TJ Taylor holds the RT · Backup spot in Illinois Fighting Illini’s offensive line room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

TJ Taylor is a right tackle from Santa Clarita, California, who attended Golden Valley High School before playing at College of the Canyons. At the junior college level, he earned three-star recruit status from 247, recruiting services, and was tabbed the No. 2 junior college offensive lineman nationally by national outlets and No. 9 junior college player overall by Rivals. During his freshman season in 2024, Taylor helped the Cougars to an 8-3 record and a Valencia Bowl victory. He was named to the Southern California Football Association All-Central League First Team and contributed to a team that produced the conference's No. 3 and No. 6 rushers by yards per game. Taylor now transfers to Illinois as a junior.