Washington quarterback Will Rogers is re-entering the transfer portal following head coach Kalen DeBoer’s departure for Alabama, per The Athletic’s Max Olson.
Rogers transferred to Washington in December after spending four season at Mississippi State. Now, with DeBoer heading to Alabama, Rogers will take his talents elsewhere.
Last season for Mississippi State, Rogers recorded 1,626 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions, though he missed four games with an injury. His transfer came following Mississippi State’s firing of Zach Arnett, who took over as head coach after Mike Leach’s sudden passing in 2022.
Rogers has had a successful collegiate career so far. He is the SEC’s all-time leader in pass attempts and completions as well as Mississippi State’s all-time leader in touchdowns and passing yards. Wherever he lands, he’ll bring plenty of talent and experience.
As a transfer prospect, Rogers is considered to be a 4-star prospect and the No. 11 quarterback in the portal by 247Sports composite.
The likelihood of Rogers transferring to Alabama might not be high, as the Crimson Tide will return starting quarterback Jalen Milroe and they have a handful of other talented quarterbacks behind him, including the No. 1 quarterback in the Class of 2024, according to 247Sports composite, Julian Sayin.
For Washington, it will continue looking for the successor to Heisman runner up Michael Penix Jr., as well as find its next head coach.
The 22-year-old is second in SEC history in career passing yards (12,315) behind Aaron Murray. Rogers also is fourth in the conference in career passing touchdowns (94).
Mississippi State ended its 2023 season with a 5-7 record. Rogers finished 2023 with 1,626 passing yards and 12 touchdowns to four interceptions.
He figures to fit well in Washington coach Kalen DeBoer’s passing attack as a veteran successor to Heisman runner-up Michael Penix Jr.
What Rogers brings to Washington
DeBoer and OC Ryan Grubb clearly prioritized experience in their evaluation of their transfer options, and they landed a quarterback who seems like the ideal fit for their passing attack. They struck gold with Penix by taking a chance on him despite his rough injury history at Indiana. In the search for a QB who can replace the Heisman finalist’s production, it makes sense they would land on Rogers.
His time spent in Mike Leach’s Air Raid system should prove valuable during his transition to leading a Huskies offense that has ranked No. 1 nationally in passing yards per game in 2022 and 2023. Rogers has a 94-28 TD-to-INT ratio in his career, which is quite similar to Penix (93-32) and impressive for a QB with more than 1,800 career passing attempts. The move to the Big Ten will pose interesting new challenges for this program, but if Rogers can get back to playing like he did early in his career, he can make them a contender yet again. — Max Olson, college football senior writer
Who replaces Rogers at Mississippi State?
New head coach Jeff Lebby has moved quickly to address his need at quarterback with the addition of Baylor transfer Blake Shapen and a commitment from four-star quarterback Michael Van Buren, a former Oregon commit. They’re coming in to push Mike Wright and Chris Parson in what should be a competitive battle as Lebby works to install his offense and looks for a difference-maker at the position to boost the Bulldogs’ rebuild. — Olson
