It was already a big transition coming for the Mississippi State Bulldogs after Zach Arnett was fired before the end of his first season. But now the new head coach will have to replace one of the most prolific passers in recent memory, Will Rogers.
Following the Egg Bowl loss to rival Ole Miss, news broke on Black Friday that Rogers plans to enter the transfer portal, per Matt Zenitz of 247Sports.
Over three seasons in Starkville, the former 3-star recruit from the 2020 recruiting cycle put up ridiculous numbers, playing in 43 games and accruing 12,315 yards with 94 touchdowns and only 28 interceptions while completing 69.3 percent of his throws. Yes, he benefitted from the Mike Leach offense prior to the 2023 season, but his prowess and experience can't be denied.
Now in the transfer portal, where could Will Rogers be suiting up in the 2024 season? Let's take a look at four sensible transfer destinations for the quarterback where he could come in and provide a necessary lift.
Will Rogers transfer rumors: 4 destinations for QB in 2024
4. Florida State could be a wild card for Will Rogers in transfer portal
Jordan Travis will go down among the long list of great Florida State quarterbacks. Unfortunately, his college career ended prematurely in Week 12 of the 2023 season when he suffered a devastating leg injury. That ended his year and likely set a sour tone for him to make his foray into the NFL Draft cycle. It also leaves future questions for Mike Norvell and the Seminoles.
We've yet to see Tate Rodemaker as the starter against Power 5 competition this season as he'll start FSU's regular-season finale against rival Florida. However, with the jury still out on the junior, there's at least a chance that Norvell could be looking toward another option under center for next year.
To be clear, the cupboard isn't bare for Florida State. The Noles have a 4-star freshman in AJ Duffy currently on the roster and another 4/5-star signal-caller on the way in their 2024 recruiting class with Luke Kromenhoek committed. But would Norvell trust those young arms at the helm of his offense as he tries to keep the Seminoles cooking, or would he prefer a highly experienced option like Will Rogers to come in and keep this thing moving forward while Duffy and Kromenhoek develop further?
It's hard to get inside Norvell's head, but it's a worthwhile question to ask. That's amplified tenfold if Rodemaker doesn't deliver in the regular-season showdown with the Gators and in the ACC Championship Game. As of now, though, Florida State needs to be considered as a possibility.
3. Washington State is a great transfer home for Will Rogers
Going back to when Will Rogers was a 3-star recruit out of Brandon, MS, the quarterback only had four offers according to 247Sports. One of the biggest outliers given the region he played his high school ball in was the Washington State Cougars.
To be sure, that was what feels like an eternity ago for Wazzu. Mike Leach was at the helm of the Cougars program when Rogers was initially recruited, which makes sense as to how the QB ended up in Starkville as Leach was hired away following the 2019 season. Having said that, it does give the current group in Pullman, currently headed by Jake Dickert (though he may be leaving himself based on some ongoing rumors), some connection to Rogers.
And it's a connection that Washington State might need to continue its relative success over the past few seasons.
Cam Ward, who came to Pullman by way of Incarnate Word, has been a dynamic playmaker for the Cougars when healthy. But Ward and his family recently made an announcement that the quarterback finished his undergraduate degree, setting up the possibility for him to transfer as a graduate student and be able to play for another team right away in the 2024 season.
That leaves Washington State without a surefire starting quarterback for the 2023 season, especially with what we've seen when Ward has been banged up at times. The Cougars aren't fully in the Leach-style Air Raid, but they still run a semblance of that. Thus, Rogers would be a natural fit given his time and success at Mississippi State, whether Dickert remains in Pullman or not.
2. Could Michigan replace J.J. McCarthy with Will Rogers?
Want to talk about a program that could really be searching for answers come the 2024 season, there's no bigger candidate (and no one more wide-ranging in that capacity) than the Michigan Wolverines.
The ramifications of the jaw-dropping sign-stealing scandal could be wide-ranging. Head coach Jim Harbaugh could be suspended for the entire 2024 season, and could potentially avoid that suspension entirely by heading for the NFL. On top of that, though, the Wolverines are almost surely going to lose former 5-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy and veteran backup Jack Tuttle.
No matter what happens among the coaching staff, McCarthy's departure would leave a massive hole on the Michigan roster. There are four former 3-star recruits currently on the roster, though there is a 4-star committed to come to Ann Arbor in the 2024 class in Jadyn Davis. Having said that, none of those seem like immediate options to step in right away to replace McCarthy if he departs.
While Michigan may not have been in on Will Rogers in his initial recruitment, desperate times call for quick pivots and heavy transfer portal pushes. The Wolverines could be making a portal blitz this offseason depending on how the chips fall and, while they likely view Davis as the QB of the future for this program, Rogers could be a perfect stopgap option to come in and keep things quite positive in terms of the wins the Wolverines have been consistently racking up in recent years.
1. Kentucky is the obvious transfer portal destination for Will Rogers
The hope for the Kentucky Wildcats this season was that former NC State quarterback Devin Leary would arrive in Lexington and, when paired with offensive coordinator Liam Coen, would get back to his 2021 form when he was healthy and absolutely dealing for the Wolfpack.
Unfortunately for Kentucky fans, we haven't seen that. Leary has looked like the shell of the player he once was, clearly still feeling lingering effects from the injury that sidelined him for a good chunk of the 2022 season in Raleigh. Likely to depart after this season, the Wildcats could be looking for another signal-caller to step into the fray.
That's why it's not the least bit surprising that the Wildcats have already been connected to Rogers with Kentucky Sports Radio's Matt Jones reporting that people in Starkville believe that the quarterback is heading to Kentucky.
We've seen Coen have tremendous success with a variety of quarterbacks throughout his coaching career and Rogers could undoubtedly be the next in line. We've seen his ability in an Air Raid system and, behind an almost-always well-coached and formidable offensive line and hopefully some improved skill position talent, he could continue his track record of success in the SEC.
Though this news is fresh and a lot is still to be decided -- most notably the possibility of Leary applying for a waiver for one more year of eligibility with the Wildcats -- Kentucky should be considered the frontrunner to land Rogers in the transfer portal as of right now.