Things are always going to be intriguing when it comes to Ohio State football recruiting, especially when a quarterback is involved. Recently, countless headlines were made when Ryan Day and the Buckeyes extended a new offer out to 4-star quarterback Trae Taylor, who has been locked in as a Nebraska commit for quite some time.
Usually whenever Ohio State is going head-to-head with an elite target with the Huskers, the Buckeyes end up winning out. However, things are much different in Taylor's case. From the moment he picked the Cornhuskers, he's gone all-in on trying to change the culture for the Big Ten side. Recently, he said he wouldn't burn any bridges, but that he's also planning to play his college ball at Nebraska. Recruiting guru Steve Wiltfong doubled down on that too with his latest update:
5-star Ohio State recruiting target that OSU desperately wants sets commitment date
"He's spent every single major recruiting weekend at Nebraska," Wiltfong said. "He is moving to Omaha for his senior year to be around the program and put himself in the best position to make an instant impact on the field for Matt Rhule and company. We know that Nebraska has poured a lot into the recruitment of Trae Taylor as well.
"With that being said, Rivals has been told that there were meaningful conversations with Ohio State among others, so we'll see what continues to happen with this recruitment, but Trae Taylor is saying he's locked in with Nebraska and not burning any bridges with these other programs. Ohio State would certainly love to have him and they'll keep pushing, but Trae Taylor is still very excited about his future in Lincoln."
"He's a Cornhusker....he says he's locked-in."@SWiltfong_ has the latest on Nebraska QB commitment Trae Taylor 🌽
— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) May 12, 2026
MORE: https://t.co/rpI7NbcOrA pic.twitter.com/Cle0XejLM6
Ohio State has only a little bit of hope in trying to flip QB Trae Taylor
From what Wiltfong had to say in that video above, it really gives the feel that barring a late stunner, Taylor is absolutely set on playing for Nebraska. He indeed has been in Lincoln for major recruiting weekends and he's working tirelessly in trying to help land other commits for the 2027 class.
The fact that he's spending his senior season in Omaha is pretty telling too. You better believe he's going to make his way to campus for home games in the fall, which is only going to strengthen his relationship with Rhule, his staff and the entire locker room. Is this something that Day is going to want to keep going up against?
It could be that Ohio State is more confident than we think in trying to get this done, but it could make more sense for Day to look elsewhere for a quarterback of the future. What complicates things a bit here is that Ohio State does hold a QB commit in Brady Edmunds, but he's giving other programs a serious look, including hometown UCLA.
The Bruins have been on a tear out on the recruiting trail and new head coach Bob Chesney could be ready to make a big-time splash in flipping Edmunds from Ohio State. The hope is that doesn't happen. Regardless of the Edmunds' situation, it's clear the Buckeyes are nowhere close to done going after QBs, but spending time and effort on Taylor may prove to be a waste of time. Day could prove us wrong, but targeting other guys makes more sense. Maybe recent Alabama commit Elijah Haven instead? We wouldn't hate that.
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