High School

Trae Taylor, elite 2027 QB prospect, breaks down 4 finalists, sets commitment date

Andrew Nemec

Class of 2027 Carmel Catholic (Illinois) quarterback Trae Taylor
Class of 2027 Carmel Catholic (Illinois) quarterback Trae Taylor / Courtesy of Trae Taylor

Class of 2027 Carmel Catholic (Illinois) star Trae Taylor is rated as highly as the nation's No. 11 overall prospect and No. 4 quarterback by Rivals.

That's well-within five-star status when those distinctions are fully handed out to the younger class.

So, his recruitment is one that folks around the country are keeping close tabs on.

They won't have to wait much longer.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound signal-caller has set a May 1 commitment date and is down to a final four: Illinois, LSU, Nebraska and Texas A&M.

This week Taylor joined HighSchoolOnSI to break down what stands out about each of his finalists (alphabetical order):

Illinois Fighting Illini: "Illinois is my home state and Coach B [Bret Bielema] and Coach Art [Artur Sitkowski]... well, that whole staff is great men. They are doing things the right way there and think will continue to trend up from here."

LSU Tigers: "The thing about LSU is I know athletes are going there. It’s not hard to get others to come with me there. And my relationship with coach (Joe) Sloan is probably one of the strongest I have."

Nebraska Cornhuskers: "A staff, as a whole, I connect the best here. And their sports broadcasting degree is top notch. If you ask me, Nebraska has the best facilities in the country."

Texas A&M Aggies: "Coach (Mike) Elko and coach (Collin) Klein are just awesome. The 12 Man is awesome and their offense is fun to watch."

Taylor also explained his relationships with Auburn, Alabama and Georgia - schools that recruited him, but didn't end up on his final list.

"I enjoyed all of them and their tradition speaks for itself," he said. "And the fact they offered me is a blessing. And had they been involved earlier this could be different."

While it remains a bit of a mystery where Taylor will choose, he said that he and his parents have, potentially, figured out his future home without a major discussion of NIL.

For Taylor, it's about fit and a connection.

"My parents keep saying if I find a school that gives me everything I want go with it," he said. "Take the logos off and how does it feel? I have not gotten to be involved in money talks, so I don’t even know the numbers. I just have to pick the school that really wants me that has everything I want. I think I have found that school."

But which school will that be?

Fans of the final four programs will have to wait just a bit longer.

And Taylor is likely worth the wait.

As a sophomore, he threw for 3,061 yards and 20 touchdowns while completing 69 percent of his passes. Taylor also rushed for 437 yards and five scores.

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Andrew Nemec
ANDREW NEMEC

Andrew Nemec covers national high school recruiting and brings more than a decade of experience. Andrew hosts "Recruiting with Andrew Nemec" on ESPN-affiliate 1080 The FAN in Portland, Oregon. He holds a journalism degree from the University of Oregon.

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