Geneva star receiver Talyn Taylor aims to make senior year special

When Talyn Taylor joined Geneva’s football team back in 2021, head coach Boone Thorgesen knew he had something special.

Sure, Taylor may have been a little small and not quite fully matured yet. But Thorgesen knew just looking at Taylor’s skill set and talent that his potential was something that hasn’t been seen at Geneva.

“We told him as a freshman that he’s going to be the best player to ever walk through the doors at Geneva,” Thorgesen said. “And you know, he’s proven that point to be true.”

Fast forward to now. The 4-star recruit who committed to Georgia back in June has fully come into his own, and in many cases is regarded as the top wide receiver in the state of Illinois. And with someone like that on the roster, the possibilities are endless for Thorgesen.

“We count our blessings a little bit as coaches being able to coach someone up to his talent level and caliber for what he can do on the field,” Thorgesen said. “It’s been a blast because he can do things on the field that no one else can, whether it’s on our team or on the other team.”

Taylor’s been on the Vikings’ varsity roster since Week 9 of his freshman season, and has made quite the impact. In his two full seasons, he’s brought in 83 receptions for 1,257 yards to go with 14 touchdowns.

So it’s no surprise that Taylor is expecting to have to face plenty of double teams this season. But he’s okay with that, because he knows that the Vikings also have Finnegan Weppner, who was second in receiving yards last year, as well as Michael Rumoro and Troy Velez coming back at running back as offensive threats.

“If defenses decide to double cover me or a team’s whole defensive scheme is focused on me, that leaves the whole other side of the field open or the run game open,” Taylor said. “So you’ve got to try to call the game based on what’s on the field, but either way, they lose.”

Thorgesen said that having someone on the field like Taylor helps make everyone better, including his star receiver.

“Our job as coaches is to try to get Talyn the ball because when he gets the ball, good things happen,” Thorgesen said. “But at the same time, when teams overcommit to him, and they’re going to, he’s going to make them pay by opening everyone up a little bit. He makes everyone, from our skill guys, to other receivers, and even our linemen, better.’

One thing that will be different for the offense is the quarterback. After two-year starter Nate Stempowski graduated, the door has opened for either senior Tony Chahino or junior Brock Phillip to step into that role.

But with a guy like Taylor being the main guy to get the passes to, Thorgesen said that he acts like a security blanket for the new pass slingers.

“We’ve told our quarterbacks that you’re never wrong if you’re going to throw him the ball,” Thorgesen said. “We have a lot of very talented receivers out there, but our quarterbacks should be feeling pretty lucky because it does make their job easier throwing to someone someone who has the catch rate that he has.”

And with the change in who’s going to be throwing his passes, Taylor has been focusing on getting his routes down and working on the timing – but also on establishing a solid connection with both players.

“That wide receiver and quarterback bond is one of the most important things in football. You’ve just got to have it,” Taylor said. “Most teams are fine without it, but that bond just elevates how you play.”

Another focus for Taylor has been making sure he can stay healthy. In the crosstown rivalry game against Batavia in Week 6 of last season, Taylor ended up tearing his meniscus, causing him to miss five games for the Vikings before coming back for the second round of the playoffs against Cary-Grove.

But as the season is nearing the beginning, Taylor said that he’s feeling 110% and is ready to go back out and compete.

“There was a lot of off-the-field grind and a lot of stuff that wasn’t seen like rehab that was put into fixing that,” Taylor said. “After that injury, I wanted to come out of it being a better player and better everything. That’s just how I am, dog mentality.”

One thing that Taylor got off his plate prior to hitting the football field for his final high school season was his plans for the future. On June 11, Taylor announced on X his commitment to play at the University of Georgia come next season.

“The talks I had with coach (Kirby) Smart, (wide receivers) coach (James) Coley and (offensive coordinator Mike) Bobo and going on that official visit helped,” Taylor said. “I want to play with the best and be with the best, and after that conversation, I just knew.”

The Bulldogs had had the Geneva wideout flown down to Athens on multiple occasions, but it was his sixth and most recent visit on May 31 that really told Taylor that it was the place he needed to be.

“I talked to a lot of the players and a lot of outside people like the staff and got their inside take on what it was really like and what life was like after football,” Taylor said. “They had to have that, and just the opportunities they give while you’re there, they really have everything for you.”

While Taylor is excited to eventually end up facing off in the highly-touted Southeastern Conference, his focus is currently set on finishing his senior season, where he hopes to be the focal point to bringing home a state championship for the Vikings, as well as the DuKane Conference title.

“I want to have over 1,000 receiving yards, get over 15 touchdowns and help my team get to a state championship and win it,” Taylor said. “We’ve got a lot of goals for everyone this season.”

And Thorgesen believes that as long as Geneva takes things one game at a time and his players play hard, he doesn’t see why that can’t be the case.

“I always tell the kids, let the game play and let your ability show on the field and however it falls, it’s going to fall,” Thorgesen said. “It’s a tough conference with some great teams and great coaches, and we’re going to be up to the test, and how we stack up against them is a great indicator of the type of team we are.”