Luke Kromenhoek will be Mississippi State backup QB for bowl game despite entering transfer portal
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STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football backup quarterback Luke Kromenhoek intends to enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2.
Yet despite that plan, MSU coach Jeff Lebby said Kromenhoek will be the backup quarterback to Kamario Taylor for MSU’s bowl game. The Bulldogs (5-7) are playing Wake Forest (8-4) in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Jan. 2 (7 p.m. CT, ESPN) in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“He’s with us and will be available,” Lebby said on Dec. 28. “Luke’s been awesome. He’s been great working his butt off trying to get better. He wants to be coached, and the situation is exactly what it is. I totally understand where he’s coming from, and that’s college football these days.
“Luke’s got a chance to be a great player. He’s really talented and really intelligent, so appreciative of him staying with us, going through this, being a great teammate and excited for what he’s going to be able to go do next.”
It’s a different situation than the 25 other MSU players, none of whom are starters, who’ve announced they’re transferring. Lebby said Kromenhoek is the only player still with the team who’s announced an intention to transfer.
That’s likely because Mississippi State would need Kromenhoek if Taylor were to suffer an injury in the bowl game. Blake Shapen, who started the first 11 games of the season before getting benched, is gone from the team as he prepares for a professional career. That leaves walk-on freshman Parker Puckett as the only other quarterback on the MSU roster.
Kromenhoek, a sophomore from Savannah, Georgia, transferred to Mississippi State this season from Florida State. He was in a preseason battle to be the second-string quarterback with Taylor, but lost. He’s played in two games this season, completing two passes for 20 yards and rushing for 24 yards and one touchdown.
Kromenhoek was a four-star in the 2024 recruiting class.
5-star Bralan Womack joins Mississippi State for bowl practices
Lebby also said on Dec. 28 that three Mississippi State signees from the 2026 class have joined the team for bowl practices. They are top three players in MSU’s class: five-star safety Bralan Womack, four-star tight end Zayion Cotton and four-star edge rusher Micah Nickerson.
Womack and Nickerson both flipped to Mississippi State on Dec. 3, the first day of the early signing period.
“They can go but they can’t play in the game,” Lebby said. “That’s how that sets up. The rules and how they’ve changed really limits the amount of guys that you can bring in so it was hard being able to get that done, but we were able to get three guys in. They’ve been a part of practice, which has been really good. They’ll go with us but obviously won’t be able to play in the game.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Kamario Taylor’s backup QB is Luke Kromenhoek for MSU bowl game
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