Kamario Taylor has cemented himself as Mississippi State football's quarterback of the future, but who serves as his backup in 2026 is now in question. QB Luke Kromenhoek has made the decision to enter the Transfer Portal. The 6-4, 220 sophomore from Savannah, GA transferred-in to Starkville from Florida State last season. He'll stay with the program through the Duke's Mayo Bowl before moving on.
BREAKING: Mississippi State QB Luke Kromenhoek plans to enter the @TransferPortal, he tells @On3Sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 18, 2025
The 6’4 220 QB was ranked as a Five-Star Recruit in the 2024 Class (per Rivals)⁰⁰He’ll stay with the team and participate in the bowl game https://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/MP9YvYweJr
Kromenhoek saw action in two games this season, taking the field for mop-up duty against Southern Miss and Alcorn State. He completed 2-4 passes for 20 yards and had four rushes for 24 yards, including a touchdown from three-yards out against Alcorn.
He was a needed addition for the Bulldogs out of the Transfer Portal last offseason, as the transfers of Michael Van Buren and Chris Parson left Mississippi State with only Blake Shapen and then-incoming freshman Kamario Taylor as the only scholarship QBs following the 2024 season. State had to add another option to the QB room, and Kromenhoek made plenty of sense given his recruiting profile and prior experience.
A 5-star prospect out of high school according to Rivals in 2024, Luke Kromenhoek appeared in six games for Florida State as a true freshman, including starts against Charleston Southern and Florida. He completed 52.4% of his passes for 502 yards with three TDs and two INT and added 113 yards on the ground.
Kromenhoek's game experience made him a good add for State. At the time, Kamario Taylor's ability as a freshman wasn't yet known, and given Blake Shapen's injury history, MSU needed a backup QB who could reasonably fill-in if needed. And the talent profile was there to believe he could succeed and feasibly compete for a starting role in 2026.
But Kamario Taylor quickly proved he was ready to make an impact right away, moved ahead of Kromenhoek on the depth chart, and established himself as MSU's QB of the future. Once that happened, it was expected that Kromenhoek would choose to transfer and look for a starting role elsewhere, and that's ultimately what he'll do.
With Kromenhoek hitting the Transfer Portal, Mississippi State will now need to turn to the Portal themselves to find a replacement. Someone has to serve as Kamario Taylor's backup in 2026, and with no other scholarship QBs currently on the roster and signee Brody McWhorter being the only incoming freshman, State will need another option.