Montana Grizzlies get commitment from Chico State transfer Trae Taylor

Trae Taylor, a 6-foot-9 forward, announced his commitment to the Grizzlies on social media Monday afternoon. He'll come to UM with one season of eligibility remaining after he spent the past four years at Chico State and had a breakout campaign in 2024-25.

"Extremely blessed to say I will be committing to play at the University of Montana," Taylor wrote in an Instagram post that included a commitment graphic and photos of him in Missoula on a recent visit. "Thank you God for this amazing life and opportunity. Another big thank you to my family, friends and coaches for helping me chase my dreams since day one. Let's work."

Taylor is coming off his best season in his first year being a full-time starter in 2024-25. He earned his first all-conference award as he landed on the California Collegiate Athletic Association second team.

He averaged 13.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 0.7 steals and 0.6 assists in 28.2 minutes as he started in all 30 games in which he played. He shot 73.6 percent from the field (153 of 208), attempted only one 3-pointer and was 71.9 percent at the free throw line (87 of 121).

He has appeared in 81 games and made 31 starts in college, playing in 15.2 minutes per game. He's averaging 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in his career while shooting 70 percent from the field and 63.3 percent at the charity stripe.

Taylor appeared in 30 games off the bench in the 2023-24 season, averaging 6.3 minutes. He made one start and played in 21 games in 2022-23, averaging 9.5 minutes. He redshirted as a freshman in 2021-22 after he grew up in San Diego and played at Mission Bay High School.

Montana has a couple connections to Chico State. Associate head coach Chris Cobb was an assistant there from 2010-11 to 2013-14 before he joined head coach Travis DeCuire's staff in Missoula. Assistant coach Jay Flores played point guard there and was a conference MVP while being coached by Cobb.

Taylor is the third incoming transfer that Montana has added this offseason. He joins Minnesota transfer forward Kadyn Betts and Colorado transfer guard Courtney Anderson Jr., who were both four-star recruits in high school.

Former Montana guard Malik Moore signed with Xavier, which plays in the Big East Conference, on Monday to play for newly hired head coach Richard Pitino. He earned All-Big Sky second-team honors in 2024-25 during his one season at UM after he began his career at Pepperdine for two seasons.