Elite Quarterback Prospect Pulls Painful, Familiar Switcheroo on Illinois Football

Not again.

More than a decade ago, Cliff Alexander – a top basketball forward from Chicago's Curie – announced his college commitment amid much fanfare. The moment wouldn't have been unusual aside from a somewhat distasteful decision that saw Alexander initially grab an Illinois hat, seemingly indicating an orange-and-blue future in Champaign, before pulling a Kansas hat over his head and declaring he would be signing with the Jayhawks.

It was a youthful but harmless moment of indiscretion that was met with, quite frankly, a wild overreaction from Illini Nation.

Which brings us to Trae Taylor.

On Thursday, Taylor – a four-star quarterback from Carmel Catholic (Muncie, Illinois) considered by some to be the best in-state passing prospect from the class of 2027 – put on a similar exhibition, announcing his college commitment via live stream on 247 Sports' YouTube channel.

Surrounded by family members, coaches and other figures close to him, Taylor sat at the center of a table with four hats spread out before him that represented his finalists – Texas A&M, LSU, Illinois and Nebraska. He thanked his supporters and talked about how far he had come from when he first picked up a football, which, funnily enough, would have been right around the time Alexander pulled his okey-doke on the Illini.

Should Taylor have learned from the moment? In fairness, he was four. But one wonders if anyone in his orbit knew about the little bit of Illini history, or even knew his sleight-of-hand plans, at his moment of truth: After tossing aside the Aggies and Tigers hats, Taylor grabbed the Illini cap, sunk it over his brow and declared he was "staying home."

Unexpected? Sure. Nebraska, which received the last visit from Taylor, was considered the frontrunner going into Thursday. But Illinois was considered a contender after its big 2024 and a visit that seemed to impress Taylor.

So when, on the live stream, Taylor waited a beat before pulling off the Illinois hat, replaced it with the Cornhuskers brim and ripped open his button-down shirt to reveal a Nebraska shirt, a contingent of grizzled Illinois fans were left with a familiar sinking feeling.

It's bad enough being left at the altar. But does the groom also have to give you a wedgie before he bolts out of the chapel doors?

Taylor was clearly trying to drum up excitement and, for whatever it's worth, probably doesn't know Cliff Alexander from Cliff Clavin. It was an air-headed, cringey moment – one of what figures to be many in the life of a typical 16-year-old kid.

But it's unlikely to be one Illinois fans will soon let him forget.

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