Will Rogers jokes about being pocket passer, comparison to Mike Wright

Mississippi State senior Will Rogers isn’t what you would label a “mobile” quarterback. In three seasons as the Bulldogs starter, he is already the program leader in career passing yards (10,689) and touchdowns (82), but has never finished with a positive number of rushing yards.

The opposite can be said of Mike Wright, who transferred to MSU this offseason after three years at Vanderbilt. Wright totaled 908 yards rushing and seven touchdowns in that time, including 517 yards and five scores this past season.

When that difference was pointed out to Rogers, however, the quarterback jokingly took exception.

“Are you saying I can’t run?” he asked, causing a group of reporters to burst out in laughter.

After the laughs subsided, Rogers gave a serious answer on how the addition of Wright has helped the team in the first spring under coach Zach Arnett.

“Nah, I’m messing with you man,” he said. “He’s awesome. He’s good. He brings some energy to the quarterback room every day. Obviously, his zone read is gonna look a little bit different than my zone read. But he’s done a great job. He’s a guy that played a lot at Vanderbilt. So I have nothing but good things to say about Mike.”

It would be surprising if Wright took the starting job from Rogers this season. However, as with any spring, both players will get the opportunity to show what they can do in a healthy competition.

But even if Wright comes out as the backup, his running ability could give him the opportunity to contribute in special packages. Rogers compared the situation to the Bulldogs’ rival Ole Miss, which has three players competing for its starting job in Jaxson Dart and transfers Spencer Sanders and Walker Howard.

“I think up the road Ole Miss has done a pretty good job,” he said. “Pretty good example of that. They have three guys up there that nobody knows who’s gonna play. That’s the day and era of college football. High school guys coming in ready to play right off the bat. Transfers coming in. But if you’re a competitor, it really doesn’t matter. I consider myself a football player. I feel like I can play in any system. I’m sure I’ve gotten a title, but at the end of the day, I’m a football player.”

With that kind of confidence, it’s hard to image him being unseated. Either way, Will Rogers and Mike Wright will continue to push each other before Mississippi State hosts its spring game on April 15.