Among The Country’s Best
October 12, 2022 | Football, Joel Coleman
Will Rogers continues to impress.
STARKVILLE – Mike Leach is a lot of things, but maybe above all else, he's a straight shooter. If you ask the Mississippi State head coach's opinion, you're going to get an answer, and it's going to be completely honest and unfiltered.
So, when the pirate himself was asked a few days ago about the Heisman Trophy candidacy of his quarterback, Will Rogers, Leach's words spoke volumes.
Is Rogers a candidate for the award handed out each year to the best player in all of college football?
"I don't think there's any question whatsoever," Leach said. "You know, I'm extremely curious who somebody thinks is ahead of him."
Make no mistake. Rogers heads to Kentucky this weekend in the middle of a season in which he's posting Heisman-worthy numbers.
Rogers leads the country with 2,121 passing yards. He leads the Southeastern Conference and is second in the nation in touchdown passes with 22.
The SEC's completions leader? Rogers. In fact, he's now the league's all-time leader in career completions.
Who leads the SEC in completion percentage this season? You guessed it. It's Rogers as he's connected on 71.7 percent of his passes.
Some might say, 'Yes, but Rogers is thriving because he plays in the Air Raid offense.' Well, ESPN's Jordan Rodgers – a former Vanderbilt quarterback – has an answer to anyone that thinks that way.
"It's not the system that's producing his success," Rodgers said of State's signal caller. "His success is making the system even better."
Yes, Rogers has become quite the pilot for the Air Raid. When Rodgers and the SEC Nation crew were in town last weekend, here's what they had to say about Rogers' rise to among the nation's best.
Former Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow: "I think [Rogers] probably has some of the best anticipation in the SEC and around the country. He's really gifted in that area. He throws his out cuts two feet before [his receivers] break – I mean, he throws out cuts better than anybody in the SEC. I think he does a really good job of hanging in the pocket late with guys around him. He's kind of courageous in the pocket. A lot of guys will want to get out of the pocket and move and he really sits in there until the last minute. Then he's just accurate – very accurate, especially underneath…But I just like his courage in the pocket. I like his anticipation. He's tough – mentally, physically. I really like all those things and they stand out watching his game."
Former Alabama defensive back and NFL Pro Bowler Roman Harper: "Will Rogers does a great job moving defenders with his eyes. [Mississippi State faces] a lot of zone coverages, so I love the ability [for Rogers to think], 'I know I'm going to go right down the pipe right here, so I'm going to move this defender here with my eyes to the left, knowing I'm going [the other way] the whole time.' He does an amazing job at that. That's one of his best qualities."
More from ESPN's Rodgers: "I want to go on record and say I've been on the Will Rogers train a long time. I love Will. There's a lot of ways you can measure a quarterback and I feel like, when you talk to coaches that really know the game, there's an it factor that you can't put a number on. You can't put a measurable on. I think it was the Auburn game last year when he mounted a big comeback. There's just something about the kid that when it's tough and there's pressure on, he plays at an extremely high level. So, I love that. You can call it a chip. You can call it an it factor. Whatever you call it, he's got it and he's got a lot of it. But then you just look at what he does as a quarterback. His accuracy is outstanding. His willingness to push the ball down the field and his accuracy in tight windows is outstanding."
Indeed, Rogers is excelling both on short-yardage throws as well as deep passes. Anyone who thinks he's just some dink and dunk quarterback hasn't been paying attention.
Rogers has 26 completions resulting in 20 or more yards gained. That's more than anyone else in the SEC. He's thrown seven touchdowns that went for 20 or more yards. That's tops in the conference, too. Per Pro Football Focus, Rogers boasts a 95.4 deep pass grade on a 0-100 scale.
And oh, by the way, on top of it all – Rogers is leading the Bulldogs to wins week after week. State is currently riding a three-game winning streak where the average margin of victory has been by 24 points. The Dawgs have gone from unranked to No. 16 in the country.
Rogers is thriving. Rogers is winning. As a result, Rogers has as good of a case for the Heisman as anyone, even if his personal focus is understandably elsewhere.
"It's cool, I guess, to be talked about as maybe one of the best players in the country, but I don't think about it a lot," Rogers said. "I think with team success, individual success will come. So, I'm just trying to win every week."
Sounds like a Heisman-worthy attitude as well.
