4-star 2027 QB forced to apologize to Illinois football, Bret Bielema, after Nebraska pledge

Zain Bando

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4-star 2027 QB forced to apologize to Illinois football, Bret Bielema, after Nebraska pledge image

Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska football can finally rejoice, as Thursday afternoon saw coach Matt Rhule secure his quarterback of the future in  6-foot-3, 186-pound 2027 four-star quarterback Trae Taylor from Mundelein, Ill.

Appearing live on 247Sports' YouTube channel at Carmel Catholic High School while surrounded by friends, family and teammates, Taylor picked the Cornhuskers over the in-state Illinois Fighting Illini, LSU Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies.

However, what began as a standard commitment ceremony turned unexpected when Taylor threw his Tigers and Aggies hats to the side to pick the Illini hat. He even blurted out he was "home" before ultimately choosing the Cornhuskers.

Taylor eventually apologized to the Illinois fanbase, saying he understood how "disrespectful" it was to represent his family and his new school, Nebraska, in that way.

Taylor kept it simple about why the Cornhuskers were the best fit.

"Coach Rhule and coach [Glenn] Thomas, they've all been very genuine," Taylor said. "I feel like they can get me better on and off the field. I really believe they can get me to the next level which is the NFL that I want to be at."

Taylor took a dig at his other finalists by putting the Cornhuskers on a pedestal.

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"We've got the best fans in the nation," Taylor said. 

Taylor took a step further, re-assuring Cornhuskers fans he'll "work as hard as I can" through his remaining high school years.

Taylor has one season under his belt as a starter for the Corsairs. According to 247 Sports, he has already made a name for himself as the No. 7 quarterback in the 2027 class and No. 4 in Illinois.

Taylor's commitment should give the Cornhuskers confidence they aren't satisfied with bowl wins or appearances. They want to take it a step further and remain in the College Football Playoff mix for years to come.

While Taylor's pledge stings for the other schools involved, especially with coach Bret Bielema losing out on an in-state product, the cycle is far from over.

For now, it remains unclear whether the schools that lost out can rebound. But, only time will tell.

Zain Bando

Zain Bando is a freelance writer for The Sporting News. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. Over the years, Bando has written about various beats surrounding Illinois, Northwestern, and Kansas State Athletics but sticks to the Big Ten as his primary expertise. Outside of collegiate reporting, Bando covers MMA and boxing for MMA Knockout On Sports Illustrated and hosts/co-hosts two podcasts as part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network – Bando's Breakdowns and The MMA Outsiders, which air weekly on YouTube and are distributed on all podcast platforms Tuesday nights and Wednesday afternoons. Bando is a Chicago Suburban native and a member of the FWAA and USBWA, continuing to hone his professional skills as a sports journalist and media personality. Since June 2019, Bando's byline has been seen across many mediums, including MSN, Yardbarker, Deadspin, FanSided, BJPenn.com, Bridge Media Network (Sports News Highlights), Mike Farrell Sports, Reuters, and more. When Bando is not writing, he binges on old UFC fights, spends time with family and friends, memorizes every Super Bowl, and manifests all the places he still has to travel to (even while bringing his laptop).