Kane Wommack didn’t waste any time setting the tone for Mississippi State week.
Asked Monday about Kamario Taylor, Alabama’s defensive coordinator delivered a ringing endorsement of the Bulldogs quarterback, calling him “a fantastic quarterback” and saying, “He may be the best that we have faced in the last three years since I've been here.”
Wommack pointed to Taylor’s ability to generate big plays in multiple ways, from the passing game to the RPO package to the broken-play moments that turn routine snaps into chunk gains. He said Taylor does damage both as a runner and by keeping his eyes downfield when plays extend.
“So I think he's had, you know, three touchdown passes in every game that he's played. He's had an explosive pass touchdown in every game, and he's playing about as good as I have seen a guy play, certainly in the last three years.
So, great group, great challenge for us. One that we are very much looking forward to in Starkville on Saturday.”
The numbers back up the praise. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound sophomore is 83-of-120 passing for 1,192 yards with 14 touchdowns and one interception through four games.
He has also added 37 carries for 185 yards and a score. Taylor ranks 10th in the FBS in passing yards and is tied for first in passing touchdowns.
Wommack doubled down on the evaluation later in the press conference, saying, “I think he is already operating as an elite quarterback in the SEC,” and highlighting Taylor’s deep ball, touch and command of a fast receiver group.
He also praised the way Mississippi State uses the passing game to create space after the catch.
“They do a great job of leading people with those RPOs so that they can create explosive plays after catch. He just has a great feel and great touch right now, and so he is, again, he is probably as good as we have seen in the last three years at the quarterback position.”
Preparing for a quarterback with Taylor’s skill set has forced Alabama to get creative during the week. Wommack said the staff uses several different methods to simulate what the defense will see, including scout-team work from John Gazzaniga and freshman Tayden-Evan Kaawa.
He also said the Tide will use some running backs and skill players in scramble drills and team periods to mimic Taylor’s movement.
“But you know, at the end of the day, you can you can show them a little bit of what it's going to look like, but to simulate that in real life, I mean, you know, you just it's different on game day, and especially when you're dealing with, you know, elite athletes at quarterback, like we saw last week, and like we will see this week.”
Linebacker Luke Metz said facing dual-threat quarterbacks has sharpened Alabama’s defense.
“It has made us better as a defense for sure,” Metz said. “As far as containing the pocket, keeping the quarterback in the pocket, which is something we need to continue to work on, but we've gotten a lot better this off season.”
Even with all the attention on Taylor, Wommack framed the matchup in familiar SEC terms.
“I mean, it's the SEC right?,” Wommack said on Monday. “Every week, there's talented players on the other side of the ball.
I think we can address who they are, what they're about. I think we do a really good job of communicating the identity of this football team, and who are the guys that they want to feature and get the ball to?
Certainly from a quarterback standpoint, we're going to be fairly extensive in what Kamario does well, like we would with any quarterback.”
He added that Alabama’s confidence comes from preparation and understanding what it needs to stop.
“This is a confident group of guys,” he continued. “They expect to go out there and play at a really high level.
They're disappointed when they don't, or when they make a mistake and have a sense of urgency to get it fixed. I think both things can be true.
You can address what a team is, and yet at the same time, go out there with a tremendous amount of confidence. I also think when you know what to expect and you know what this team is, right, there's confidence just in that alone of just understanding of what you have to go take away and what you have to stop.”
Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell also had kind words for Taylor after the win over South Carolina last week.
“That's my guy. We hit each other up almost every day.
Through anything. Love him to death.
He's a great player. Everybody here knows of him.
I can't wait to just get after it next week with him. It's gonna be a great game.
Looking forward to seeing him ball. Wishing the best for him and everything.”
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