Zach Arnett satisfied with the professional approach from Will Rogers

Mississippi State is going through a lot of changes as of now considering spring practice is upon them. The unexpected loss of Mike Leach is at the center of the transformation in Starkville and has trickled down to decisions from a new head coach to a new system and philosophy. However, amidst all the shifts, Zach Arnett says senior QB Will Rogers and his professionalism have provided a calming feel to the program as they work themselves through everything together.

Arnett applauded Rogers for his impact during his press conference to end last week. He says his quarterback has taken it upon himself to be ultra-prepared for everything that’s coming with the new playbook. It’s obviously making a difference too considering what he sees Rogers doing with it already.

“Will is such a professional in his approach,” Arnett said. “I bet you he probably goes through the install three or four times. (That’s) before he ever even steps out on the field and does it.”

“He’s having absolutely no problems. He’s already checking plays at the line of scrimmage and seeing how the defense is aligned. Might be changing run schemes, might be changing to a play action pass or a drop back game,” said Arnett. “He’s done a great job of approaching the instillation and learning it. We really like where he’s at.”

Rogers played all three of his collegiate seasons under Leach. He excelled in his air raid offense as he has thrown for over 10,600 yards to go with 82 touchdowns and 24 interceptions on a 70.3% completion rate. That has led the Bulldogs to 20 wins in his starts with 16 coming in 2021 and 2022.

Those two seasons are where Rogers has been especially proficient and where he has really made his mark as the Bulldog’s QB1. In that time, he threw for 8,700 of his career yards on his way to 71 of his touchdowns.

Even so, 2023 will be an all-new ball game for Rogers and the rest of the Bulldogs. They’ll have to pick up a new style with how they focus on playing. They’ll also just be doing things differently across the board with Arnett taking up the headset from Leach. Still, Rogers’ experience, leadership, and command in the locker room can make these changes go a whole lot smoother. Between him and Arnett, they’ll need to continue to build this relationship together and, in turn, hope it affects how the rest of the roster grows with them.