Opinion: Mississippi State Football May Finally Have a Complete Quarterback

Saturday's spring game showed the depth of the Mississippi State quarterback room.

STARKVILLE, Miss — The Mississippi State Bulldogs went through their spring game last weekend, and fans got their first look at many new faces. That included the new coaching staff as Jeff Lebby, and his high-flying offense took center stage at Davis Wade Stadium. 

"Score from far" is the offensive mantra of the new head coach, and lived up to the hype as the Bulldogs consistently had 50-plus yard completions. Blake Shapen got first-team reps in the first half, and his final stat line was 18-for-22 with 312 yards and a trio of touchdowns. 

Mississippi State has not had a dynamic quarterback like the Baylor transfer since Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was in Starkville from 2011-15. Shapen will likely not have the same impact Prescott did, but he appears to throw effortlessly and is mobile. 

The Bulldogs have had two quarterbacks lead them for seven out of the past eight seasons. Nick Fitzgerald took over for Prescott in the 2016 season and held that starting role till he graduated in 2018. 

Fitzgerald won many games for State during his time wearing the maroon and white, and he was tough as nails while becoming the all-time leading rusher for a quarterback in SEC history. However, "Nicky Fitz" struggled to throw the ball with consistent accuracy, and former Bulldogs head coach Joe Moorehead did him no favors by running an offense that didn't fit his skillset. 

Will Rogers took over as the primary starter in 2020 under Mike Leach, and the two worked well together. Although it was clear that the Brandon native was limited physically compared to some of his SEC peers, he completed a lot of passes in the Air Raid offense.  

Leach made it work as only he could. However, when the legendary head coach passed away, Rogers turned into a repeat of Fitzgerald. Former MSU head coach Zach Arnett brought in Kevin Barbay to be the offensive coordinator, and it was clear from the start that Rogers was not the guy for his pro-style attack. 

Last year, the offense was horrid, and Rogers, in turn, looked awful. Leach had played to his strengths, but Barbay did not, leading to Arnett's dismissal before the end of the season. 

However, this year, Shapen has no significant flaws like his predecessors. This is not to say he is perfect, but he has no unmistakable weaknesses that can be exploited like the others. 

He has the arm strength needed to run this offense and is athletic enough to make plays with his feet. When Lebby signed Shapen, it flew under the radar, but after seeing him take live reps, it's not only clear that the talent is there for the Louisiana native, but Mississippi State may have the right fit at quarterback for the first time in almost a decade.