Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor will miss the rest of the season

Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor will miss the rest of the season and needs surgery on his injured toe, the school announced Tuesday. Mississippi State said he is expected to make a full recovery.

Taylor hurt the toe against Missouri on Sept. 26. He sat out the game at LSU on Oct. 17 but tried to play against Alabama on Oct. 3 and against Oklahoma on Saturday, and he left both early. Against the Sooners he appeared to aggravate it in the first quarter, limped to the injury tent and did not come back. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Taylor pushed hard to keep playing, but it became clear rest was not going to get him to a point where he could be effective. Thamel said Taylor was seeing a specialist Tuesday and could have surgery as early as Wednesday.

"Over the last few weeks, I've worked every day with our medical staff and done everything possible to be out there with my teammates," Taylor said in a statement. "Missing the rest of this season is hard to accept, but I know God has a plan."

Coach Jeff Lebby said, "Nobody wants to be on that field more than Kamario. I know how much this team means to him, and how much he means to this team."

Taylor, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound true sophomore, was one of the early stories of the season. He led the Bulldogs to a 4-0 start that included wins at Minnesota and South Carolina and at home against No. 19 Missouri. He finishes with 1,460 passing yards and 17 touchdown passes while completing more than 65% of his throws. ESPN described him as one of the most intriguing prospects for the 2028 NFL draft, the first he will be eligible for.

"There is a lot of football left, and I'm all in with my guys," Taylor said. "Starkville is home, and I can't wait to be back playing the game I love."

What to watch: Mississippi State plays at Texas on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, and Lebby has not named a starter for the rest of the year.