Nebraska Football Recruiting Picking Up Steam with 2026 QB Michael Clayton

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are starting to pick up steam with 2026 Florida High School QB Michael Clayton following a successful visit.

Mike Clayton (Seminole High School) taking a snap. / @MikeClaytonQB1 on X

After landing a pair of Elite 11 quarterbacks in the 2024 class and a four-star QB committed for the 2025 class, Nebraska football could be in line for another talented signal caller in the 2026 class.

In the 2024 cycle, the Nebraska Cornhuskers landed the top-rated recruit in the country in Dylan Raiola. The Huskers convinced him to flip his commitment from the Georgia Bulldogs. With the five-star coming in as a true freshman, it was uncertain how heavily they would recruit the QB position in the 2025 class.

That was until they landed current four-star (247Sports Composite) quarterback TJ Lateef. Lateef boasts a 6-1, 185-pound frame and currently attends Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California. Lateef committed to the Cornhuskers back in May.

Despite the success in both classes, the Huskers are not done at the position as they’ve already targeted a specific player at the position in the 2026 class.

The highlight of these early conversations has been four-star (Rivals) Michael Clayton. The 6-1, 187 pound Clayton is a Seminole High School QB in the state of Florida.

The talented recruit made it to town for the Nebraska-Colorado game. Following this visit he made it known to On3’s Steve Wiltfong that the Cornhuskers were the leader for him in his recruitment. Since then, talks of a commitment have started to heat up. The Recruiting Prediction Machine for On3 has Nebraska at a 91.3% chance to land the talented signal caller. Ole Miss, Miami (FL), and Auburn are the other contenders.

The Cornhuskers have yet to land a 2026 commitment, but the groundwork is being laid as the 2025 class receives some finishing touches. Landing a quarterback early would be helpful from a peer recruiting standpoint, but if Clayton were to commit elsewhere, having Raiola, Daniel Kailin, and Lateef to fall back on for another few years isn't a bad consolation.

however with the majority of the work being done in the 2025 class it is starting to become more of a priority. If the Cornhuskers were to land a QB early they would be in a great spot due to peer recruiting. Peer recruiting from the signal calling position plays a huge factor for many classes and the Cornhuskers could be following that path.

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