The Mississippi State Bulldogs have struggled to compete since the sudden death of Mike Leach in late 2022. Since then, the Bulldogs are 12-25 overall and a paltry 2-22 in SEC play. NIL funding has been a struggle in Starkville, but there may be some hope with this roster in 2026 heading into Jeff Lebby's 3rd season.
Can Kamario Taylor be the cheat code to more SEC wins in 2026?
Kamario Taylor was a huge recruiting win for Jeff Lebby last season. The 4 Star dual-threat QB from Macon, Mississippi has plenty of traits to make one believe that he could carry a team to additional wins, in much the same way that Dak Prescott did more than a decade ago. At 6’3, 205, Taylor has good size, a strong arm, and impressive running ability. As a Freshman, Lebby gave Taylor plenty of opportunities to adjust to the college game while backing up Blake Shapen. Taylor appeared in 10 games, starting 1, and finished 30 of 55 passing for 388 yards with 4 TD’s and 1 INT. He also rushed for 395 yards and 7 TD’s.
WR Sanfrisco Mcgee will be an important target for Taylor. Mcgee made plays down the stretch last season, and scored two TD’s in last Saturday’s spring scrimmage. RB Fluff Bothwell, who accounted for over 780 yards and 6 touchdowns last season, also returns and will be a key weapon in the offense. Make no mistake, however, Lebby’s offense will run through Kamario Taylor.
Is there enough on the line of scrimmage to allow the offense to reach it’s potential?
In comments to SI.com, Lebby praised the development of the offensive line this spring.
“It’s been, without a doubt, the most physical spring we’ve had in the last three years, and that’s been great to see. There’s been a lot of back-and-forth competition, which is exactly what you want. I feel really good about seven guys on the offensive line right now.”
If Lebby can cobble together an adequate offensive line, and customize the Bulldogs’ offensive attack to Taylor’s skillset, he has the potential to be one of the premier dual threat QB’s in the league. The offensive line will remain, however, a major question mark until it’s tested against league competition.
Who says you can’t go home again?
Former DC and Head Coach Zach Arnett returns to Starkville as DC for the 2026 season. Arnett was put in difficult position in December of 2022, being named Head Coach of the Bulldogs just three days after the death of Mike Leach. Arnett was fired with two games remaining in his first season.
It’s easy to forget that Arnett was one of the more highly regarded young DC’s and recruiters in the SEC prior to Leach’s death. Arnett was not ready for the top job three years ago, and he will look to revive his career in familiar territory. His aggressive, pressure-heavy, attacking style is designed to create turnovers and short fields for Lebby’s offense to operate. If successful, Arnett could make a big difference in a defense that finished 15th in the SEC in 2025, giving up over 400 yards per game.
Where are the wins?
Last season, MSU got off to a 4-0 start, including an impressive win over 2024 playoff participant Arizona State. The rest of the season was a lesson in the importance of depth in the modern era. This team seemed to run out of gas as the season unfolded. There were some encouraging performances, with overtime losses to Tennessee and Texas.
For the 2026 Bulldogs to get off to an equal start, it will require road wins over Minnesota and South Carolina and home wins against ULM and Missouri. If trench play and defense are improved and Lebby can unlock Kamario Taylor, then another 4-0 start is doable with that early schedule After that, the schedule again becomes far more difficult, hosting Alabama and Oklahoma, with road trips to Texas and LSU. Vanderbilt and Auburn both travel to Starkville, and those will be games that MSU needs at least a split.
Jeff Lebby’s teams showed improvement last year. This year’s Bulldogs are banking on the development of Taylor under Center, and Arnett wreaking havoc with an undermanned defense. It’s not impossible for MSU to win 7 games against this schedule. It’s also possible they go 4-8 and are starting over again next off-season.
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