STARKVILLE – Bulldog Nation held its breath when quarterback Kamario Taylor went down with an injury against Wake Forest in the fourth quarter of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. After escaping a broken pocket, an unfortunate but constant occurrence for MSU’s quarterbacks in the 2025 season, Taylor scrambled and took an awkward hit on his plant leg, twisting before going down.
When the injury cart came out, many feared the worst, but Taylor was up and walking again soon after the game.
“I was confident,” Taylor told local media on Thursday. “At the moment, I was down, but after the game, I was back walking. I knew I was going to be fine, especially with our training staff. They’re top tier.”
Taylor noted that the surgery wasn’t just about the injury on the night, but also about cleaning up some lingering injuries from his high school career. Once his ankle healed, he was able to get moving again, and was running three weeks after surgery.
Now Taylor is leading the Bulldogs into spring ball as the unquestioned starting quarterback, just a year after arriving as an early enrollee.
“First couple of days we’ve taken the field with the right mindset,” he said. “Keeping the offense up. We’ll have up days, down days, (we’re) trying to make sure we stay levelheaded as an offense. I’m excited to be back.”
Taylor’s excitement was evident on the first day on the grass. He had a pep in his step for the QB drills, and even spent time checking on teammates in adjacent drills while waiting his turn to throw again.
One such group was the wide receivers, led by Anthony Evans, who’s back after a breakout year with MSU. The Georgia transfer proved he was more than a return specialist and deep threat, and is at the head of a unit featuring several lightning-fast options to keep up MSU’s reputation as a “score from far” team.
Evans named transfers Marquis Johnson and Zion Ragins, and rising freshmen Gracen Harris and Sanfrisco Magee in his examination of potential difference makers, and Taylor echoed that praise.
“Explosive plays. We’re going to score from far a lot,” Taylor said when asked what to expect from the receivers. “We lost some guys to the transfer portal. I wish those guys well. The guys we brought in are some dudes. We got guys who can fill every spot, even the freshmen can go out there and play.”
Taylor’s first head-turning play came in an emergency at Arkansas when starter Blake Shapen was undergoing concussion protocol on the sideline, pressing the freshman into service. Evans bolted for the end zone before cutting inside just before the goalline, adjusting to account for a slightly underthrown but bold home-run shot, and then battling through a tackle for the score.
It wasn’t the Taylor era just yet, but the obvious talent was there. Now, the quarterback has the confidence from his teammates and himself required to take on the starting job.
Elite chemistry
“I feel (just like Frisco), it’s just his confidence and him going out there and seeing us getting the time,” Evans said. “I feel like our chemistry together is going to be elite.”
Head coach Jeff Lebby remarked earlier in the week that Taylor has been growing and learning from his tape last season, and working toward more predictable outcomes, better decision-making and a better understanding of opponents.
“I watched (the film) my first week back to go learn from myself in order to not repeat history,” Taylor said. “You have to go learn from it, so I took advantage from watching film, learning what I did wrong, what I could have done better in order to protect myself.”
For the past year, Taylor served as the primary backup behind senior Blake Shapen. There was an early expectation that Taylor would rise quickly, with receiver Ricky Johnson predicting last August that he would be a Heisman candidate some day. Taylor was named starter for the Egg Bowl, and despite his own disappointment that he wouldn’t play, Shapen continued to mentor Taylor.
Shapen’s efforts were not lost on Taylor.
“Being able to take advantage of the opportunity,” Taylor said. “Blake was a good support for me. He always kept me up, even when I got the news that I was going to start. When I got the chance to start, he was there for me, helping me learn the plays, helping me learn the defense, and learn what they’re going to try to trick me. The moral of the story is to take advantage of every opportunity presented to you.”
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