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Social Media Reacts to Nebraska Commit Trae Taylor's Snub of Illinois Football

Taylor, a four-star quarterback recruit, didn't just turn down his in-state school – he turned out a social media storm
Jason Langendorf|
Nov 4, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema reacts to a holding call during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Nov 4, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema reacts to a holding call during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

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Illinois Fighting IlliniNebraska Cornhuskers

Trae Taylor clearly made a mistake.

Taylor, a top quarterback recruit from Carmel Catholic (Mundelein, Illinois) announced his college football commitment on a 247 Sports live stream Thursday, choosing Nebraska over LSU, Texas A&M and – importantly – Illinois.

But let's be clear about something right away: Taylor's mistake wasn't in selecting the Cornhuskers. Only time will tell how that decision plays out – and given today's environment of flip-flopping and high-traffic transfer portal movement, who knows if Taylor (class of 2027) will ever make it to Lincoln in the first place?

Yet the way Taylor went about his announcement was – and reasonable minds can agree – a poor choice. The details are all here, but you can also watch about the whole thing unfold below:

Yeah ... not great. Theatrics, ego and 16-year-old fun aside, it suggests an ungraciousness and disregard to others and the process in general. You can chalk up the behavior to youth and cut the kid some slack. (And, by the way, you should.) But any coach, publicist or marketing professional would call it what it was: dumb move.

And so you can imagine the calm, nuanced takes Taylor's little spectacle drew on social media. Someone must have gotten to him almost immediately, because he followed up the announcement stream with a videotaped apology on social media within hours. The initial damage, however, was done.

These social media streets aren't the forgiving kind. Lucky for Taylor, they tend to quickly forget. In the meantime, the response to his gaffe ran the gamut between ugly, funny, good-natured and understanding – a spectrum we capture below:

HatGate II

Angering Illini Nation

A new day in Champaign?

Another side of the story

Recruiting begets recruiting

Then again ...

A bad look – not a bad kid

Live and learn

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Elite Quarterback Prospect Pulls Painful, Familiar Switcheroo on Illinois Football

Where Illinois' Gabe Jacas Lands in 2026 NFL Mock Draft by ESPN's Todd McShay

Broncos Coach Sean Payton Compares Former Illini Pat Bryant to ex-Saints Star

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Jason Langendorf
JASON LANGENDORF

Jason Langendorf has covered Illinois basketball, football and more for Illinois on SI since October 2024, and has covered Illini sports – among other subjects – for 30 years. A veteran of ESPN and Sporting News, he has published work in The Guardian, Vice, Chicago Sun-Times and many other outlets. He is currently also the U.S. editor at BoxingScene and a judge for the annual BWAA writing awards. He can be followed and reached on X and Bluesky @JasonLangendorf.

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