Star 2027 WR decommits from Nebraska

Nebraska football and its 2027 recruiting class features an incoming five-star quarterback in Trae Taylor. But he and head coach Matt Rhule will be one less a wide receiver. Three-star wideout Tay Ellis rose as a big College Football Recruiting loss for the Cornhuskers Wednesday.

Ellis confirmed his departure from the Big Ten university’s recruiting class via Hayes Fawcett of On3/Rivals. He emerged as an early commit too for Rhule and company, choosing Nebraska in Nov. 2025.

Losing Ellis rises as a massive in-state loss too for Rhule and the Cornhuskers, as Ellis stars for Millard South High in Omaha. His exit also means the ‘Huskers lose the state of Nebraska’s No. 6 overall prospect for this graduating class.

Lastly, Ellis announces his reopened recruiting process ahead of Nebraska’s 2026 season opener against the University of Ohio, which makes its way over to Lincoln. Nebraska walks into a highly-anticipated ’26 campaign following back-to-back bowl appearances.

Rhule continues to change the culture at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers hadn’t appeared in consecutive bowl contests since 2015 and 2016 under former head coach Mike Riley. Rhule previously snapped a seven-season bowl drought back in 2024 in leading a 7-6 campaign.

His last ‘Huskers team finished 7-6 overall, falling to a Utah team led by Morgan Scalley in the Las Vegas Bowl. But Rhule will aim to snap one other skid: Consecutive seasons without delivering a double-digit winning season. Nebraska hasn’t won more than nine games since 2010 under former head coach Bo Pelini.

But now the recruiting office will need to scour the nation for a future Taylor target.