Husker Big Red Daily: Trae Taylor gets 5-star upgrade, 2028 QB high on Nebraska football

Welcome to Husker Big Red Daily, your daily stop for the latest Nebraska football news, recruiting buzz, transfer portal updates, and Huskers headlines. Here’s a quick look at the latest storylines surrounding Nebraska athletics.

It was clear since the Elite 11 that Nebraska football quarterback Trae Taylor was a five-star recruit, in addition to being the No. 1 quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class.

The Elite 11 MVP was recently upgraded by 247 Sports to a five-star quarterback. He’s ranked No. 8 among the Top247 in the 2027 class. He’s also ranked as 247 Sports’ No. 1 quarterback. ESPN has him ranked No. 2. Rivals has him ranked fifth, and 71st overall.

ESPN has Taylor ranked in the top 40, but behind Michigan commitment Kamden Lopati. Regardless, the bump up from ESPN, along with 247 Sports upgrade, moved Taylor into five-star range via the 247 Sports composite rankings, which is an average of all three rankings.

For instance, Danny Odem was ranked as a five-star by 247 Sports; however, he was a four-star recruit, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. He’s ranked 25th overall in the composite rankings, second among QBs. For reference, Dylan Raiola was ranked No. 21 overall via the 247 Sports composite rankings when he signed in the 2024 class.

Another interesting tidbit on Taylor, according to Pete Nakos of On3, he is one of the seven highest-paid recruits in the 2027 class, which is another reason Nebraska fans can feel secure about his commitment.

Nebraska football standing out with a 2028 QB

The Huskers recently offered three-star quarterback (composite) Jaxson Carper in the 2028 class, and according to Rivals, Nebraska football is one of the teams standing out early for the 6-foot-3, 160-pound QB out of California.

UCLA, Arizona, Kansas, and Iowa are also in the mix. Nebraska football hosted Carper for an unofficial visit this summer. He told Rivals he “likes Nebraska a lot.”

The plan is take Gameday visits to each program this fall. Arizona seems like it has a lot of traction early in this recruitment, but Glenn Thomas has done well on the recruiting trail, not only helping to land Trae Taylor, but four-star TJ Lateef, too, another Elite 11 quarterback, who was out of California.

It’s early in this recruitment, but it feels like the Huskers could really make a move here if they want to prioritize Carper in the 2028 class, although Nebraska football seems in no rush to establish a top QB target in 2028 at this point.

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