Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor, college football's breakout star this season, needs surgery on his injured toe and will miss the remainder of the season it was announced Tuesday.
He is expected to make a full recovery, the university said in a release.
"Nobody wants to be on that field more than Kamario," coach Jeff Lebby said. "I know how much this team means to him, and how much he means to this team. We'll be right there with him throughout his recovery.
"He's the ultimate teammate and competitor. ... You see it in the work he's put in and the way our players and coaches believe in him the way they do."
Taylor injured the toe against Missouri on Sept. 26. He attempted to play in two subsequent games -- Alabama on Oct. 3 and Oklahoma on Saturday. (He missed the game at LSU on Oct. 17.) He clearly wasn't 100% in both of the games he played after the injury and left both early.
Taylor pushed hard to play after the injury, sources told ESPN, but it became clear that time and rest weren't going to get to him to a point where he could be effective. He appeared to aggravate the toe in the first quarter of the Oklahoma game, limped to the injury tent and did not return.
"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.
"... My role will look different these next few weeks, but my commitment to this team won't change. I'll do whatever I can to help my brothers down the stretch."
Taylor, a true sophomore, surged into the mainstream of college football early this season by leading Mississippi State to a 4-0 start, which included wins at Minnesota, at South Carolina and at home against No. 19 Missouri.
He finishes the season with 17 passing touchdowns, 1,460 passing yards and completing more than 65% of his passes. At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, he established himself as one of the country's most dominant and dangerous players.
Taylor, a second-year player, has already emerged as one of the most intriguing players for the 2028 NFL draft, the first one he'll be eligible for. It wouldn't be a surprise if he projects as the top pick.
"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."
