Friday evening 2027 Nebraska quarterback commit Trae Taylor was named the MVP at The Opening Finals. The event is part of the Elite 11 competition sponsored by Nike and has been held since 1999. The Opening features an impressive list of former MVP winners, several of which have gone on to excel in the NFL. Some of the former winners include Matthew Stafford, Andrew Luck, Caleb Willimas, Jaylen Daniels, and current Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin. Taylor joins an impressive group. However, success isn’t automatic. While Taylor has been tearing it up on the 7-on-7 circuit, he’ll need to show improvement this fall when the hitting starts.
Being named MVP will cause Taylor’s stock to rise and interest from other schools will again ramp up. Taylor has been committed to Nebraska for over a year now and has never wavered in his dedication to the Huskers. So much so that he has moved to Lincoln and will play his senior year of high school ball at Millard South in Omaha.
Now, I’ve had people tell me that Trae Taylor will never take a snap at the University of Nebraska. Man, talk about negativity. I don’t see any way Trae Taylor isn’t a Husker other than Matt Rhule leaving before Taylor arrives on campus. That’s not to say it couldn’t happen, but I see Taylor as a Husker even if Nebraska goes 5-7 in 2026. He’s the type that sees that as a challenge and he wants to bring Nebraska back.
Does 5-for-5 effect his decision to stay committed? Not according to Trae and his dad. They’ve indicated they are comfortable with serving as a back-up to Anthony Colandrea if he were to decide to return for a fifth year. I believe that to be true. Trae isn’t Dylan Raiola. He recognizes the value of gaining experience and adjusting to the speed of the game rather than being thrown straight into the fire. Thus far he’s stayed on the right track, and I don’t see that changing.
Recruiting News and a Couple of Predictions
In other news, Nebraska missed out on 5-Star interior offensive lineman Albert Simien. The 6’3”, 295-pound Lake Charles, Louisiana recruit announced his commitment to Notre Dame on Friday. Simien was ranked 20th overall nationally, No.2 at his position, and No.3 in the state of Louisiana. He becomes Notre Dame’s 3rd 5-star commit. The Irish have also received commitments from fourteen 4-Star recruits. While Simien was always a longshot in landing with the Huskers, he made 5 visits to Lincoln, 3 to Notre Dame and 3 to Alabama. Nebraska has yet to reach Notre Dame’s level in recruiting, but the fact Geep Wade got Simien on campus 5 times suggest the Huskers are moving in the right direction. Nebraska will need to win games if they want to close the gap.
That leaves two players with Nebraska offers that have yet to announce commitments. 4- Star wide receiver Kalil Taylor and 3-Star cornerback Kamauri Whitfield. As of now Nebraska appears to lead Penn State for Taylor’s commitment. Taylor said his official visit on the weekend of June 20th was the best he had taken during his recruitment, and he’s visited Penn State 17 times. He’s also played with and has a strong connection to QB Trae Taylor on the 7-on-7 circuit. Kalil has suggested multiple times the quarterback will play a large role in who he commits to. Other than Trae Taylor at Nebraska, that appears to be Alex Manske at Penn State. Manske is a former 4-Star who received an offer from Nebraska.
As of now Florida is favored to land Whitfield. Both players are scheduled to announce their commitment on July 6th.
The Huskers currently stand at 21 commits and are ranked 21st nationally and 7th in the Big Ten. I look for the Huskers final number in the 2027 class to be 22. They’ll land Kalil Taylor and flip Ahmad Hudson from LSU. So, how do they land at 22. They’ll lose at least one commitment before signing day, I’m not sure who, but it’ll happen.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VOILENT!!
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