Carmel Catholic sophomore quarterback Trae Taylor picks Nebraska

Carmel Catholic quarterback Trae Taylor took a weekend trip to Lincoln, Nebraska, last weekend.

On Thursday the sophomore made his oral commitment to play football at Nebraska after his two remaining high school football seasons.

“It really fits me, who I am, the best,” said Taylor, who had a large contingent of family, coaches, teammates and friends with him at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein when he announced his decision on YouTube.

“Lincoln (Nebraska) fits me the best. Coach (Matt) Rhule fits me the best. Coach (co-offensive coordinator Glenn) Thomas fits me the best. They are going to make me the best prepared. Like I said in my speech, I want to be the best man on and off the field.”

Taylor is rated the No. 4 quarterback nationally in the Class of 2027. He is also ranked as the top sophomore recruit in Illinois, according to Rivals.com.

Taylor had nearly 40 Division-I offers, including Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Georgia, Auburn and Alabama. He then narrowed his list down to Illinois, Nebraska, LSU and Texas A&M before picking the Cornhuskers.

Taylor sat at a table in the Carmel gym with his mother, Hilary, and his father, J.R., along with Carmel coach Jason McKie. In front of Taylor were hats from his final four choices.

Taylor quickly pushed the LSU and Texas A&M hats off to the side. He then grabbed the Illinois hat, put it on and then stood up. And then just like Cliff Alexander of Curie High School did in 2013, Taylor tossed the Illinois hat aside.

Taylor then proudly put on the Nebraska hat. He then followed by taking off his jacket to reveal a Nebraska jersey.

“I kind of went blank,” Taylor said. “I didn’t mean to grab Illinois. It is the home school. I meant to grab the Nebraska hat. But I actually grabbed the Illinois hat first. So I was like ‘Oops.’ I didn’t want to grab the Illinois and throw it like that because obviously it is the home state.”

Taylor, 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, has been on colleges’ radar since before he took his first varsity snap as a freshman. Taylor gained McKie’s attention when Taylor was in eighth grade and played youth football in Crystal Lake.

Last season Taylor completed 68% of his passes for 3,061 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also rushed for 342 yards and 4 touchdowns on 41 carries.

It’s his dual-threat ability along with arm strength, speed and size that had college recruiters knocking, calling, texting and emailing.

“It is not every day have a young student-athlete commit to a school that is going to help him in every way,” McKie said. “It is going to help him pursue a career far greater than football in terms of academics. It has the environment and resources and structure for him be successful in life. And they have a good football program with a great head coach.”

“It is a very big day,” Hilary Taylor added. “It is a breath of fresh air. It has been a great day. It has been a long journey, but a good one. Lots of travel. Lots of meeting people and asking lots of questions. Just finding that right fit. (Trae) is really into finding the right relationships.”

J.R. Taylor, who played running back at Eastern Illinois with Tony Romo, said his son has put in a ton of work to get to this point.

“This is a very proud moment,” J.R. Taylor said. “He has worked very hard for this. He has been playing since he was 3. You don’t get to see all the extra stuff he puts into it. He gets up at 4:30 in the morning to do Zoom calls. All the work in 100-degree heat and that stuff. This is something he has earned.”