Antrell Taylor wrapped up his sophomore campaign with a national championship title for the Nebraska wrestling team, becoming the first Nebraska native to win the title since Brad Bering in 2000.
Taylor claimed the 157-pound national title in March, helping the Huskers earn their best finish in program history.
The Millard native said that he grew up watching the Huskers and always wanted to be a part of the team.
“Since I could remember,” Taylor told Hail Varsity. “My dad use to have me dress down in all red Nebraska stuff. We would wear Nebraska stuff to every tournament we’d go to. So I would say about 5 years old. I would always joke with my homies in high school, be like ‘I’m not going to go to Nebraska. I was thinking Ohio State.’ But I wasn’t going there … I’ve always wanted to be a Husker.”
The Millard South grad said that he grew up playing a variety of different sports including football, track, and wrestling but decided to focus most of his time on wrestling when he was in high school.
“My freshman, sophomore year of high school is when I was like ‘Yeah, I’m going to take this thing pretty far,’” Taylor said. “I kind of moved my focus from football in the summertime to wrestling. I was wrestling every day, and then I started to love it.”
Taylor said his love of wrestling came from his father, who passed away when Taylor was 7. In 2011, Taylor’s dad, Darrell Taylor, was shot and killed. Taylor’s brother Adrrell passed away in 2023 from gun violence as well.
“He also helped me a whole bunch, I can’t forget him,” Taylor said of his brother. “He was like the father figure for me for the longest. I looked up to him. I was doing the same sports as him since I was a little kid, so I would always look up to him for the littlest things. We connected on a different level with the sports thing, so I learned a lot from him.”
Taylor said that his mother has really helped him during these difficult times.
“My mom, she helped me a lot through the process,” Taylor said. “I was so young; I was 7 years old. She walked me through; if I was feeling down, she would tell me it’s normal, you’re still learning how to process the grief and not having your dad here. My mom helped me through that journey, and I saw the characteristics through her. She’s a fighter, she doesn’t ever give up.”
Along with his mother, Taylor said that wrestling head coach Mark Manning has also helped him through in many ways.
“He’s meant a lot,” Taylor said. “He reached out to me literally the first day he could recruit me. He’s been by my side helping me through the little things — school, wrestling. He doesn’t just help me at wrestling, he’s just a good guy all around. He’ll take me to church, he helps me grow my faith, all the little things to be a great man outside of wrestling, because wrestling, it’s not going to last forever. Just trying to mold myself into something better, he helps with that.”
Manning said that he is proud of Taylor and that he has helped the team tremendously thus far.
“We knew he was really good,” Manning told Hail Varsity. “He’s a really good football player. He’s part of winning teams in not only wrestling. Todd Meneely did a great job with him. All of his coaches there at Millard South in wrestling, then football he excelled too.
“He had a winning mentality, so that’s what he brought. He’s like ‘Hey, I can do this.’ His belief level was really high. What was really telling last year was when he was wrestling out of his weight class at 165 and became an All-American. He beat some really tough guys at the NCAA Tournament and along the way. That’s what’s great, that’s the joy that sports bring. You can’t put a dollar sign on that. Those moments and those times with young men as a coach are just so precious.”
During his sophomore season, Taylor had an overall record of 19-2, a 10-2 dual record, five technical falls, one major decision and four pins. He also took first place at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and Navy Classic.
Taylor said that it is a great feeling knowing that he is the first Nebraska native to win the title for the Huskers in 25 years.
“It’s awesome,” Taylor said. “I obviously had the goals of winning a national title, but winning it and being the one from Omaha, it’s sick to be that guy, being the hometown hero.”
For Taylor, being a role model to children that look up to him and interacting with fans is a major perk of being a Nebraska wrestler. He said that it’s great to be an inspiration to younger kids in Nebraska.
“I love making their day,” Taylor said. “They’re always so nervous and I’m just like I’m a good guy. It’s super cool … There are a lot of kids in Omaha don’t get the opportunity or that have a death in the family and they go the other route. It means a lot that I can be the light for Nebraska and show kids that there’s another way to do things. You don’t have to go down the wrong road and get in trouble. You can hop in sports; that will take you a long way.”
The close-knit bond that the Nebraska wrestling team has is something he really appreciates and believes will propel the team forward next season as the Huskers look to build off the most successful season in program history.
“We’re like a brotherhood,” Taylor said. “I’ve never seen a team so close, and I’ve never been on a team as close as we are. It’s amazing. We’re honestly just getting started. There’s going to be some great things coming.”
