It’s that time of year again.
The sweltering July heat has seeped into our homes. It’s forced us to crank the AC and up our supply of frozen treats. Perhaps worst of all, the heat has trickled into our TVs, dried up our options and created a college sports drought.
Night after night, the fan sits, endlessly flipping through channel after channel, nothing on to end their growing hunger. A tournament, which once every four years comes to us by way of foreign lands, has counteracted the drought this year, but even it will soon end.
For the lucky few whose professional baseball teams are over .500, giving you a reason to tune in nightly, the drought has not taken full effect. For the rest of us, we sit. Waiting. Wishing. Hoping.
But off in the distance, there is light.
Partnered with the sound of cracking pads and clanging cowbells, the light inches closer. Day-by-day, the sounds get louder, the light gets brighter.
Its name is college football, and we sit just 52 days away from its return to Starkville.
To treat July’s most common seasonal allergy, the football itch, The Dispatch is going to spend the next weeks breaking down each Mississippi State football position group. Today’s position is the quarterbacks.
Starter — sophomore Kamario Taylor
Maybe the two-most circulated videos on MSU social media this summer have been of Kamario Taylor.
The highlight of his 35-yard touchdown run in last year’s Egg Bowl, where he escaped three Rebel defenders in the pocket and left the other eight in the dust, has found its way back into social media algorithms. A video of Taylor showcasing his arm, launching a ball 65 yards on target at the Manning Passing Academy in June has also gained traction among State faithful.
Whichever clip you’ve seen more, both prove that Taylor has the mobility and arm strength to compete amongst the SEC’s best.
Taylor, from just down the road in Macon, is listed at 6-feet-4, 230 pounds and is set to fully take over the QB1 role after starting two games as a true freshman. He led the Bulldogs into battle against Ole Miss and in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Wake Forest, losing both.
He threw for 419 yards, a touchdown and an interception across both games. Taylor led the Bulldogs in rushing both games, including a 173-net-yard performance against the Rebels.
He threw for 629 yards and five touchdowns, and rushed for 458 and eight TDs throughout the 2025 season.
QB2 — redshirt senior AJ Swann
AJ Swann made the jump from the Sun Belt to the SEC in the transfer portal, but the conference isn’t unfamiliar territory.
He started six games as a true freshman at Vanderbilt in 2022, and threw 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions in two years with the Commodores. He jumped to LSU his junior year, but played in only two games.
He took back over a starting role last season at Appalachian State. He started six games for the Mountaineers, tallying 1,495 passing yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
QB3 — redshirt junior Jaden Rashada
Even in the world where entering the transfer portal has almost become the norm, it’d be hard to find a player with a journey as unconventional as Jaden Rashada.
Rashada has played at Arizona State, Georgia and Sacramento State. His high school recruiting process saw commitments to Miami and Florida, where he eventually sued former head coach Billy Napier and a Gator booster for allegedly backing out of an NIL deal worth more than $13 million.
Through all the craziness, jumping from ASU to perennial powerhouse Georgia down to the FCS ranks, Rashada has landed in Starkville.
He played in six games, starting two, at Sacramento State last season. He threw for 269 yards, a touchdown and an interception with the Hornets. He started two games as a freshman at Arizona State, tallying 4 touchdowns and three interceptions on 485 yards. He did not see the field at Georgia.
Rashada, who measures 6-feet-4 and 185 pounds, was originally a 4-star recruit from Pittsburg, California and the seventh best quarterback in the class of 2023 according to Rivals.
The freshman – Brodie McWhorter
A three-star recruit from White, Georgia. Threw for 2,167 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior.
Listed at 6-feet-2, 220 pounds.
The redshirt freshman – Parker Puckett
Served as MSU’s scout team quarterback last season. Threw for 4,822 yards and 47 touchdowns in his career at Jackson Prep in Madison.
Listed at 6-feet, 180 pounds.
Jake is the Mississippi State athletics reporter for The Dispatch.
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You can help your community
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 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
