• Kamario Taylor is set as Mississippi State’s starting quarterback for the 2026 season.
• Four other quarterbacks are competing for the backup position during spring practice.
• Coach Jeff Lebby is looking to add players from the transfer portal, specifically an edge rusher.

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football knows sophomore Kamario Taylor will be the starting quarterback in 2026.

But as for his backup, that’s still to be decided as the Bulldogs held their first spring practice on March 17. Coach Jeff Lebby said it will be an ongoing competition between MSU’s four other quarterbacks on the roster: AJ Swann, Jaden Rashada, Parker Puckett and Brodie McWhorter.

“There’s great competition for the No. 2 spot, which I love,” Lebby said. “The other four guys are going to get a ton of reps. We’re going to cut them evenly. There’s going to be a different No. 2 every single day until one guy starts to separate a little bit.”

Swann and Rashada transferred to Mississippi State this season but with different profiles.

Swann is a veteran who’s started in 18 games in his career between Vanderbilt, LSU and Appalachian State.

Rashada is a redshirt junior who’s played in nine games in the last three seasons at Arizona State, Georgia and Sacramento State. He had two starts at Sacramento State before he suffered a thumb injury.

Civil rights leader John Perkins will lie in state at Jackson City Hall on Friday, March 20, in honor of his life, legacy and service to the city.

Jackson Mayor John Horhn announced the tribute in a press release Tuesday, March 16. Perkins will lie in state from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by a police motorcade escort to New Horizon Church International where a wake will be held at 5 p.m.

“Dr. John Perkins was one of the moral giants of our time, and our city is grieving his loss. He poured his life into the work of justice, reconciliation, and community, and Jackson is better because he chose to make this city his home,” Horhn said. “What I will remember most about Dr. Perkins is that he never gave up on people, and he never gave up on this city. On behalf of the City of Jackson, I extend my deepest condolences to his wife, Dr. Vera Mae Perkins, to the Perkins family, to the Foundation, and to all who were shaped by his teaching and his example. As we mourn his passing, we also commit ourselves to carrying his work forward.”

Perkins died Friday, March 13 at his home under hospice care surrounded by his family members. He was 95. A leader of the civil rights movement, Perkins and his wife, Vera Mae Perkins, would start what would become one of Mississippi’s first Head Start programs. The pair also led the John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation. He also authored several books and was honored with almost 20 honorary doctorate degrees and many awards for his service, including the Mississippi Medal of Service in 2010.

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Perkins’ homegoing celeebration is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday, March 21 at New Horizon Church International with Horhn paying tribute. Other speakers announced include Perkins’ pastors and “Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson, pastor and author Rick Warren, senior pastor Tony Evans, pastor and broadcaster David Anderson, and U.S. Congressman Bennie Thompson.

The service will be livestreamed on Youtube, which you can find at this link.

The internment is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, March 22, at Oak Ridge Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery in New Hebron, where Perkins was born. Instead of sending flowers, Perkins’ family asks that people donate to his foundation’s work at jvmpf.org/donate.

Charlie Drape is the Jackson beat reporter. You can contact him at cdrape@gannett.com.