Another Husker Commit Transferring to a Nebraska High School

Ellis will get an extra year of work with his future Cornhusker quarterback Trae Taylor. Taylor announced on Wednesday that he would be moving to Lincoln and transferring to the Patriots. Although it is roughly a 47-minute drive from Memorial Stadium to Millard South High School, Taylor said that isn't a big deal.

"The drive from Lincoln to Omaha is less of a drive than I make now from Crystal lake to mundelein that I have done the last 3 years," Taylor said on X.

Local High School Politics

Ellis and Taylor immediately jump into the "Husker Bubble" while also putting themselves squarely in the middle of an ongoing debate about high school transfers and their place within the NSAA, the organization that oversees high school competition in Nebraska.

Millard South featured a loaded roster in 2025, led by Alabama signee Jett Thomalla at quarterback. The Patriots, who had 10 players sign with Division I programs in December, outscored their in-state opponents 489-10. There was also a forfeit by Lincoln High in October. Lincoln also forfeited in the second half against Millard South in 2024, down 63-0 at halftime.

During the playoffs, Millard South notched wins of 45-3, 48-3, and 62-21, before winning the state title 49-0. This gave the Patriots back-to-back state championships, after rolling through the 2024 playoffs 56-19, 49-10, 49-14, and 27-10.

The controversy comes from ongoing discussions about competitive balance and recruiting transfers at the high school level. Nebraska allows students to option-enroll to schools outside of the district where they live, something that a number of schools have taken advantage of to build powerhouse programs in different sports.

With Millard South already under the microscope for where players were coming from to join the football team, the additions of Ellis and Taylor add fuel to the fire for NSAA schools to put forth proposals that may further limit the ability to switch schools and play immediately.

Currently, if schools have room, students can complete paperwork to option-enroll by a deadline in the spring. If that deadline is missed, then that student must sit out of activities for 90 days.