Game Day kickoff: An epic QB showcase in Starkville and the best of the rest of Week 5 - ESPN

What should the country expect from Kamario Taylor in 2026?

This was the question posed to the Mississippi State quarterback in late July at SEC media days, when he had just two career starts under his belt, and the world was still unaware of his prodigious talents.

Taylor grinned.

«The country should expect a walking highlight reel,» he told ESPN. «Every time I touch the ball, it's going to be something special happening.»

This might've seemed a bold prediction from the sophomore whose limited action to date included just 55% completions and a pair of losses.

But Babe Ruth called his shot before he knew what pitch was coming, Neil Armstrong scripted the «one small step» line long before his boots touched the surface of the moon, and Brandon Flowers surely imagined hundreds of shirtless dudes in sports arenas around the world shouting the chorus to «Mr. Brightside» the moment he put pen to paper.

The great ones always know.

It's still perhaps a tad premature to cast Taylor among the greats, but that hasn't stopped the country from doing it anyway. In the first month of the season, Taylor has been compared to Lamar Jackson, talked about as a likely No. 1 NFL draft pick in 2028 and served as fodder for every social media pundit (and perhaps, Power 4 GM) willing to speculate on where he'll play next season.

Taylor's biggest test to date comes this week against Alabama (noon ET on ABC), and a win wouldn't carry the same cachet of beating Nick Saban in his prime, but it would serve as something akin to an official coming-out party. Regardless, Saturday's game will be the nation's first chance to sit back on their couches and soak in the majesty of Taylor's game on a big stage.

Still, that doesn't mean the overt gushing by the