Coveted Illinois Quarterback Visiting LSU Football, Priority Tigers Target

Mundelein (Ill.) Carmel Catholic quarterback Trae Taylor has quickly emerged as one of the top prospects in the 2027 Recruiting Cycle following a dominant sophomore campaign.

The touted signal-caller has hauled in nearly 40 college offers following his two seasons with Carmel Catholic, and with a pivotal offseason ahead, he's trimmed his list.

Taylor has revealed his finalists with the LSU Tigers joining Texas A&M, Michigan, Illinois and Nebraska. He's also considering Notre Dame and Georgia.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder is working through his process at a rapid pace after locking in on a handful of scholsl, but he's also ready to knock the recruiting process out of the way.

He's now set visits to each of his finalists with LSU getting one this weekend. Taylor will arrive on Friday for a visit with Brian Kelly's program.

Taylor is also set to visit the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (March 18), Illinois Illini (March 24), Michigan Wolverines (March 25), Nebraska Cornhuskers (March 27) and Texas A&M Aggies (March 29).

Headed to @LSUfootball this morning. Will be there for the weekend. Look forward to seeing everyone @CoachBrianKelly @CoachJoeSloan @morgan_bphill @PatrickLKelly @PlayBookAthlete @QBHitList @GregSmithRivals @AllenTrieu @TomLoy247 @SWiltfong_ @EDGYTIM @adamgorney pic.twitter.com/0aHFl4FQWi
— Trae Taylor (@Qb6Trae) March 7, 2025

"The very first time I visited LSU, I absolutely fell in love with the campus and culture," Taylor wrote in a social media post.

Taylor has developed a relationship with LSU offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan across the last few months.

Sloan has officially offered only four signal-callers in the 2027 Recruiting Cycle with Taylor being one of them.

He's been to Baton Rouge on multiple occasions to soak in the scenes of Death Valley with the program ultimately making an impact in his recruitment, which has set the stage for a return this weekend.

Now, he's back in The Boot for a visit with the Bayou Bengals on Friday in what has the chance to be a pivotal trip in his recruitment process.

LSU will also host a pair of coveted 2026 defensive linemen this weekend for trips to Baton Rouge:

- Trenton Henderson [No. 1 Prospect in Florida]
- JaReylan McCoy [Four-Star Defensive Lineman]

Trenton Henderson: Coveted EDGE [2026]

Pensacola Catholic (Fla.) four-star edge rusher Trenton Henderson has locked in multiple visits this offseason with a myriad of schools entering the mix in his recruitment.

Henderson, the No. 3 rated EDGE in America, has reeled in over 25 offers with LSU, Alabama, Florida and Michigan, among several others, battling it out for his services.

Now, LSU is looking to ramp up their push after Brian Kelly and the Tigers' staff flew to the Sunshine State on in January for a check-in with Henderson, he told LSU Tigers SI.

It was a productive trip where Henderson will now look to visit Baton Rouge in the spring as his recruitment takes off.

Prior to visits being locked in, Henderson elected to trim his list of finalists.

The 10 Finalists: LSU, USC, Michigan, Florida, Auburn, Texas, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Georgia and Alabama.

It's a star-studded list of schools with the LSU Tigers certainly having their work cut out for them when it comes to the Sunshine State stud.

Now, Henderson has locked in unofficial visits with the LSU Tigers getting on of their own. He'll be in Baton Rouge this weekend.

The Unofficial Visits:
- LSU Tigers: March 8-9
- Michigan Wolverines: March 17-19
- Georgia Bulldogs: March 29-30
- USC Trojans: April 11-13
- Texas Longhorns: April 25-27

LSU will remain in the ear of the coveted defensive piece who's coming off of a big-time junior campaign after logging 58 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, six pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

With an unofficial visit locked in, it'll now be about getting an official from the top-ranked prospect in the Sunshine State.

More LSU News:

Three LSU Targets to Know: Louisiana Prospects the Tigers "Must" Land

The Buzz: Latest on the No. 1 Safety in America, Five-Star LSU Target

Prized LSU Commitment '100%' Locked in with the Tigers

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.