STARKVILLE – It’s no secret what Kamario Taylor brings to the table.
Dating back to his days at Noxubee County, the sophomore quarterback has made plays happen. Whether it’s escaping the pocket when a play breaks down, making a highlight throw or just taking off and running, one can never rule a play dead with him on the field until the whistle blows.
That ability showed in the numbers last year. In just two starts and a handful of snaps, Taylor earned a 90.1 rushing grade from Pro Football Focus, the highest grade among all freshman quarterbacks.
That playmaking ability will be needed this season. However, heading into his first season as the starter in Starkville, Taylor wants to “be more quarterback-ish.”
“I’m not going to change my game too much,” he said during the team's weekly press conference on Monday. “But I’m just trying to be more accurate in the pocket.”
Alongside Taylor’s rushing grade sat a 55.8% competition rate. In order to bring that number up, he and the coaches have been placing a focus this offseason on the traits that make a quarterback good from the pocket, like reading a defense, footwork, sensing pressure and more.
Mississippi State loves to score from afar, and that will also be a focus this season. However, there will come times when the best thing to do will simply be to keep the line moving.
“We have to be able to take what the defense gives us, checkdowns, screens, and do everything we can to just stay positive, stay ahead of the chains,” Taylor said. “And we know that those moments right there, those small plays can win the game.”
The work has paid off, as Taylor has grown as a pocket passer this offseason. Coach Jeff Lebby was impressed with it in the team’s first scrimmage of fall camp. However, Taylor’s biggest area of growth might have happened between the ears.
He’s hoping that it helps him to be able to continue to grow.
“I was aiming to be perfect, and that's kind of inevitable that you're not going to be perfect,” Taylor said of his competition percentage last season. “But once you aim for it, you just have no choice but to go up and help and elevate more and more, but my mindset shifted.”
Taylor will take the field at Davis Wade Stadium for the first time as MSU’s starting quarterback on Saturday night against Louisiana-Monroe.
“Davis Wade is going to be rocking. We already know how it’s going to go,” he said. “6:30 game, night game, and our fans are excited to see what we’re about this year, and we’re going to give them something.”