Auburn’s search for a transfer portal quarterback just got a lot harder.
Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor, who had been the kind of fit Auburn could have circled for Alex Golesh and Joel Gordon’s veer-and-shoot offense in 2027, is staying put in Starkville. Taylor has re-signed with the Bulldogs, taking him off the board before Auburn ever had a chance to make a run in the portal this coming January.
Taylor is working back from a severe toe injury that ended his season in October, but Mississippi State is clearly betting big on what comes next. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Taylor’s deal begins at $7.5 million and can rise above $9 million. His return is being viewed as a major part of the Bulldogs’ offensive plans for next season, and the school is expected to increase football investment around him.
“The timing of the signing will allow coach Jeff Lebby to build a recruiting/portal class around Taylor, as the school pitched Taylor on an uptick in overall investment,” Thamel said.
“This deal is expected to be completed later today, per sources. It’s significant for Jeff Lebby for portal/recruiting and roster building.”
“One of the thing we realized is the level of quality players who are intrigued by joining Kamario at Mississippi State,” a source told ESPN.
Taylor’s decision also narrows the field for Auburn, which now has to look elsewhere for a portal answer. Missouri’s Austin Simmons is also back with his school, leaving the best options to come from messier situations.
That means the 2026 market may point toward Ohio State and Michigan.
At Ohio State, Julian Sayin’s season-ending shoulder injury wrecked the Buckeyes’ year, though the situation may also have been shaped by Ryan Day choosing true freshman Luke Fahey over former 5-star Ohio native Tavien St. Clair.
St. Clair could be a buy-low target this January if Ohio State’s roster starts to turn over, and his lack of playing time behind Fahey may have lowered his price.
Michigan brings a different kind of gamble. Bryce Underwood was once an eight-figure investment for LSU and Michigan, but his stock has fallen after a rough 2025 under Chip Lindsey and an even tougher 2026 under Jason Beck.
He still has talent, but it hasn’t shown at the Big Ten level. He could end up being the next Jackson Arnold, or he could be a better match for a veer-and-shoot system.
If Golesh believes Underwood’s processing still has room to grow, it’s a call worth making.
For Auburn, the pool is getting thinner by the day. The quarterbacks who are thriving are less likely to move, which may push Golesh and company toward a different kind of bet this January: finding a diamond in the rough.
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Auburn Just Lost The Safest QB Portal Path Available
Auburns quarterback search in the transfer portal just got a little more complicated with Mississippi States Kamario Taylor choosing to stay put rather than test the market. Taylor is still working back from a severe toe injury, but his new deal reportedly starts at $7.5 million and gives the Bulldogs a major piece to build around as they try to shape the rest of their roster and recruiting plans.
For Auburn, the timing matters because the Tigers are still sorting through their own options at the position and had reason to monitor the portals upper tier closely. With Taylor off the board, attention shifts even more toward other possible targets from places like Ohio State and Michigan, leaving Auburn to keep weighing fit, availability and cost in a market that is already getting thinner by the day. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Still Has Tough 2027 Recruiting Calls To Make
With the early signing period for the Class of 2027 drawing closer, Auburn is entering the part of recruiting where the easy work is mostly done and the hard decisions begin. Alex Golesh has made it clear the Tigers want to finish the class strong, and that means balancing the commitments already in place with the players the staff is still pushing hardest to land.
Auburns recent addition gave the class a boost, but the final stretch is still about roster evaluation and how the staff chooses to spend its time and resources. Some current pledges could be revisited while other targets get a more aggressive push, which leaves the Tigers with a few important calls still hanging in the balance before signing day arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Bowl Push Comes With Real Upset Risk In Starkville
Auburn heads to Starkville with a chance to keep its winning streak alive and move one step closer to bowl eligibility, but this is the kind of SEC trip that can get tricky fast. Alex Golesh has already pointed to the early kickoff as one of the hurdles, and Auburn will need to bring a sharp, high-level effort against a Mississippi State team that has dropped five straight but still has enough pieces to make this uncomfortable.
The matchup comes down to a few familiar pressure points for Auburn: slowing down AJ Swann, leaning on the run game and keeping Byrum Brown protected up front. Linebacker depth and time of possession also loom large, especially in a road setting where Auburn cannot afford to let the game drift into a grind. On paper, the Tigers have the better path, but this is exactly the sort of spot where a bowl push can turn into a stress test. [Read more 🡒]