Will Rogers evaluates how Zach Arnett handled promotion following Mike Leach's death

Will Rogers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs have been dealing with life after the tragic death of their old head football coach Mike Leach. Leach was a true pioneer in the sport and a legend, but he shockingly passed away in December of 2022.

Zach Arnett has had the tall order of following the legend as the head coach of Mississippi State football this season. Recently, Leach’s old pupil, Will Rogers, broke down how Arnett has handled the promotion so far. He joined Andy Staples on his podcast a few days ago.

“I mean, it was difficult, for sure. But I think the transition went about as smooth as it could go from Coach Leach to Coach Arnett. I think Coach Arnett does a really, really good job. He knew the team. He knew the program. So, I think it was really big for us to you know, put Coach Arnett in that head coaching role. And I think he’s done a tremendous job,” Rogers said on the Andy Staples podcast.

Did anybody ask for the players’ input on who they wanted as their next head coach?

“Yeah, I [got] asked about a couple of guys and if I thought Coach Arnett was the best guy for the job. And I said, ‘Yeah.’ I mean, do you vote Coach Arnett or do you go job searching and take all the time…I mean, I just thought at the time with what our program needed and everything that had happened, I think Coach Arnett is the best guy for the job at Mississippi State,” Rogers said.

Will Rogers was rated as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2020, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Playing in the Air Raid offense under Mike Leach, he thrived, becoming Mississippi State’s all-time leader in passing yards, touchdowns, and completions in just three seasons. He’s also the SEC’s all-time leader in completions, with it being conceivable he becomes the SEC’s career leader in passing yards during the 2023 season.

Last year, he completed 68.0 percent of his passes for 3,974 passing yards, while tossing in 35 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. In 2021, Rogers posted some mind-boggling stats as a sophomore for the Bulldogs, throwing for 4,739 passing yards (third most in SEC single-season history) in his second year as the starting quarterback in Starkville.

It should be exciting to see what the Mississippi State trigger man and their prolific offense have in store for the 2023 campaign.

On3’s Dan Morrison also contributed to this article.