Why Baylor Bears Should Target Portal QB Chandler Rogers
The Baylor Bears are still early in the college football offseason process, but coach Dave Aranda says January is the month they plan to bring in a transfer portal quarterback.
As Hudson Card and Jack Plummer and even long shots like Grayson McCall have committed elsewhere, the Bears should turn their attention to Louisiana-Monroe quarterback Chandler Rogers.
Rogers combines all the skills that made Baylor an effective offense in 2021 and what made Jeff Grimes such a sought-after offensive coordinator alongside Zach Wilson at BYU. Rogers is a legitimate dual-threat quarterback who thinks pass first.
In 2021, Gerry Bohanon was a run-first quarterback, and this year, Blake Shapen seemed timid to escape the pocket, so Rogers would be the most legitimate dual-threat weapon Grimes has had at Baylor.
Rogers doesn't look like the prototypical quarterback when he walks off the bus at 6'0" and 194 pounds, but he packs a lot of muscle into that right arm.
In this throw on a game-winning drive against the Liberty Flames this year, Rogers delivers an absolute dime 40 yards down the field, hits his receiver in stride, and leads him away from the boundary but in a perfect spot to where the cornerback and the safety help can't make a play on the ball. His ball placement is scary good.
The Liberty throw isn't a fluke, this guy is a ridiculously accurate passer. In his 12 starts in 2022, Rogers completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 15 touchdowns and seven picks. Considering the terrible offense ULM had in 2021 (110th in FBS), those numbers by themself are pretty good.
Taking a step further, his numbers are even more impressive. Rogers had the seventh most passing yards lost due to receiver drops and would have added a projected 440 yards of YAC, the fifth most in FBS. Taking away the flat-out drops, Rogers would complete 79.5 percent of his passes.
In the next two videos, you see Rogers' perfect poise both in and out of the pocket. Specifically, the 3rd and 10 throw against the Texas Longhorns show the kind of unnerving demeanor Shapen and the Bears lacked in clutch situations this year.
In this play, Rogers keeps his eyes downfield on the entire team, even with the pocket collapsing around them. He makes one side step to get free and, as he is getting hit from behind, delivers a perfect strike for the first down.
Rogers is a terrific passer, but can also make plays with his legs and is a good fit for the wide zone scheme the Bears run. First looking at the bootleg pass, this is a play the Bears run a lot. It's a play they will likely feature even more of with such a talented tight end room in Kelsey Johnson, Drake Dabney, and freshman Matthew Klopfenstein.
Rogers executes it perfectly, but the defense must respect his running ability and elusiveness, so he has more time to deliver the ball. Best of all, Rogers goes through his progressions on this play, rather than seeing one real option on this type of run-pass option play. He looks at his guy in the flat, knows it's not there, and delivers a fastball, once again, right to where only his receiver can get it.
The defense has to respect his legs because he is a seasoned runner and decision maker. In the second video, you can see him in a 3rd down and medium situation, one that can be tricky for quarterbacks who don't like leaving the pocket.
This is a designed pass as Rogers looks downfield, goes through two or three options, waits for his routes to take away the middle of the field, and then attacked it. That speed is something you can't teach, and the awareness is even better. He doesn't have the physicality Bohanon had, but he certainly has the speed and explosiveness.
On top of all that talent, Rogers has an edge and doesn't shy away from a challenge. Out of Mansfield Lake Ridge (TX), Rogers had originally committed to Southern Miss before transferring to Blinn (TX) Junior College after one season.
After throwing for 750 yards in four games at Blinn, Rogers appeared in every game for ULM in 2021 before beating out the incumbent quarterback in spring ball this year.
Rogers has been climbing the college football ladder and undoubtedly has no fear of a quarterback competition in spring practice.
Whereas some other portal quarterbacks would shy away from the situation with Shapen having two more years of eligibility, Rogers has faced that challenge before. His accuracy, dual-threat ability, and fearlessness show Baylor might be the logical next step up for Rogers.
having not had more than 20 carries in a game since mid-October.
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