WATCH: Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen updates offensive progress in camp

Quarterback Blake Shapen and his Mississippi State teammates are past the halfway point of training camp and game week will be here quickly. The former Baylor transfer enrolled at Mississippi State and has embraced his new coaching staff and teammates since January.

Following Wednesday’s camp session, Shapen met with local media again to update the progress he’s witnessed this month along with other topics:

Q: How do you feel like Sunday’s scrimmage went?
Shapen: I thought it was good. Obviously, there’s things we need to improve on, offensively and defensively, so all over the board. But overall it was a good first scrimmage. I felt like everyone played hard and the effort was there. We just got to clean up some things, execution-wise.

Q: Your thoughts on quarterbacks Chris Parson and Michael Van Buren?
Shapen: I think both of those guys are really good quarterbacks. They push me every single day. They come in to work. We’re all doing this thing together, getting better together. They push me every single day so it’s been good.

Q: With yourself being a transfer along with several receivers and offensive linemen, does that provide a unique bonding experience?
Shapen: I think it’s a cool deal because a lot of the team is new and a lot of them are transfer portal guys. For me to not be the only one come in and be a transfer portal guy has been good for me just because I’m not the only new guy. I came in with a bunch of other guys, especially older guys, too. I think we got a bunch of older guys out of the portal. Just for them to be the same age as me and going through the same experiences on a different level has been good just to relate to those guys a little bit.

Q: What does this team need to get done the rest of camp?
Shapen: Obviously, it’s coming up here close and we gotta fix some things every single day for us to get better. We’re not really thinking too far ahead right now. We’re thinking about what’s going on today so we can get better at and that’s the path we’re moving on.

Q: You have a deep running backs room. How much trust is there with you and those guys?
Shapen: We do have a deep room. I have a lot of trust in those guys. There’s some older guys and younger guys in the room. We have a good group of people on this team and everyone comes to work every single day. It’s been fun to work with those guys. They work hard just like everybody else. So it’s been good.

Q: Your thoughts of facing the defense in practice?
Shapen: I think the main thing is they play really hard. You can feel the energy that they bring every single day. They have the energy to them that is very special and I think that is a testament to the old guys that bring it every single day and the young guys are following it. It’s been fun to play against them. They push us and they don’t make it easy on us. They practice really, really hard.

Q: How do you feel about the way you’ve grasped this offense so far?
Shapen: I think I’ve improved a lot from the beginning of spring, especially. Even from the first day of fall camp, I feel like there’s been a lot of improvements made. There’s been a lot of time put in in the meeting rooms and things like that. I think there’s been a lot of improvement. I’m excited to keep improving every single day and learn everything about the offense.

Q: What stands out to you about Jeff Lebby as a coach?
Shapen: I feel like with Coach Lebby, he pushes us to a different level. There’s never going to be a day where you walk in and not learn something. You’re always learning and you’re always grasping something new. You never made it either. You always got something to learn and we get pushed every single day, not only on the field but especially in the meeting room. That’s where we put a lot of the work in, up there, and then be able to put it out on the field.

Q: How different is this offensive tempo compared to your time at Baylor?
Shapen: Completely different. I was in a pro-style offense at Baylor. This offense is way different. I was under center 50-50 percent of the time (at Baylor) and here, it’s mostly shotgun and things like that. We move fast and I’ve never really done tempo. So this is my first time doing it.

Q: What’s it like working with your offensive linemen?
Shapen: Those guys are awesome. Like I said the last time, they’re fun to be around. They’re joyful, they’re happy, they’re funny and got a lot of humor in a lot of them. It’s fun. They’re older guys and they’re mature but they also have a funny side. It’s been really fun working with them and going through everything with them.

Q: How’s your relationship with quarterbacks coach Matt Holecek?
Shapen: It’s been good. Even through the whole transfer portal process we built a really good relationship and we watched film. Even my first day I got here and I got here like a week early in January before anyone else, even in that time we were up here watching film every single day. So we built that relationship early on and for him to just to coach me every single day and push me to the point where I need to be, he does that. He’s awesome and I’m very grateful to have him as my coach.