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Four-star quarterback Trae Taylor is leaving the state of Illinois for his final season of high school football. He will instead join a controversial Nebraska powerhouse often accused of shady recruiting tactics.
Taylor opened up on his reasoning for making the move. He says it has more to do with his future than potential stat padding with a stacked roster.
NEWS: 2027 4-star QB Trae Taylor is transferring from Carmel Catholic (IL) to Millard South (NE), @GregSmithRivals reports
Taylor is committed to Nebraska.
Read: https://t.co/YZfLX4gyna pic.twitter.com/iI7lLrabRk
— Rivals High School (@RivalsHS) January 21, 2026
Who is Trae Taylor?
Taylor is one of the top signal callers in the upcoming class. He’s listed as a Top 40 recruit by 247 Sports, falling just shy of five-star status.
The talented passer will enter his senior season as a 2027 recruit. He has committed to play for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
That pledge came back in May of 2025 when he was a member of the Carmel Catholic program in Illinois. His commitment ceremony provided some drama as he emphatically spurned the instate Illini.
Rival schools attempted to lure the quarterback away from the Cornhuskers when Matt Rhule’s name was linked to other job openings. Taylor didn’t waver. His decision to attend Nebraska has resulted in a domino effect.
The passer is transferring high schools. He will play at Millard South as a senior before becoming a Husker.
His reasoning was simple. He wanted more access to his future program. He will be able to utilize Nebraska’s facilities from time to time. He can also see and speak to recruits planning to visit campus.
This decision was not taken lightly. I’ll be living in Lincoln commuting to Omaha. So, any chance I’m allowed in the facilities I’ll be there. Kinda a redshirt year at a slower pace. 2) I don’t want to miss a single recruit that comes in. None of this is possible without my Coach and his support, and him giving me the green light to go be great nothing but love. And of course, my (Carmel Catholic) teammates my progress was faster because of you. Thank you, Corsairs community.
The transfer will also offer an extreme change of scenery. His new high school football program is much different than his last.
Millard South is a powerhouse.
The Patriots have won back-to-back state titles. In 2024, they went 12-1. They followed it up with an identical record in 2025, though there was an asterisk.
Led by four-star Alabama QB signee Jett Thomalla, Millard South defeated every foe on its schedule convincingly. It was forced to forfeit its Week 1 contest despite winning 49-7.
For comparison, Trae Taylor’s old team went 4-7 in ’24 and 8-3 in ’25.
The Patriots outscored their opponents 742-44. The average score of its games was 62-4. There were six shutouts, including a 49-0 state championship win. Just one team managed to score more than seven points.
As a result of the dominance, Millard South forced one team to cancel its matchup due to safety concerns. It sparked controversy surrounding fairness in high school sports.
The program, while impressive, is often accused of shadily acquiring talent. It was caught with two ineligible players just last year.
The topic was widely discussed throughout the country in 2025. Tampering was an issue, as was falsified paperwork on student-athlete residences.
Teams are always looking for an advantage. That includes illegally recruiting players, with some boasting rogue boosters willing to pay superstars to leave schools, and even states.
Millard South was at the center of this controversy last season. Trae Taylor’s recent transfer will do little to quiet the noise.
The quarterback insists the Patriots did not bring him in illegally. Instead, the move was made to get closer to Nebraska. He should benefit from the boost in surrounding talent.