The Illinois Fighting Illini signed their fifteenth and final commit on National Signing Day, Dionte Taylor. Taylor is a three-star recruit by Rivals and 247 Sports. He is also ranked as the No. 103 wide receiver in the nation by 247 Sports.

Taylor committed to Illinois on December 17th, 2012. He officially visited Illinois on December 14th, 2012. He chose the Illini over Wake Forest, Central Florida, Boston College, and Akron. It was wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales who earned Taylor’s pledge.

Dionte Taylor played his high school ball at University School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. University School made it to the the state championship of the Class 3A Florida State Playoffs. They defeated Madison County 24-17. The team finished 2012 as top-ranked team in South Florida and No. 2 overall team in Florida. As a senior, Taylor had 40 catches for 577 yards (14.43 yards per catch / 72.1 yards per game) and seven touchdowns.

Out of all fifteen signees for Illinois, Taylor was the very last commit to fax in his Letter of Intent. He is one of two wide receivers to sign with the Illini on NSD.

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The Illinois Fighting Illini signed their fourteenth commit on National Signing Day, Merrick Jackson. Jackson is a three-star recruit by Rivals, Scout, ESPN and 247 Sports. He is also ranked as the No. 18 player in the state of Illinois by ESPN, No. 30 by Scout, No. 21 by 247 Sports and No. 27 by Rivals. He is also ranked as the No. 56 defensive tackle in the nation by 247 Sports.

Jackson committed to the Fighting Illini on April 30th, 2012. He chose the Illini over Indiana, Iowa, and Missouri. It was assistant coach Chris Beatty who earned Jackson’s pledge.

Merrick Jackson played his high school ball at Althoff Catholic High School in Belleville, Illinois. The Althoff Catholic Crusaders made it to the IHSA 2A State Championship, but they lost to Mercer County High School, 7-14. Jackson totaled 87 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, three sacks and two touchdowns, one on a pick-six and the other as a goalline fullback, during senior season. He was also named second-team All-State by the Chicago Tribune and first-team All-Metro by the St. Louis Post-Dipatch in 2012.

Out of all fifteen signees for Illinois, Jackson was the fourteenth commit to fax in his Letter of Intent. He is one of six defensive linman to sign with the Illini on NSD.

For more National Signing Day coverage on the Fansided network, visit Saturday Blitz.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @RickyWidmer.

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The Illinois Fighting Illini signed their thirteenth commit on National Signing Day, Jarrod Clements. Clements is a three-star recruit by Rivals, Scout, ESPN and 247 Sports. He is also ranked as the No. 37 defensive end nationally and the No. 31 player in the state of Ohio by Scout, as the No. 32 defensive end nationally and as the No. 38 player in Ohio by 247 Sports, and as the No. 20 player in Ohio by Rivals.

Clements committed to the Fighting Illini on May 1st, 2012. He chose the Illini over Louisville, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina State. It was recruiting coordinator Alex Golesh who earned Clements’ pledge.

Jarrod Clements played his high school ball at Trotwood-Madison in Dayton, Ohio. The Trotwood-Madison Rams made it to the State Championship of the Division II Ohio State Playoffs. However, they lost to Central Catholic High School, 12-16. Clements was limited to eight games during senior season due to injury, but still totaled 39 tackles, six sacks and 10 tackles for loss on the year.

Out of all fifteen signees for Illinois, Clements was the thirteenth commit to fax in his Letter of Intent. He is one of six defensive lineman to sign with the Illini on NSD.

For more National Signing Day coverage on the Fansided network, visit Saturday Blitz.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @RickyWidmer.

Like the us on Facebook at Writing_Illini.