He mentioned his relationship with the coaching staff in Lincoln. However, the first name to come out of four-star wide receiver Khalil Taylor’s mouth after he committed to Nebraska over Penn State on Monday night was Trae Taylor. A top recruit from PA, Khalil Taylor, has no relation to Nebraska’s five-star QB commit from Omaha, but the two have seemingly formed a strong relationship ahead of their presumptive signing with Matt Rhule’s program.
“We’ve been talking about this,” Khalil Taylor told Rivals following his live announcement, “I silently committed when I was up there, so I mean he already knew about it. It been business.”
Business is certainly part of Nebraska beating out Penn State for Taylor, one of Matt Campbell’s clear top targets and a former James Franklin commit. Nebraska paid up to keep Rhule away from Happy Valley last season, handing him an extension, and has invested heavily in the program. With the additional resources, Rhule has landed four top-100 players in the 2027 class, including Taylor, and has the No. 13 class in the country.
5-star QB Trae Taylor is a recruiting tool Penn State does not have
Taylor likely received a stronger offer to leave the state than the one Penn State could give to keep him, but it appears that the biggest reason he’s heading elsewhere in the Big Ten is the quarterback he’s teaming up with.
Penn State should feel good about talented 3-star Will Wood, its 2027 QB commit. There’s a strong case to be made that he’s underrated in that class, and Campbell, along with offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser and QB coach Jake Waters, has a reputation as a great QB developer. Wood could very well become a top quarterback in college football, as Rocco Becht has and as Brock Purdy did before him. Still, he’s no Trae Taylor.
Taylor has long been a highly-acclaimed QB in the 2027 class, but this summer, with standout performances on the camp circuit, he rose to No. 1 by 247Sports and No. 2 by the composite rankings. He’s viewed as a player who will be ready to start early in his career, as former Nebraska five-star Dylan Raiola did, and he’s obviously the centerpiece of the elite class Rhule is constructing.
In his first offseason at the helm in Happy Valley, Campbell has leaned into his strengths. He’s done well to identify rising talent early, such as four-star offensive tackle David Tarwallie, who had a remarkable rise up the rankings this summer and stands as Penn State’s top commit in 2027 by 247. He and general manager Derek Hoodjer are taking smart bets on high-upside three and four-star talent, appear to be refusing to overpay, and are banking on their staff’s developmental acumen to deliver the maximum return on the investments they do make.
Yet, that reserved and deliberate approach to roster building has its limitations. Some players want the splash. Maybe those aren’t the right players for Campbell’s program, so in the long run, it could be a good thing he missed out. But in the moment, it stings to watch another top in-state talent leave the state and to know that a QB decision that was perceived as settling for Wood after James Franklin landed four-star Peter Bourque (even if that’s not the reality) is a big reason why it happened.
It looks like compounding losses. You miss on the elite QB, then you miss on the top wide receiver who wants to play with an elite QB. That’s a blow to Campbell’s reputation, and one that could be a bit tough to shake.
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