There’s no denying that Mississippi State has failed to perform to its lofty standards for most of this post-national championship era. And at a certain point, it became clear that this was unsustainable and a change would have to be made.
So the fact that athletic director Zac Selmon made the move to fire head coach Chris Lemonis was not a surprise. But the timing of it, at least on the surface, was.
The Bulldogs are in the middle of the stretch run, and despite having lost twice as many games as they’ve won in Southeastern Conference play, they still have a lot to play for. MSU is still on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and we’ve seen many examples of SEC teams just sneaking into the tournament and then making a run all the way to Omaha, from Florida last year to Ole Miss’ title-winning 2022 squad.
But thinking just a little deeper, letting Lemonis go with three weeks remaining in the regular season starts to make more sense. Let’s say Selmon decided to ride things out with his head coach through the end of the season. Then let’s say the Bulldogs got hot, winning series against Kentucky and Ole Miss and sweeping Missouri to finish with 14 conference wins.
That would probably be enough to get into the tournament, so let’s say MSU comes out of a regional on the road, then takes one of the top seeds to a third game of a super regional before coming up just short of a trip to the Men’s College World Series. Unlikely, sure, but not outside the realm of possibility. What do you do with your head coach — the coach you’d already determined was on his last legs here — then?
Now let’s say the Bulldogs go on that same run under interim head coach Justin Parker. We saw a similar situation play out here in 2018, when Gary Henderson took over as interim coach after three games in the wake of the Andy Cannizaro scandal. Under Henderson, MSU overcame a 2-7 start to SEC play, finished 15-15, then stayed hot in the postseason and was one of the last four teams standing.
Still, Henderson was not retained, and a national search ended with the Bulldogs hiring Lemonis, who finally took them across the finish line in 2021. Parker may end up being a candidate to stay on as the full-time head coach, but even a strong finish to the season is unlikely to keep him in that role.
What’s more, the pressure is off now in a lot of ways. The players can play free without the uncertainty of their head coach looming over them. The coaching search is already underway, and in a sense, MSU has nothing to lose. There’s no reason not to try and salvage something out of this season now.
— Benjamin Rosenberg
Taylor already has a strong QB1 case
Anyone who had eyes on the Mississippi State spring game felt pretty confident they were looking at the future Bulldogs QB1 in true freshman KaMario Taylor. Just how soon that image of the future becomes a reality remains to be seen, but Taylor showcased the ability that could make him the favorite to take over the job as soon as the 2025 season.
Taylor finished the game 8-13 passing with 124 yards and a touchdown, leading two scoring drives. He showcased accuracy and timing in head coach Jeff Lebby’s run-and-gun system, getting the ball out quickly and only misplacing a couple of passes. He probably should have been intercepted on one of those missed passes, but the safety dropped the ball after undercutting the route.
That being said, you can’t learn too much from the spring game, and there wasn’t anything new that Taylor hadn’t shown in his high school tape.
Taylor is officially listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, finishing high school as a 4-star recruit with six offers from SEC programs, including Georgia, after leading Noxubee County to the Class 3A state championship game in three straight years. His highlight tape with the Tigers includes a lot of what MSU fans will want to see from their next QB, utilizing his athleticism to handle broken plays and blitzes, extend plays, and pick up first downs and scores with his legs.
It’s not just athleticism that makes Taylor stand out as a freshman; it’s his awareness and ability to navigate the pocket, too. He has played a lot of football already, starting since his sophomore year, and that experience shows in his ability to read the play and react. Combined with his size and speed, Taylor makes up for college experience with an arsenal of talent and ways to attack a defense.
Blake Shapen didn’t return to wear a headset, and he showed he’s got his strength back after suffering a season-ending injury in September. The Bulldogs endured the roller coaster ride of a true freshman starter with Michael Van Buren called in earlier than anticipated at quarterback last year, but Taylor’s skillset and athleticism make him a candidate to be much more than an emergency option.
There is a lot about quarterbacking that gives Shapen the edge. Experience goes a long way under center, and Shapen has proven even in bad games that he can take care of the ball and move the sticks, but after the disaster of 2024 everything is on the line to make strides in the right direction, and Taylor may already be the best option to make that happen.
— Colin Damms
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
