Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor didn’t leave much room for doubt after Nick Saban suggested he should be in the transfer portal.
Hours after Saban made the remark on ESPN’s College GameDay, Taylor pushed back with a simple answer after helping the Bulldogs improve to 4-0.
"If you know me, you know I bleed maroon and white."
Saban’s comment came as he was picking Mississippi State to beat Missouri, and he capped it by saying, "I'm taking Mississippi State."
ESPN analyst Pat McAfee also jumped into the conversation, calling the idea of targeting a player in the middle of the season "ethically suspect." He then added, "If I was coaching right now, I'd be trying to find $10 million to get Kamario Taylor to my team."
Taylor addressed the buzz after Mississippi State’s 31-24 win over No. 19 Missouri in Starkville, and he made it clear the moment wasn’t ideal for him to get into a back-and-forth.
"It's hard because I'm in the season. I don't like to reply or look at everything like that during the season," Taylor said. "When people come to me, it's hard to talk to them how I want to talk to them."
The sophomore’s response fits the path that brought him here. Taylor grew up in Macon, Mississippi, about 35 miles from campus, and starred at Noxubee County High School. He was a Bulldogs fan as a kid, and his uncle, Omarr Conner, also played in maroon and white.
Georgia made a late run at flipping him during recruiting, but Taylor stayed home. He also had an opening to transfer after his freshman season, when he spent most of the year backing up former starter Blake Shapen. Instead, he stayed put and earned the starting job.
Now he’s making that decision look pretty good. Through four games, Taylor has completed 69.2% of his passes with 14 touchdowns and two interceptions.
He was sharp again against Missouri, finishing 27 of 38 for 360 yards and three touchdowns. Mississippi State trailed 24-17 in the fourth quarter, then ripped off the final 14 points. Taylor delivered the knockout blow, finding Sanfrisco Magee on a 24-yard go-ahead touchdown with 3:57 remaining.
The win sent Mississippi State from No. 24 to No. 16 in the Associated Press Top 25, the program’s highest ranking in four years.
Next up is a bigger spotlight and a familiar name on the other sideline. Alabama visits Mississippi State at noon ET on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Davis Wade Stadium on ABC.
Both teams are 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Southeastern Conference play. Alabama owns the series 88-17-3 and has won 16 straight against the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State’s last victory in the matchup came in 2007, a 17-12 win in Starkville during Saban’s first season at Alabama.
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