Kamario Taylor stats vs. Dak Prescott: How Cowboys QB's sophomore season compares to 2026 breakout
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Kamario Taylor stats vs. Dak Prescott: How Cowboys QB's sophomore season compares to 2026 breakout originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The college football world has been introduced to Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor this season. The Mississippi native has been playing lights out so far this season, and there's a surprise spotlight on Starkville, Miss.
The newfound attention surrounding Taylor and the Bulldogs feels like a throwback to the last time a dual-threat quarterback brought national eyeballs to Starkville. That was when Dallas Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott was under center at MSU.
Let's see how Taylor's start at Mississippi State compares to Prescott's breakout in 2014.
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Kamario Taylor vs. Dak Prescott as recruits
Taylor was a much higher-rated quarterback coming out of high school than Prescott was. The two are separated by 14 years of recruiting classes, Prescott being a class of 2011, Taylor 2025. Prescott, out of Haughton, Louis., was rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 20 overall dual-threat quarterback, and No. 22 overall out of Louisiana.
Prescott committed to Mississippi State shortly after receiving an offer from the Bulldogs, in July before his senior year. According to The Advocate, no other major schools were recruiting Prescott. At the time, LSU was interested in him at safety.
But that changed for Prescott, as he had a breakout senior season at Haughton, throwing for 3,500 yards with 56 touchdowns. LSU and head coach Les Miles recruited him hard that fall, as Prescott even took an official visit to LSU when the Tigers beat Alabama 24-21. Via the newspaper:
Coach Les Miles visited the Prescotts and delivered a message: “Dak isn’t the same quarterback when we started recruiting him,” Miles told the family, according to Tad.
“They came on pretty hard there at the end,” Dak said. “They recruited my mom almost more than they recruited me.”
“For a while, we thought he’d de-commit from State and end up in Baton Rouge,” Tad said.
In the end, Prescott stayed loyal to MSU.
Taylor is from Macon, Miss., located just over 30 miles south of Starkville. 247 listed Taylor as the No. 11 overall quarterback from 2025, and No. 4 overall from Mississippi.
Similar to Taylor's recruitment to Mississippi State, he held off another late suitor in the Georgia Bulldogs. Taylor had a big senior season at Noxubee County High School, and Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs offered him late. It was further complicated by MSU going through a coaching change, hiring Jeff Lebby after Zach Arnett's firing.
But in the end, Lebby honored MSU's offer to Taylor, and he signed with the Bulldogs in Dec. 2024.
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Taylor and Prescott breakout seasons
Both quarterbacks had to wait their turns to be MSU's full-time starters. Prescott took a redshirt in 2011 and served as starting quarterback Tyler Russell's backup in 2012.
He started the 2013 season behind Russell again, but a concussion he suffered early in the season put Prescott in the starting job. Across 11 games, he threw for 1,940 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, rushing for another 829 and 13 scores on the ground.
In 2014, his first full season as a starter, he had a true breakout season, breaking multiple school records. He set MSU records for a single-season in pass yards (3,449), total yards of offense (4,435), passing touchdowns (27), and another 41 total touchdowns.
He helped the Bulldogs go undefeated through their first nine games of the season, and achieve a first No. 1 overall ranking in school history. MSU finished 10-2 in the regular season, with losses to Alabama and Mississippi State, reaching 10 wins for just the second time in school history. The Bulldogs earned an Orange Bowl berth, losing 49-34 to Georgia Tech.
Taylor also had to wait his turn to start at Mississippi State, backing up Bulldog starter Blake Shapen last season. But Taylor was used as a running quarterback frequently for Coach Lebby. He rushed for 458 yards and eight touchdowns last season, adding another 629 pass yards with five touchdowns.
MORE:
Taylor vs. Prescott breakout season stats
| QB | YEAR | PASS YDS | PASS TD | INT | COMP. % | RUSH YDS | RUSH TDS |
| Dak Prescott | 2014 | 3,449 | 27 | 11 | 61.6 | 986 | 14 |
| Kamario Taylor | 2026 | 1,192 | 14 | 2 | 69.2 | 185 | 1 |
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