Most freshman quarterbacks don’t get recruited yet, but Trae Taylor isn’t most freshman.
NC State became the latest college to offer Taylor, who plays for Carmel Catholic in Mundelein, Ill. The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder already has 12 scholarship offers — NC State, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), Michigan and Purdue from P4 conferences.
NC State went to see Taylor throw the football at a workout, and he in turn came down to unofficially visit the Wolfpack and Duke this spring. He got to see NC State on March 28.
“Coach just come and watch me throw and I do what I normally do,” said Taylor, 15. “I’m doing what I love to do. It’s like a big camp for me. It’s not pressure, it’s fun.”
NCSU quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper has been the point man with Taylor, who has been playing quarterback since 6 years old. His father J.R. Taylor was a star running back at Eastern Illinois, and his uncle Winston Taylor was a defensive end at Illinois.
“My dad would not let me play running back because he was a running back, and saw the beating that he took,” Taylor said. “He didn’t want me to take that, so he said I could play quarterback or receiver. I chose receiver.
“In my first game of tackle football at 6 years old, we lined up and the quarterback got a little league tackle, liked hugged up and rolled to the ground. He walked off the field and said ‘he was never going to play quarterback again. I had to come in the next play and scored a touchdown on my first play, a 75-yard touchdown. I’ll never forget it.”
Taylor learned over time that he liked throwing for touchdowns over just running for them. He also played basketball growing up, but eventually got a quarterbacks coach and the rest is history. Taylor remembers learning about defensive coverages as early as 10 years old.
“What I respect about it is that it changes so much, not so much the position, but football,” Taylor said.
Seeing different colleges across the country has been fun. He also has taken unofficial visits to Michigan, USC, UCLA, Purdue, LSU and Illinois.
“I love it,” Taylor said. “We went to North Carolina a month ago and it was completely different. It can brisk in the morning, then all of a sudden be beaming hot outside. Then it gets super chilly again.
“The crawfish and seafood boil was amazing. It’s fun to see and I see what kind of conditions I’d be playing in.”
Taylor saw that Duke and NC State are different from in each other in many ways.
“It’s a little different because each one has its own little touch,” Taylor said. “The schools have their own little thing about it. It’s a good thing to learn. I know what I’m stepping into now.”
The byproduct of Taylor’s recruiting attention is that his prep teammates are also benefitting. More and more colleges are coming to see his new friends. He played last fall at DePaul College Prep in Chicago.
“We have a newer coaching staff at Carmel Catholic and this is about their fourth year,” Taylor said. “They have done a really good job.
Carmel Catholic has produced a few players to the NFL , including former NFL tight end Sean McGrath and defensive tackle standout Jeff Zgonina, who is now the defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys.
“Last year, I think we had at least 10 kids going to college on scholarship,” Taylor said. “Our coaching staff has done an amazing job of putting us in front of coaches. I think every day we have different coaches at our school.”
Taylor is also looking forward to seeing new Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who went with the No. 1 pick out of USC. However, he also really likes LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who went No. 2 to the Washington Commanders. He was torn leading up to last Thursday's draft night.
"Caleb is a great quarterback, but I am a huge Jayden Daniels fan," Taylor said.
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