Kamario Taylor keeps saying the same thing, and Mississippi State fans probably like the sound of it: he’s not going anywhere.
The sophomore quarterback has become one of the biggest stories in the 2026 college football season, and the numbers explain why. Taylor is tied for the FBS lead with 14 touchdown passes, and Mississippi State is 4-0 heading into Saturday’s matchup with Alabama. That kind of start naturally brings attention, but it has also brought plenty of noise about his future in Starkville.
That chatter got louder during College GameDay in Week 4, when Nick Saban said he’d be “ trying to get ” Taylor to enter the transfer portal if he were still coaching. Social media has been pushing the same idea ever since. Taylor, though, says people are missing the point.
“They don’t know the type of person I am,” Taylor told ESPN’s Alex Scarborough. “My mom always told me that once you start something, you have to finish it.”
Taylor has repeated that message several times in conversations with Scarborough, including after Mississippi State’s win over Missouri last weekend. He said he mostly ignores the transfer talk and stays focused on the day in front of him.
“I just try to live in the moment. This morning, I said a prayer.
I was like, ‘God, allow me to be where my feet are.’ That’s all,” Taylor said.
“That’s what I’m going to continue to do. Be where I am day in, day out.
Just come in with the right mindset. Come in with the mindset to approach this thing the right way and go take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself to us.”
Now the next chance is a big one. Mississippi State hosts Alabama on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. E.T. on ABC, with Taylor and the Bulldogs trying to keep building a case that they’re more than just a surprise start - they’re a team with national championship ambitions.
In Other News...
Mississippi State Finally Gets Its Chance To Prove This Start Is Real
Mississippi States rise has been impossible to ignore, and the Bulldogs have already earned a milestone that had been a long time coming. By beating No. 19 Missouri, they snapped a 12-year drought in ranked-vs.-ranked wins and pushed themselves to No. 16, turning what looked like an encouraging start into something with a little more weight behind it.
Now comes the kind of game that can tell everyone whether this really is a leap forward. Mississippi State heads into an SEC matchup with No. 7 Alabama, a meeting of unbeaten teams that brings even more attention to quarterback Keelon Russell on the Crimson Tide side and Kamario Taylor for the Bulldogs. For Mississippi State, it is a chance to show the Missouri win was more than a good night, and that the ranking reflects something sustainable. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Has A Real Opening In This Alabama Matchup
Mississippi State gets a chance in Week 5 that can change the conversation around the program, at least for a night. Alabama is the bigger name and the heavier favorite, but this matchup has enough moving parts to make it worth a second look, especially in a week built around upset hunting. For the Bulldogs, the appeal is obvious: these are the kinds of games that can shift momentum, raise expectations and give a team a far cleaner national profile if things break right.
The case for an opening comes from the same place most upset arguments do, which is matchup-specific edges and the possibility that the favorite is more vulnerable than its reputation suggests. Alabama still brings the standard weight that comes with a trip to the field, but Mississippi State is being viewed through a lens that suggests this one is not simply a formality. Whether that opportunity turns into something more is the part everyone will be watching, and it is exactly why this game sits near the top of the Week 5 upset conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Early Rise Under Jon Sumrall Has Fans Asking One Thing
Through the first month of the season, Mississippi State has already pushed its way into the national conversation, and not just because of its undefeated start. ESPN analyst Greg McElroy singled out the Bulldogs as one of five surprising teams through Week 4, pointing to the kind of early SEC success that tends to change how the rest of the league looks at you. The latest AP poll backed up the attention, with Mississippi State among the teams landing in the Week 5 rankings.
The company on McElroys list adds to the intrigue, especially Floridas fast climb under first-year coach Jon Sumrall and Oklahoma States rebound after an opening loss. For Mississippi State, the question is no longer whether the Bulldogs have gotten peoples attention. It is how long they can keep forcing their way into that same conversation as the schedule tightens and every week starts to mean a little more. [Read more 🡒]