"Bridges can be rebuilt with God’s help": Kansas City Chiefs DB coach backs Nebraska QB commit Trae Taylor after Illinois controversy

Four-star quarterback Trae Taylor committed to Matt Rhule's Nebraska on Thursday in a ceremony at Carmel Catholic High School (Mundelein, Illinois). He becomes the first player committed to the Huskers in the 2027 cycle.

However, Taylor's commitment sparked criticism, as he initially put on an Illinois hat before tossing it aside and donning a Nebraska cap. The move sparked criticism from fans, and Taylor later posted a video on X to apologize for his action.

"I did want to film this video to apologize to the Illini Nation," Taylor said. "Throwing the hat the way I did during my commitment is not the way I want to be perceived and I know that was very disrespectful. I really just want to get on here and say that that's not who I am.

"That's not the way I want to be known as. The moment got to me a little bit and I just want to say sorry. I'm very grateful for all the support that the Illini Nation has brought to me and the coaching staff."

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On Friday, Kansas City Chiefs defensive back coach Dave Merritt offered support in the comments, writing,

"We all make mistakes. Bridges can be rebuilt with God’s help. Stay focused on finishing High School now. Go Create memories with friends and love ones. College can wait. M. Rhule has my cell if you need any help going forward. 🙏🏾"

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Taylor chose Nebraska over Illinois, LSU and Texas A&M, marking another major recruiting success for the Huskers, who secured five-star Dylan Raiola (2024), TJ Lateef (2025) and a commitment from Dylan’s younger brother, Dayton Raiola (2026).

Trae Taylor kicks off recruiting process for Nebraska

Trae Taylor is the No. 3 quarterback in the 2027 class and the No. 40 recruit in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Just a day after his commitment, Taylor started recruiting prospects for Nebraska.

Taylor kicked off the process by recruiting four-star tight end Ahmad Hudson.

"Ok let’s get this started. @AhmadHudson9 you already know. @HuskerFootball is where it’s at," Taylor tweeted on Friday.

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Hudson is the No. 1 tight end in the 2027 class and the No. 7 recruit in the nation, according to Rivals.

About the author

Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

Maliha is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan and is in awe of quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat abilities. She also admires Tom Brady and her all-time favorite coach is 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid. She is a big advocate of high school sports and believes that elite athletes reach a top level owing to the discipline, hard work, team dynamics, resilience, adaptability and self-confidence learnt by playing sports in high schools. Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers to victory on his debut against the Minnesota Vikings is one of her fondest NFL memories.

Maliha places a high emphasis on accuracy in her content. She does thorough research, always double checks facts, and only uses information from most relevant and credible sources for her articles. When not writing, she likes to read history and biographical books.

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Edited by Ribin Peter