Rogers Leads State’s Signal Callers

STARKVILLE – One of the most comforting positions to be in as a fan entering a season is to have “your” starting quarterback returning.

The Mississippi State faithful have been able to rest easy for the past three offseasons knowing that Will Rogers, the Bulldogs’ starting signal caller for the past 32 games, will once again be the one leading the offense out onto the field in the fall.

Rogers already owns nearly every passing accolade in the MSU record book and is the only player in SEC history to complete over 1,000 passes. The rising senior from Brandon has already thrown for 10,689 yards and 82 touchdowns during his illustrious career.

However, Rogers has not been resting on his past laurels since last season ended. Instead, he has fully immersed himself into learning every aspect of new coordinator Kevin Barbay’s offense.

“It was showing up in the winter and learning at least one thing a day,” Rogers said. “I was trying to learn all about (Barbay’s) formations or the quick game or the drop back. Then you bring in the shifts and motions with it. It was kind of just a process. I had to learn a little at the time. But by the time we hit spring ball and really by the time we were into spring ball, I knew it like the back of my hand.”

Rogers and Barbay have made quite a connection over the course of their time together and are already on the same page when it comes to the playbook.

“I think Will and I have really gained a lot of mutual respect,” Barbay said. “We see a lot of things the same way. When something is starting to roll off my tongue, he’ll already have it called because he knows exactly what I’m thinking. I think that’s something that’s real important throughout the season as we become more comfortable with each other. He knows what I’m thinking. He’s in the mind of the play caller and understands the play caller’s purpose.”

This year, however, Rogers isn’t the only quarterback with SEC wins on his resume. Former Vanderbilt starter Mike Wright transferred in back in January and has also been learning the offense at the same pace that Rogers has.

Wright made 11 starts for the Commodores over the past two years and appeared in 26 games total during his three seasons there.

“Experience is incredibly valuable,” said head coach Zach Arnett. “Anytime you’ve started games at this level, you know the types of defenses you’re going to face week in and week out. He’s won games as a starter and that’s a huge asset to our program. Having both him and Will allows us to do some things package-wise offensively. But no matter who is in there, you’ve got confidence that you’ve got a guy leading the offense that knows what it takes to win.”