Mississippi State’s quarterback situation changed the moment Kamario Taylor’s season-ending surgery altered the rest of the year, and it did more than force a new plan for Austin. It also put a spotlight on which Bulldogs still have something to prove over the final five games, with the transfer portal set to open in January.
That makes the stretch run especially important for three players whose futures in Starkville could hinge on what happens before the Egg Bowl.
Jaden Rashada is the biggest name in that group, and maybe the most uncertain. A former four-star quarterback out of Pittsburg, California, and the No. 7 passer in the 2023 class, per 247Sports, he has already bounced from Arizona State to Georgia to Sacramento State before arriving at Mississippi State as a redshirt junior.
The pedigree is obvious. The production has been limited. Rashada threw for 485 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman at Arizona State, never played a snap at Georgia, and went 16 of 41 for 239 yards at Sacramento State before a thumb injury ended his 2025 season early.
At Mississippi State, he has not cracked the main quarterback battle. With Taylor sidelined, the depth chart still has Billy Puckett or AJ Swann at the top, leaving Rashada on the outside looking in. If he keeps getting bypassed over the next five games, the questions about his place in the program will only get louder.
Marquis Johnson is in a different spot, but the theme is the same: production without enough touches. The Missouri transfer came in after catching 28 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns in 2025, and he has made the most of his chances this season. He has 13 receptions for 218 yards and two touchdowns on 22 targets, which works out to 16.8 yards per catch.
The big-play ability is there. The volume isn’t.
Johnson opened the year with three catches for 99 yards and a touchdown against Louisiana-Monroe, then followed that with three more receptions and another score against South Carolina. Outside those two games, only seven of his catches have come.
For a new starting quarterback, dependable targets matter. A receiver averaging nearly 17 yards per catch should have a bigger role in the offense.
Then there’s Brodie McWhorter, the freshman quarterback who was Mississippi State’s first official signee in the 2026 class. He put up 2,167 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions as a senior at Cass High School in Georgia, but he had not played in a game through September.
The redshirt rule gives Jeff Lebby some flexibility here. A player can appear in up to four games and still keep the year of eligibility, and Mississippi State has five games left, including a home matchup with FCS Tennessee Tech on Nov. 21.
If McWhorter gets meaningful snaps now, it would send a clear message that he is part of the future. He said as much when he signed: “I just want to go in and compete and try to help Mississippi State football be better,” McWhorter said.
The next few weeks should reveal whether those extra practice reps turn into a real chance on Saturdays.
In Other News...
Jeffery Simmons Just Landed In A Massive Mississippi State NFL Spotlight
Jeffery Simmons is suddenly at the center of one of the biggest NFL moves involving a former Mississippi State star, with Tennessee sending the standout defensive tackle and a 2028 fifth-round pick to Chicago for a package built around 2027 and 2028 first-rounders plus a 2027 fourth-round pick. Simmons had been one of the Titans most reliable defensive pieces and had recently signed a three-year extension, which made the deal all the more striking for a player who had remained a cornerstone in Tennessee.
For Bulldogs fans, the most interesting wrinkle is the reunion waiting in Chicago, where Simmons will line up again with former Mississippi State teammate Montez Sweat. The Bears are also watching the injury situation in Seattle, where left tackle Charles Cross is dealing with a high ankle sprain and could miss one to two weeks, a development that could shape the next matchup on Chicagos schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Heads To Texas With A Problem Getting Harder To Ignore
Mississippi States trip to Texas is getting more complicated by the day, and the injury report only added to the concern. The Bulldogs were already dealing with a defense that has been hit hard, and now safety Isaac Smith and linebacker Tyler Lockhart have been downgraded to doubtful for the matchup, leaving even less certainty in the middle of the field.
The trouble does not stop there, either. Left guard DJ Chester has been ruled out, forcing Mississippi State to adjust up front against a Texas team that is also managing its own health issues, including the absence of edge rusher Colin Simmons. For the Bulldogs, the bigger question is how much more shuffling they can absorb before it starts to show on both sides of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Fans Can Already Start Thinking About The 2026 Egg Bowl
The next chapter in the Magnolia State rivalry is already on the calendar, and for fans on both sides, the 2026 Egg Bowl has a familiar kind of pull. Ole Miss and Mississippi State will meet again in a game that always carries more than just bragging rights, with the matchup landing in Oxford and sitting as one of the marquee dates on both teams football slates.
For Mississippi State supporters, it is the kind of game that gets circled early, especially with the full 2026 schedules now in hand for both programs. The buildup will come fast enough once the season gets going, but for now the rivalry has already started to take shape on the calendar, with tickets available and plenty of time for the usual Egg Bowl anticipation to build. [Read more 🡒]