We continue our countdown to kick-off with our series detailing one biggest concern for every SEC team heading into 2026. Today, we head to Starkville to talk about the biggest concern for the Mississippi State Bulldogs this season.
The Offensive Line and Protecting Kamario Taylor
This one is easy. At first glance it may look like Mississippi State as a program has a ton of concerns after posting a 5-8 record and their third straight losing season. You can dismiss the growth from Jeff Lebby’s first year to his second year if you want because of his 7-18 overall record, but that’s disingenuous. There were big strides made a season ago in Starkville. The Bulldogs got better on both sides of the ball, found their quarterback of the future, and were a few plays away from finishing the year with a winning record after collapses against Florida and Texas.
There are a lot of things to like about Jeff Lebby’s team in year three. One of those however, is not the offensive line. A season ago that unit gave up 45 sacks which was the most in the SEC. In the first two years of the Lebby era, they allowed 83 sacks. That’s the second most in the SEC behind South Carolina who had 84. We saw how difficult life can be for a supremely physically talented quarterback behind a swiss cheese offensive line for the Gamecocks. LaNorris Sellers was grounded more than Spirit Airlines over the last two seasons. The same thing cannot happen for Kamario Taylor in his first year as a fulltime starter.
The overhaul on the offensive line was an obvious priority for Mississippi State. They brought in eight players from the transfer portal to help replace eight players from the unit who entered the portal. They return two starters, but only center Canon Boone played last season since right tackle Blake Steen missed last year with an injury. They brought in a former four star Alabama recruit, Miles McVay from North Carolina and veteran interior offensive lineman DJ Chester from LSU.
Will that be enough to keep Kamario Taylor upright this season? If it is, then this can be a much more dangerous team than people realize. Former head coach and defensive coordinator Zach Arnett is back on staff as the new defensive coordinator, and Taylor can be an absolute star next season with some help around him.
Previous teams in the series
