Rivals Scouting Director explains how Nebraska QB commit Trae Taylor earned 5th star
· Yahoo Sports
On Monday, Rivals updated its player recruiting rankings for the 2027 cycle. The new Rivals300 featured 23 five-stars, five of whom earned their fifth star for the first time.
Headlining that quintet of new additions was Omaha (Neb.) Millard South quarterback Trae Taylor. The Nebraska commit jumped from No. 71 all the way up to No. 17 in the update.
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It had become clear following an electric junior season at Carmel Catholic (Ill.) that Taylor was going to be in the mix for five-star status. That decision became even easier after he had an incredible summer, dominating at camps and winning Rivals MVP at the Elite 11 Finals.
Rivals’ Scouting and Rankings Director Charles Power explained Taylor’s rise in the new rankings when speaking with Josh Newberg this week:
“We had a chance to see a majority of these top quarterbacks in the 2027 cycle in person this offseason. I think it’s safe to say that no quarterback had a stronger offseason than Trae Taylor. He looked like one of the top arm talents in the cycle at the Elite 11 Finals, where he was the Rivals MVP. He showed the ability to push the ball to every level of the field with a ton of velocity.
…Now, of course, this is with the massive caveat that the senior season for (Rivals) is the biggest factor — especially when you’re evaluating quarterbacks. So this group remains largely unsettled, but we felt like Taylor had shown enough to this point to merit adding a fifth star.”
The incoming senior season for Taylor will be a big one. He’s transferring to Millard South, one of the top programs in Nebraska, to be closer to the Cornhuskers. As a junior for Carmel Catholic, Taylor had a great season, throwing for more than 3,500 yards and 38 touchdowns to just three interceptions. He rushed for another 12 scores and had more than 600 yards on the ground.
The fifth star won’t slow Taylor’s hustle. He’s shown excitement for a new challenge at Millard South and is especially ready to make a splash once he enrolls at Nebraska. He’s also now the No. 1 QB in the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies.
“We’ve seen Taylor multiple times this offseason and he’s continued to show steady improvement with his arm strength, mobility, he’s added size and functional power as an athlete and thrower. That continued improvement, dating back to his sophomore year and through his junior season to now, has us feeling very encouraged about what he’s been able to do,” Power said this week.
Millard South and Taylor will open the 2026 season vs. rival Millard North on Aug. 28. The Patriots will enter the year as a top-40 team nationally and the No. 1 team in Nebraska, per the Rivals Composite Rankings.