Mississippi State football finds itself fully intwined in the madness of the transfer portal. The Bulldogs are working to bring in plenty of talent to help turn the program around while also manage a growing list of players leaving Starkville. Now they have news of a notable player who is ultimately choosing to return for one final year.
Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen returning to Starkville for 2025
Tuesday afternoon, Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen announced that he will be returning to Starkville for the 2025 season. Shapen, who transferred in to State from Baylor this year, started the Bulldogs' first four games of 2024 before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
While the 2024 season was supposed to be Shapen's fifth and final year of eligibility, he's been granted a medical hardship waiver that will allow him to suit up for sixth season.
Running it back with my DAWGS🐶🎲 pic.twitter.com/OKUFjditmr
— Blake Shapen (@BShapen) December 10, 2024
Blake Shapen was brought in by Jeff Lebby to run his offense in his foundational season in Starkville, and he got off to a productive start. Shapen averaged 243.5 yards per game, completed 68.5% of his passes, threw eight touchdowns to just one interception, and had two rushing touchdowns in four games.
Blake Shapen's return does not impact the rest of the Bulldog quarterback room
The question on everyone's minds at the moment is what Blake Shapen's return means the rest of the Mississippi State quarterback room. The answer? Not much, and that's not at all a slight on Shapen.
The expectation for several weeks now has been that Blake Shapen was planning to return to Starkville if he was granted his waiver. The understanding has been that, despite the potential of freshman Michael Van Buren (who played very well in Shapen's absence), Van Buren and Shapen would battle for the starting quarterback job going into 2025.
Now if you've been keeping up with the rumor mill, there is a lot of smoke that Michael Van Buren may be exploring other options in the very near future. There's nothing official on that, but it's a big part of the reason that Mississippi State has found themselves in the Jackson Arnold sweepstakes. If you were to lose Van Buren and Arnold comes in, it's still the same with Shapen. He would be then be battling Arnold for the job.
Ultimately, Shapen's return has no bearing on where Mississippi State stands with either Van Buren or Arnold. Neither player is going to shy away because he's back (having either at State is contingent on NIL and opportunity). Jeff Lebby wants Blake Shapen back to have a capable veteran in the room, and Shapen wants the opportunity to play in Starkville. This is positive news for the Bulldogs.