Husker Big Red Daily: Trae Taylor is consensus No. 1 QB, plus expert predictions for 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.

Nebraska football quarterback commitment Trae Taylor got a five-star upgrade from Rivals on Monday that felt long overdue. The 6-foot-3 quarterback dominated this summer, winning the Elite 11 MVP among other stellar performances.

Taylor was ranked 70th overall by Rivals previously. On Monday, Taylor was boosted up to 17th overall in the Rivals specific rankings. He’s now ranked 14th via the Rivals Industry Rankings, an average of Rivals, 247 Sports, and ESPN.

Taylor is also ranked as the No. 1 quarterback recruit, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings (11th overall). Those two rankings are the most trusted in high school recruiting, and each has the future Nebraska football quarterback ranked No. 1.

The Huskers’ class is ranked 14th via the 247 Sports team composite rankings and 16th in the Rivals Industry Rankings.

Phil Steele likes Nebraska football to start 5-0

College football expert Phil Steele is making the rounds, doing his preseason interview as the College Football Preview magazines hit shelves.

Steele did an interview with Hurrdat Sports and said the thing that makes him the most bullish about Nebraska football is Anthony Colandrea.

“The thing I’m most bullish on for Nebraska this year is probably the mobile quarterback,” Steele said. “Anthony Colandrea really impressed me last year playing for UNLV. They have good depth at the quarterback spot.”

Steele predicted a 5-0 start for Nebraska football. He said he really likes the hire of Rob Aurich and said linebacker Owen Chambliss will have an “instant impact in the Big Ten.”

He also predicted that Matt Rhule would get his first ranked win as Nebraska football head coach.

Summer standout

Rienk Mast has turned in three impressive performances so far in the NBA summer league. On Monday night, Mast scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. That leaves him one rebound shy of three consecutive double-doubles.

That doesn’t mean that Mast is going to be signed to an NBA contract, but he’s making a strong case for himself. He signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the Pacers, which can be converted into a two-day deal, which means a guarantee of playing games in the G-League and the NBA.

It feels like Mast has put himself in that conversation. Some thought he might have to go overseas to play pro basketball, but Mast is showing that he could have a future in the NBA. It’s early, but he’s given the Pacers something to think about.

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