Taylor is off the board

Jeff Taylor took a methodical approach to his recruitment, but the 6-foot-7, 198-pound small forward from Hobbs (N.M.) High School finally came to a decision over the weekend.

Down to Texas and Vanderbilt, Taylor will take his game to the SEC. The opportunity for early playing time was the critical factor in his decision.

"It was a really tough decision," Taylor told Rivals.com. "I love Texas and the coaches there. In the end what made the decision for me was looking at who is coming back and who is leaving. There is a big opportunity for playing time at Vanderbilt. If a player comes in to this situation and does what he is should do, he should get a lot of minutes."

Coming off a state championship high school season, Taylor is an elite level athlete who has played around the basket for Hobbs High School. In the summer, however, when he plays with the Swedish National Junior team, he plays on the perimeter. A strong ball handler and passer, Taylor's main challenge to playing the small forward position at the high major level is improving his shooting range.

"I'm working on developing a quicker release on my jumper," said Taylor. "I'm also working on my pull up jumper."

Taylor, who will enter the four-star ranks in the soon to be updated Rivals150, joins four-star prospects Lance Goulbourne and Steve Tchiengang as 2008 Vanderbilt scholarship recruits.