Did you know? A hat toss could turn a 16-year-old into a college football villain. Picture this. You’re a sophomore in high school, one of the nation’s top QBs in your class, and the spotlight’s blazing. You’re sitting on a set, cameras rolling, thousands watching you online, and you decide to throw in a little goofy drama. Classic teenage move, right? Well, Matt Rhule and Nebraska might find it funny. But not everyone’s on the same page. 

Class of 2027 4-star QB Trae Taylor committed to Nebraska in a big-time announcement on 247Sports. But there was a wild touch to it. It was the bait-and-switch. The Carmel Catholic standout picked up an Illinois hat first and said, “I’m going to stay home and go to Illinois.” And then, to the horror of the Illini fans, he chucked the hat, zipped down his hoodie, and revealed a Nebraska jersey, sealing his commitment to Matt Rhule’s program. Immediate mood shift from Illinois and Nebraska fans. 

Not everyone loved the show Trae Taylor pulled. Nebraska insiders Sean Callahan and Steven Sipple discuss the situation in a new episode on HuskerOnline on May 3. “I’ve done this job enough to know that 99.9% of the time, that type of thing doesn’t work,” Callahan said. “It sounds cool in theory. I’m gonna do this funny thing, but you won’t sometimes realize how many people you’re upsetting.” Needless to say, Illinois fans were livid. Even their current QB, Luke Altmyer, was ticked off. “[corn] ball, no pun intended,” he fired on social media. It didn’t take long before the message was delete,d but the message was loud and clear — disrespect was felt. 

Co-host Sipple was a bit more forgiving. “Give the kid some room here,” he said. “He’s a sophomore in high school, right? This falls under the category of youthful indiscretion.” Yeah, if a guy who knows what’s right and wrong, for instance, like Aaron Rodgers, did it, it’s another case, as he said. “But youthful indiscretion. That’s how I’m treating this.” And Trae Taylor did own up to his mistake and made an apology video. 

The same evening, Trae Taylor dropped a video apologizing to Illinois football and its fans. “I did want to film this video to apologize to Illini Nation,” he said regretfully. “Throwing the hat the way I did today was not the way I want to be perceived. I know it was very disrespectful. I really just wanted to get on here and say that’s not who I am and what I want to be known as. Moment got to me a little bit, and I just want to say sorry.” 

Trae’s dad, J.R. Taylor, chimed in on X too — “Yep, my 16-year-old son made a mistake he wish he could have back. The Illinois program has been great to Trae. He meant no disrespect to anyone in that organization. But he did do it and must deal with the consequences. Live and learn, son, live and learn.” Respect to Pops for holding his kid accountable without throwing him under the bus. As Sipple added, “Well, a sophomore. Sophomore. So he learned a lesson. That’s the good news. You learned a lesson.” Yeah, you can be sure he learned it the hard way. But all drama aside, Nebraska fans should be fired up. 

Matt Rhule might’ve just locked in Nebraska’s future

Aside from his young blood prank gone wrong, Trae Taylor’s no joke. He threw for 3,061 yards and 20 TDs last season, also adding 342 yards and four scores on 41 carries. His game fits what Matt Rhule and OC Glenn Thomas are building. And he’s got enough space between him and current QB1 Dylan Raiola to walk in with a shot of playing early. For now, TJ Lateef and Marcos Davila are also in the QB room with Dayton Raiola set to come in as a 2026 recruit. 

“I feel Coach Rhule and Coach Thomas can really grow me as a man on and off the field,” Trae Taylor said after his official commitment. He hyped their offense, saying it’s the kind where he thrives as a high school player. “Both have been at the highest level and have seen what it takes to get there, and I feel they can really prepare me for the NFL.” So yeah, the rollout was rocky and Illinois fans have every right to be salty. But the Huskers? They just landed the No. 3 QB in the class of 2027. That’s a win, no matter how many hats hit the floor. 

You think Trae Taylor made a mistake? Sure. But if the kid delivers for Matt Rhule in Lincoln, no one’s going to remember his hat toss. They’ll remember the TDs.