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Kamario Taylor Has Alabama's Full Attention Ahead of Top-20 Showdown

Crimson Tide DC Kane Wommack calls Bulldogs' sophomore QB best he's seen in three years
Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor (1) scrambles past South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Kelvin Hunter (3) in the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor (1) scrambles past South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Kelvin Hunter (3) in the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Don't let Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby know about the rat poision that's being fed to his starting quarterback Kamario Taylor.

He's just out there outplaying everyone and causing problems for opposing defenses in what can truly be described as a Heisman-caliber start to the season. Taylor has compiled 1,377 total yards of offense and 15 touchdowns through the first four weeks of the regular season, leading the Bulldogs to a 4-0 record and a No. 16 AP Top-25 ranking, the program's highest since the 2022 season.

Alabama defensive coordinator had much praise for the true sophomore signal caller as he is believed to be the best quarterback Alabama has faced "in the last three years" since Kane Wommack was hired at Alabama to become the defensive coordinator under Kalen DeBoer.

“I think he is already operating as an elite quarterback in the SEC.” Wommack said on Monday. “He does such a great job on the deep throws. He’s got great touch, leads his receiving corps out there which this is a very, very fast group. I think they’ve got multiple guys that have documented ten-two, ten-three speeds whether it was coming out of high school or whatever.

"He does a nice job in that regard, really clean with his RPO reads and his delivery with the ball. They do a great job of leading people with those RPO’s so that they can create explosive plays after catch. He just has a great feel and a great touch right now, again he is probably as good as we have seen in the last three years at the quarterback position.” 

Taylor hasn't lit up just anybody either.

The Bulldogs started the year with a romping of UL-Monroe in Week 1, followed by thrashing of Minnesota on the road 38-13. That was the game that placed all the attention on Taylor as one of the most electric quarterbacks.

“He’s had an explosive pass touchdown in every game, and he’s playing about as good as I have seen a guy play, certainly in the last three years.”

He leads the SEC in passes of 20-plus yards (20), and has helped the Bulldogs to a No. 2 ranking in the conference in terms of passing yards per game at 315.5 yards per game.

Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack
Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack celebrates a fourth down stop by his defense as South Carolina went for it at Saban Field at Bryant Denny Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Through the first four games, Alabama sits squarely in the middle-of-the-pack defensively, giving up over 315.3 total yards per game (No. 7, SEC), which will certainly challenge Wommack's unit.

“But at the end of the day, you can show them a little bit of what it’s going to look like, but to simulate that in real life, I mean, it’s different on game day, and especially when you’re dealing with elite athletes at quarterback, like we saw last week, and like we will see this week.”

The top-25 class in Starkville is scheduled to kickoff at 11 a.m. CT and will be nationally televised by ABC.

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Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter. Follow on X: @ jacobscottdavis