Just when Nebraska fans thought that a commit moving to Omaha in order to play closer to the Huskers meant that there was no way NU would ever lose that commit, along came Tay Ellis’s announcement on Wednesday afternoon.
Ellis, a 3-star wide receiver originally from Texas, is no longer a commit to Nebraska. Shortly after reports surfaced that he’d returned to free agency, the player made a short post on social media saying “God’s plan.” That post clearly confirmed that he had moved on.
Losing Ellis hurts, but it’s more perplexing than crippling. He is a talented receiver, but that’s not a position group Nebraska is hurting at. They also have other 2027 receivers they can turn to replace Ellis in the class quickly. The bigger concern among Husker faithful is whether this is just the first domino, and Millard South quarterback and fellow NU commit Trae Taylor might be softening on his pledge.
As of now, Ellis leaving doesn’t appear to be the first domino, but rather a solo move. Hail Varsity analyst Tim Verghese reported that while Ellis’ decommitment was shocking to Husker fans, this was more a mutual parting of the ways, and Matt Rhule and his staff knew this was coming for quite some time. Verghese added that Ellis’ recruitment is now essentially “reset,” and he’ll effectively start over in his search for a new home.
Nebraska football has no concrete reason to fear Trae Taylor follows Antayvious Ellis
It would be far more concerning if it were clear Ellis was going in this instance, because that could be seen as further proof that the wide receiver and Taylor had discussed this kind of move. For now, there isn’t a concrete sign that Taylor will follow Ellis out the door.
That doesn’t mean that it won’t ever happen. The two players moved to Omaha together to team up and play for Millard South. Taylor and Ellis have been good friends for a while now, having co-hosted their own podcast last offseason before both moving to Nebraska to supposedly be closer to where they’d eventually play college ball. The pair debuted with the Patriots last Friday and connected three times for 97 yards, including a 67-yard deep-ball touchdown.
Making Ellis's decommitment even more surprising from the outside looking in is that the receiver clearly loved the fans and his situation after that game, a 35-34 victory over Millard North that required a huge rally from the Patriots to open undefeated.
“It’s just a surreal moment,” Ellis said then. “I really think God blessed me to be here. I didn’t know how many people would actually gravitate to me because I see so many haters online. But it’s just a blessing.”
Before Ellis committed to Nebraska, he had received more than 30 offers from across the country. One of his last visits before shutting his recruitment down until Wednesday was to Miami to take part in the Hurricanes’ pool party. It’s unclear if the ‘Canes would still welcome him into the fold or if they’ve moved on to other targets.
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