Auburn’s search for a transfer portal quarterback took a hit before it even really started. Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor, who would have been a clean fit for Alex Golesh and Joel Gordon’s veer-and-shoot offense in 2027, is staying put in Starkville after re-signing with the Bulldogs.
Taylor’s return comes as he works his way back from a severe toe injury that ended his season in October. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that the deal begins at $7.5 million and can rise above $9 million, a sign that Mississippi State is making Taylor a centerpiece of what comes next.
“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.
With Taylor off the board, Auburn’s options at quarterback in the portal get thinner fast. Missouri’s Austin Simmons also re-signed, leaving the best available names likely to come from messy situations rather than stable ones.
That’s where things get interesting for 2026, because the biggest possibilities may be tied to Ohio State and Michigan.
At Ohio State, Julian Sayin’s season-ending shoulder injury derailed the Buckeyes’ season, though the situation may also have been shaped by Ryan Day leaning into true freshman Luke Fahey instead of former 5-star Ohio native Tavien St. Clair.
St. Clair could be the most likely player to leave, and his lack of opportunity behind Fahey may have lowered his price in the process.
Michigan presents another possibility in Bryce Underwood. He was once an eight-figure investment for LSU and Michigan, but his stock has dropped after a rough 2025 under Chip Lindsey and an even tougher 2026 under Jason Beck.
Underwood still has talent, but it hasn’t shown up at the Big Ten level. He could wind up as the next Jackson Arnold, or he could be a strong match for a veer-and-shoot system.
If Golesh believes Underwood’s processing still has room to grow, it would be worth making the call.
For Auburn, the bigger picture is simple: the portal market is getting tighter for quarterbacks who are already playing well. That may push Golesh and his staff toward a diamond-in-the-rough type of swing this January instead.
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For a Bengals defense that has continued to search for a true long-term answer in the middle, the projection at least offers a name worth filing away. Viliamu-Asas talent is obvious, but so is the concern in his background, with two ACL injuries already part of the conversation around him, which is why any early draft buzz around him will come with plenty of caution attached. [Read more 🡒]