Nebraska Football’s 2027 Commits: Cream of the Crop at Quarterback

Jeremy Pernell’s position-by-position series begins with a potentially transformative signal-caller.

Trae Taylor in-front of a statue showcasing a national championship. | @QB6Trae/X

June proved to be a successful month for Nebraska football as the Huskers closed on the bulk of their 2027 recruiting class while also getting several priority 2028 targets to campus. Between new offers and key visits, Nebraska’s 2028 board is beginning to take shape.

Nebraska is now in the middle of the recruiting dead period and won’t host another on-campus visitor until Ohio comes to Memorial Stadium on Sept. 5 to open the 2026 season. By then, the staff’s attention will have largely shifted to the 2028 and 2029 classes, aside from a handful of flip targets they’ll continue pursuing through December’s early signing period.

With the 2027 class essentially complete, it’s worth taking a position-by-position look at what is arguably Nebraska’s best recruiting haul since the Bill Callahan era.

It starts with the most important position in sports, and the Husker staff knocked it out of the park.

Stellar as a junior

When Trae Taylor committed to Nebraska on May 1, 2025, he was already a consensus four-star prospect and regarded as a top-15 quarterback nationally. Over the next year, however, he transformed himself from one of the nation’s best quarterbacks into a legitimate candidate for the No. 1 overall player at the position.

That ascent began during his junior season at Mundelein (Ill.) Carmel Catholic.

As a sophomore, Taylor completed 191 of 282 passes (67.7%) for 3,061 yards with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed 41 times for 342 yards (8.3 yards per carry) and four scores, though Carmel Catholic finished just 4-7.

His junior campaign was an entirely different story.

Taylor led Carmel Catholic to an 8-3 record and the second round of the Illinois Class 7A playoffs while posting one of the most efficient passing seasons in the country. He completed 205 of 251 attempts (81.7%) for 3,571 yards with 38 touchdowns against only three interceptions. He also added 633 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 77 carries, showcasing impressive athleticism that complemented his arm talent.

TraeTaylor (left) and Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood after a workout last summer in Detroit. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The physical gains he made were also evident. Taylor added noticeable weight to his previously lean frame, increased the velocity on his throws and consistently drove the football through difficult Midwest wind conditions during the season before carrying that momentum into the offseason.

He routinely stood out on the 7-on-7 circuit and consistently impressed at every major camp he attended. His performance at the Elite 11 Dallas Regional was widely viewed as the best individual showing by any quarterback across the eight regional events, earning him an invitation to the Elite 11 Finals — the nation’s premier high school quarterback camp.

Taylor continued stacking elite performances from there. He was named Elite 11 MVP by Rivals and a co-Alpha Dog by 247Sports following the three-day Finals, held May 29-31 in Los Angeles. His performance also earned him an invitation to Nike’s The Opening Finals held in Beaverton, Oregon, where the Elite 11 staff selects the official Elite 11 MVP.

Taylor traveled to Beaverton on June 25-26 looking to earn the official Elite 11 MVP honor. He left little doubt after another stellar outing throwing the football. With the offseason now concluded, there is little debate over who has become the premier quarterback in the 2027 class.

Five-star status

The recruiting services have started to respond accordingly.

247Sports elevated Taylor to five-star status, ranking him as the No. 8 overall prospect and the No. 1 quarterback nationally following its June rankings update. ESPN lists him No. 41 overall and the No. 2 quarterback, while Rivals ranks him No. 71 nationally and No. 5 at the position. If he picks up where he left off on the field this coming fall, he should finish the cycle as a consensus five-star prospect.

Taylor has also made one of the more unprecedented moves in recent Nebraska recruiting history. After the completion of his junior academic year in Illinois, he moved to Lincoln with his mother and will commute roughly 60 miles to Omaha, where he’ll play his senior season at Millard South. Taylor did so to help peer recruit and be around the program as much as the NCAA allows before officially enrolling in January.

Quarterback Trae Taylor (right) talks with wide receiver Tay Ellis at the 2026 Nebraska football spring game. The two Husker commits will spend their senior seasons at Millard South High School in Omaha. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

His recruitment was never short on competition.

Taylor chose Nebraska over LSU, Texas A&M and hometown Illinois. After his rapid development became impossible to ignore, Ohio State made a late push. Quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler visited Carmel Catholic in early May, while Ryan Day also became personally involved after getting extended opportunities to evaluate Taylor through OT7 events in which Taylor and Day’s son, R.J., both participated.

The Buckeyes made their pitch. Taylor never seriously entertained it. Instead, he reaffirmed his commitment to Nebraska and closed the door on one of college football’s premier quarterback developers.

A succession scenario

The recently approved five-for-five eligibility model gives the Huskers a realistic opportunity to build long-term stability at quarterback, something few programs can claim in the transfer portal era. Unlike Dylan Raiola, Taylor has expressed a willingness to spend his first season developing behind a veteran.

If Anthony Colandrea plays well and spends his fifth season at Nebraska in 2027, the Huskers have a clear succession plan leading into 2028. If Colandrea isn’t the player coaches anticipate or he decides to play elsewhere next season, TJ Lateef and Daniel Kaelin would compete for the starting role in 2027, which would still give the program an experienced Power Four starter under center while Taylor spends his first year on campus behind the scenes working on his craft and learning the offense.

Of course, one or both would likely transfer if Colandrea solidifies himself as the long-term answer before Taylor ultimately takes over, but the staff remains high on both quarterbacks, giving the program valuable options while Taylor develops.

Landing a quarterback is important. Landing one talented enough to elevate an entire recruiting class is rare.

Nebraska appears to have done exactly that.

---

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.