Jaiden Taylor ready for next challenge in SEC

For the last four years, anyone that has watched the Noxubee County Tigers football team has had their eyes on a player or two with the name Taylor on the back of the jersey.

Kamario and Jaiden Taylor left a legacy at the school that was just as impactful as Connor, Patterson, Sanders, Bradley or Simmons before them. After Kamario helped lead the Tigers to three-straight Class 3A state championships, Jaiden was at the forefront of the run this season that got Noxubee back to the big game.

After trailing 12-0 in the first half, Taylor spearheaded a strong second half that had the team in position to go win the game in the final possession. With under 10 seconds remaining and the ball on the 5-yard line, he took a direct snap and charged forward but was stopped and the Raleigh Lions won a second state title in the last four years.

Taylor wanted to win or lose the game on his own terms.

“I told them that I’d rather have the ball on the last play because win, lose or draw, I wanted it to be in my hands to say I gave it my all,” Taylor said. “There are a lot of regrets, but if we keep getting here, we’re doing something right. We’re going to break the curse one day.”

Taylor brothers set to reunite in Starkville

Noxubee has been one of the state’s best programs year in and year out, regardless of classification. The program has won five state titles beginning with MC Miller in 2008 and then four from Tyrone Shorter over a six-year span. 12 times they’ve been to the state championship and Teddy Young has now made it six times in seven years. But the Tigers have lost all six championships.

Jaiden was a part of the last three state title losses with Kamario quarterbacking three of his own. On Saturday, the Mississippi State signal caller was on the sidelines with several of his Bulldog teammates supporting his team and his brother.

“He’s like a coach. He’s out there telling me what to do,” Jaiden said about his older brother. “I haven’t played on the level he’s on yet, so he knows what he’s doing. Whatever he’s telling me to do, I’m taking it in and doing what he says.”

As the final whistle blew and Taylor was set to walk off the field one final time, he couldn’t help but think about what was next. It was almost fate that his final high school game ended in the stadium where he will be running out of the tunnel the next time he suits up.

Taylor signed with the Bulldogs just a few days prior and will be reuinited with his brother soon enough. Kamario is set to finish out his freshman season in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte on January 2 and excitement is building around the young talent. The Taylor family hasn’t wavered in its belief in a program that they’ve pulled for their entire lives.

“Me and my brother saw the vision and what Mississippi State could be,” Taylor said. “We grew up watching Dak Prescott and the team getting to number one in the nation. We know what they can become and I truly believe that my brother is better than Dak. We can turn it around.”

While Kamario spent most of his Tiger career slinging the ball around the yard as a quarterback, Jaiden has been a little more of a swiss army knife.

Young utilized the versatile playmaker as a quarterback, running back, wide receiver and defensive back and the numbers were pretty strong across the board. Taylor was 30-of-55 for 585 yards and seven touchdowns passing, he rushed for 641 yards and 11 touchdowns and he caught 41 passes for 805 yards and nine more score.

On defense, Taylor had 81 tackles, four pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and an interception. Safety appears to be the spot that Jeff Lebby and the Bulldog staff have mapped out for him on the next level, and when he arrives to State he’ll have a familiar face coaching the defense as Zach Arnett has returned to be the team’s defensive coordinator.

“He was a great DC when he was here,” Taylor said of Arnett. “They were spanking and nobody could hold them down. I’m ready to get up there and work with him.”

Taylor will finish up high school over the next couple of weeks before arriving in Starkville with his future teammates as an early enrollee.

The opportunity to play inside the SEC has always been a dream and it will be accomplished shortly. He might not had been able to win a state title after doing all that he could, but his future remains bright.

“I’m pretty happy about that,” Taylor said of his next stop. “I wish I could have brought home a championship for my hometown, but it’s time to shake back. I’m coming up here to shock the world.”