247 Sports gave Trae Taylor a fifth star a little over a month ago. It came after Taylor’s standout performance at the Elite 11 Finals, where he was named Alpha Dog and finally crowned Elite 11 MVP.
Rivals finally gave Taylor his fifth star this week making him the No. 1 QB in Rivals industry rankings. The fifth star from Rivals is long overdue. No one has worked harder than Trae Taylor and he’s a perfect example of hard work pays off. Give Matt Rhule, Dana Holgorsen, and Glenn Thomas credit for recognizing what they had in Taylor early on. Believe me, schools like Ohio State regret not jumping on Taylor early.
What Taylor has done at Nebraska without yet taking a snap is unbelievable. Just as Curt Cignetti set a new standard in transfer portal rebuilds, Rhule and Nebraska may be setting a new standard in early commitments. Trae Taylor as a peer recruiter is unmatched. He can’t be given all the credit for the 2027 class, but he had a strong presence, and it’s doubtful players like Jordon Agbanoma and Kilil Taylor would have landed at Nebraska without Trae Taylor.
Players see the hard work Taylor has put in, not just in recruiting but developing himself as a player, both physically and mentally. Anyone paying attention can see it. It’s been impressive.
To show that growth, let me share some numbers from HuskerOnline’s Bryan Munson that people should be aware of.
- As a junior, Taylor had 14 less passing attempts but had 31 more completions (191 for 282). As a sophomore he was (205 for 251).
- His completion percentage jumped 14%, from a very good 67% to an astounding 81%.
- With less attempts, Taylor threw for over 500 more yards as a junior than he did as a sophomore (3,061/3,571).
- As a sophomore Taylor threw just seven interceptions to 20 passing touchdowns a nearly 3:1 ratio. But as a junior Taylor threw 38 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions for nearly a 13:1 ratio.
To put some of these numbers into perspective, Julian Sayin had a 77% completion rate last season at Ohio State, one of the best in college football history. Two of last season’s top quarterbacks, Trinadad Chambliss and Fernando Mendoza put up the following numbers. Chambliss had 22 TDs and 3 interceptions while Mendoza had 41 TDs and 6 interceptions. Granted, it’s a much higher level of competition, but it gives you numbers to compare.
Again, I can’t emphasize enough how important Taylor’s playing 7-on-7 ball has been to his growth. Initially not a fan of the game, I changed my mind after seeing him compete at the Battle of the Boneyard last summer. Yes, there isn’t any tackling, but for a QB the reads and looks you are given are something you can’t get anywhere else but in game experience. And it was clear to see Taylor took the competition to heart.
I’ve never been big on star rankings, too often a 3-Star player is the standout on his team and 5-Star player flops. But in Taylor’s case, he deserves the 5-Star rankings from both 247 Sports and Rivals. If for no other reason than the amount of hard work, he’s put in over the last 15 months. And as for 5-Star flops, don’t expect Taylor to be one of them.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
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