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Kamario Taylor closes year with SEC Freshman of the Week honor

3rupauk8_400x400by: Robbie Faulk4 hours agoRobbieFaulkOn3

While things ended on a sour note for Mississippi State, there was a bright spot that came out of last Friday’s Battle for the Golden Egg.

In the Bulldogs 38-19 defeat to rival Ole Miss, freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor was named the starter in the game. Taylor would play every snap of the game for the first time this season and his performance would net him a second SEC Freshman of the Week honor.

Taylor finished the game 15-for-31 for 178 yards and an interception but he dazzled with his running ability. The first-year signal caller had 20 carries in the game for 173 yards and two touchdowns including a highlight reel scramble out of a potential sack that would turn into a 39-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game. The Bulldogs lost the game handily, but Taylor made a statement for what’s on the way for State’s offense under head coach Jeff Lebby.

“I felt like he was ready. He had just gotten better and better,” Lebby said of Taylor. “When you’re around him and in the meeting room with him every single day, the young man has great command and great understanding of what we’re trying to do. He’s worked himself into knowing what the expectation is. He’s going to want so much back, but the toughness he played with, I’m proud of how he went about it.”

It was another disappointing season for State in 2025 as the Bulldogs finished 5-7 and missed out on a bowl for the third-straight year. There’s hope coming down the line for the Bulldogs in 2026, however, as Taylor appears to be a guy destined to take over as the leader at quarterback.

Taylor played in 10 of the 12 games this year and had 388 yards, four touchdowns and an interception while completing 55% of his passes. He also ran for another 395 yards and seven touchdowns as he averaged 6.2 yards per rush.

“I’m big on goals. I set goals and didn’t accomplish all of them, but I feel like I did straight as an 18-year-old freshmen,” Taylor said. “Coming in learning a new offensive system and playing with new guys was totally different. I could have done better, but it’s God’s timing.”

The former Noxubee County standout was a four-star and led his team to three-straight state titles in high school. His younger brother, Jaiden, will be playing for the Tigers’ fourth-straight this week when they take on Raleigh on Saturday at Noon inside Davis Wade Stadium. It will be Jaiden’s final high school game before coming to Starkville to play for the Bulldogs.

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