Mississippi State’s biggest offseason question is already taking shape, and Jeff Lebby made it clear the Bulldogs are working to keep Kamario Taylor in Starkville.
Lebby said on Nov. 9 that talks are ongoing with the star quarterback, who is out for the season after Oct. 28 foot surgery.
“We’re always talking about retention,” Lebby said on Nov. 9. “We’re going to continue to talk about that huge piece of it and we’re right in the middle of those things right now.”
Taylor’s future matters even more after Mississippi State’s season unraveled without him. The Bulldogs opened 4-0 with Taylor leading the offense, then dropped into a five-game losing streak after his injury.
Mississippi State is now 4-5 overall and 2-5 in the SEC, and is in danger of missing a bowl game before it hosts Auburn on Nov. 14 at Davis Wade Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on ESPN2.
The sophomore from Macon was quickly becoming one of the SEC’s most talked-about players in his first season as the starter. He helped Mississippi State beat Louisiana-Monroe, Minnesota, South Carolina and Missouri, and his early run even put him in the Heisman Trophy conversation.
For now, though, the Bulldogs are simply trying to get him back healthy and keep him from becoming a portal decision. Taylor is not eligible for the NFL draft until 2028, which leaves Mississippi State or the transfer portal as his options. The transfer portal opens Jan. 4, and some teams have already reportedly reached deals with players for next season, including Missouri QB Austin Simmons, Nebraska QB Anthony Colandrea and Oregon State star wide receiver Jesse Legree.
Taylor has already made his feelings about Starkville known. After the Missouri game on Sept. 26, when speculation swirled about a possible transfer, he said, “It’s really kind of hard because I’m in season and I don’t want to reply.
I don’t look at things like that in the season. When people comment, it’s hard for me to talk to them the way I want to talk to them.
But if you know me, you know I bleed maroon and white.”
He also put out a statement the day before his surgery that ended with, “Starkville is home, and I can’t wait to be back playing the game I love.”
Lebby also gave an update on Taylor’s recovery, saying the quarterback has been around the program even though he was not on the sideline for the last two games against Texas and Vanderbilt.
“He’ll be slow to go from the standpoint of just making sure we take our time,” Lebby said. “He’s in a great spot and he’s in great spirits obviously in the building this morning on the scooter rolling around the facility and the training room.
He’s always a bright spot. I appreciate him and just his interaction with the guys non-stop in the QB meeting back this week, which has been really good.”
Taylor played four quarters during Mississippi State’s losing streak - three against Alabama and one against Oklahoma - before deciding to have surgery. In his absence, AJ Swann and Billy Puckett have both started.
The offense has struggled badly without him, averaging 6.3 points per game in the three full games Taylor has missed.
“It means a lot,” Lebby said about Taylor’s presence with the team. “It’ll be easier for him as he gets off the scooter and can actually get around a little bit. But, again, it’s just great interaction with his teammates and with the staff as he’s back in the building.”
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