Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
We continue our series of positivity heading into the 2026 season with one thing we aren’t talking about enough for every SEC team. Today we head to Starkville to talk about the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Kamario Taylor
This might be the easiest write up we’ve had in the entire series. The thing we aren’t talking enough about when it comes to Mississippi State, and maybe the entire conference, is Kamario Taylor.
There’s a ton of SEC Quarterback talk this offseason. The lack of high end quarterbacks that panned out to the parallels of their preseason hype were very small. Players like Garrett Nussmeier and LaNorris Sellers were projected first round picks in the preseason NFL Mock Drafts. So was Arch Manning for that matter. None of those things became true.
This season there is a ton of really good talent across the SEC at the position. What’s different this year versus last year is the amount of new faces. There are only six returning starters who were starters for the entirety of the 2025 season. That means ten new signal callers will be making their debut in the conference. That number is closer to 9.5 thanks to Kamario Taylor.
107 days until @KamarioTaylor plays football. #HailState pic.twitter.com/PRSe8tfJfs
— Cohea (@DaltonCohea5) May 21, 2026
Taylor wasn’t the starter at the beginning for the season, but after Blake Shapen went down with an injury, it was Taylor’s time to shine. He played in 11 games as a true freshman and made two starts. Those starts resulted in a completion percentage of 53 percent and a passing game that needs improvement. The total package of what he brings to the table though? Sheesh. There are few players in the entire country that can do what Taylor does.
At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Taylor is built like LaNorris Sellers and plays like him too. A gifted runner who is physical and tough, Taylor is as exhausting for defenses as he is infuriating. Over half of his 458 rushing yards from a season ago came in his two starts. That includes a 173 yard, two touchdown performance against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. The sample size is small, but he averaged 327.5 yards of offense in his two starts, and you’d have to think that those numbers will be replicated a ton week in and week out in a Jeff Lebby offense.
Yes, hello, I’d like to buy stock into Kamario Taylor please. pic.twitter.com/rAY0wdVi3r
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) May 9, 2026
Taylor is one of the most gifted and unique quarterbacks in the league. Despite his natural abilities and athleticism though, he kind of gets lost in the shuffle with all the other SEC signal callers. Will his high ceiling athleticism translate into wins for the Bulldogs? Who knows. But, the lack of buzz around Taylor will be short lived. He has the potential to be a household name by the end of the year, and that is something we aren’t talking about enough heading into the 2026 season.
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