Mississippi State football: Will Rogers embraces expanded leadership role

As he heads into his fourth season with the Mississippi State football program, Will Rogers has a great opportunity to be a solid leader for the Bulldogs.

With Mississippi State football heading into 2023 and changes happening all around, this is a perfect time for the Mississippi State Bulldogs to get some clear, decisive leadership from their experienced players. And it seems like quarterback Will Rogers understands the responsibility he bears.

It really looks like Rogers is embracing this opportunity.

During SEC Media Days, Rogers discussed how he can play a vital role in leading the younger members of the Mississippi State football team.

“Kind of all of us as seniors and returning starters to really get it together and realize it’s on us to lead this team now,” Rogers explained, according to ASAP Sports.

He continued on, saying that he and the other the returning seniors and starters hold a lot of responsibility for ensuring that standards are met.

“If there’s a young guy slacking or something not right in the locker room, it’s kind of on us, and we have to fix it,” Rogers said.

Mississippi State football: Will Rogers embraces leadership opportunity with Bulldogs in 2023

“As a senior, as a fourth year starter, I kind of took that head on,” Rogers explained. “I’m looking forward to really showing the young guys the ropes and how we do things in Mississippi State.”

Rogers has had the opportunity to learn (and flourish) over the past three seasons with Mike Leach as the head coach of the Bulldogs. But now, following Leach’s tragic passing, Rogers is now tasked with helping the Bulldogs adapt as they follow Zach Arnett’s vision for this program.

His experience and all that he’s witnessed in the SEC makes Rogers a valuable mentor.

Last season, while helping the Bulldogs go 9-4, Rogers tossed 35 touchdown passes and threw for 3,974 yards while completing 68 percent of his passes and only managing to throw eight interceptions.

Rogers understands what it’s like to compete (and thrive) in the SEC.

Having Rogers at the helm of this offense should help Kevin Barbay install his new offense and also ease the transition from Leach to Arnett in this coming season.

He’s proven he can be resilient. He’s proven he can win in the country’s toughest conference. And that makes Rogers a crucial member of this roster. It’ll be fascinating to see how he pivots to this new offense, but it’s encouraging to see the leadership role that he’s embracing heading into 2023.