3 thoughts on Trae Taylor’s commitment to Nebraska football

After a hotly contested recruitment, Nebraska football landed the pledge of elite 2027 quarterback Trae Taylor.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound quarterback from the Chicago area committed to the Huskers live on the 247 Sports YouTube Channel.

Taylor is ranked No. 35 overall in the 2027 class, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. He’s also ranked as the No. 3 quarterback, just like Dylan Raiola was in 2024.

Nebraska football beat out LSU, Texas A&M, Illinois, Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, and Auburn for his commitment. Taylor visited all of those programs this spring, yet still committed to Matt Rhule and the Huskers.

It’s the first commitment in the 2027 class for Nebraska, and here are three thoughts.

The biggest commitment since Dylan Raiola

Raiola was a five-star prospect according to the 247 Sports composite rankings, ranked No. 21 overall. Taylor is 35th, but he’s borderline five-star already.

Beyond that, he plays the most important position in the game. We all know that if you don’t have a good quarterback, you don’t have a chance.

With Taylor, the Huskers might have the perfect option to take over for Raiola. Dayton Raiola and TJ Lateef could be the bridge between Dylan and Trae, who would be a freshman during the 2027 season, which is when Dylan is a senior.

If Nebraska can get Dylan to stay all four years, Taylor could start as a redshirt freshman in 2028. It adds not just another blue-chip quarterback, but another ELITE quarterback prospect to the Huskers, and it can’t be overstated how important that is.

Taylor’s commitment will have a bigger recruiting impact than Raiola’s

Dylan Raiola has been a huge part of getting players to Nebraska. He does a great job recruiting and has assisted in landing some key players.

However, he didn’t offer much of a boost to high school recruiting because he signed so late in the class. His presence on the roster has helped with future classes. Hell, it helped with Taylor, who has a great relationship with the current Nebraska starter.

Taylor is the first commitment of the 2027 class, and I’d expect him to waste zero time recruiting his peers. That should help in 2026 and 2027.

Frankly, if the Huskers can make the College Football Playoff or come close in 2025, recruiting could take off in a way we haven’t seen in a long time.

Matt Rhule is proving to be an elite recruiter

This isn’t anything new. Matt Rhule has been elite on the trail since he got on campus. He beat out Deion Sanders for Malachi Coleman. I know he transferred, but still, it was a recruiting win.

Just like he beat out Georgia for Carter Nelson. Those kids both had ties to Nebraska football, though. So did Raiola.

So I’d argue that two of his most impressive recruiting wins were Cortez Mills and Grant Brix. That’s not a reflection of the player, the recruitment.

This tops those. Rhule just landed a five-star, essentially from Chicago, who has zero ties to the program. Michigan, Notre Dame, and Illinois were all in the mix. A bunch of SEC schools were, too, including Texas A&M and LSU.

If you’re looking for a sign that Nebraska can be something special under Rhule, look no further than a recruiting win like this.

Talent trumps everything in college football. Rhule knows how to get it to Lincoln, and it kind of feels like this is just the beginning.

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