor as a wide receiver, while Louisville is recruiting Taylor to play quarterback.

As far as the situation with Tennessee, Taylor said he's taking it day-by-day and trying to tune out the noise surrounding the coaching situation on Rocky Top.

"I've been talking to Coach Beard, Coach Wells and Coach Jones on a regular basis so I'm not worried about what every one is saying since I'm talking to them directly," Taylor said. "I'm not paying that much attention to the outside stuff and I'm just going off what the coaches are telling me."

The Vols have lost four commitments in the 2018 class over the past month and Taylor, an aggressive recruiter of his fellow prospects, said he's not worried about players who change their minds.

"I can’t say it bothers me to be honest," Taylor said. "Me and those guys were real close but I’m proud of Brendon and I support him on his commitment to Vanderbilt. I’m still talking to Jatavious Harris, we have a good relationship and with Lyn-J Dixon and I wish him the best. Everyone has to do what they think is best for them."

Taylor said he has also been in contact with five-star Tennessee offensive tackle commitment Cade Mays and the two will continue to have dialouge about their futures as things play out.

"I talked to Cade a few days ago and we stay up with each other and see where our minds are at and see what we’re thinking," Taylor said. "He is going to take some visits as well and we'll just see what happens."