Mike Leach Weighs In on Mississippi State QBs So Far Through Spring Practice
It's no secret Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach keeps his quarterback room competitive -- it's one of the many factors that have played into his historically outstanding development of the position over the years.
While all signs point to the starting gig being junior signal-caller Will Rogers' to lose after the step he took last season, he'll have to earn it, as all of Leach's quarterbacks have had to do year in and year out.
Early on through spring football, Rogers and freshman Sawyer Robertson unsurprisingly have the edge, though freshman Daniel Greek appears improved -- he's had some mobility on display and the game overall seems to be slowing down for him.
While QB3 seems most realistic for Greek, depth at all positions and continuous progress are always positive things.
"I think he's improved," Leach said Saturday. "I thought it was good work for him [on Saturday]. It was good to check out what he could do. I think that Will [Rogers] and Sawyer [Robertson] still have the upper hand though."
After spending his true freshman season on the sidelines in 2021, Robertson has shown a good foundation to build upon.
"He's steadily improved. He can help himself out with his feet a little bit," Leach said. "He's got a strong arm when he makes a decision. He puts it on a guy quick. That's when he's at his best. The biggest thing is he needs the reps so he's decisive on everything really."
Robertson, who played out his high school career in the Air Raid, should be expected to transition nicely when called upon. For now, this appears to be Rogers' show, and based on what Leach has said, he seems to be growing in terms of handling pre-snap responsibilities.
"I think he's more consistent. I think he can kind of aggressively check more of the package on his own," Leach said. "The other thing is – he's been good at this but even better now perhaps – he brings energy to the offensive unit."
Through the skel and team periods during Saturday's practice, Rogers was 23-of-33 passing with three touchdowns, while we also saw a good glimpse into Greek, who completed 17-of-30 passes with one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdowns and three interceptions. Rogers posted an average release time of 1.85 seconds, while Greek's stood at 3.01 seconds.
It will be interesting to see how the depth chart continues to shake out at quarterback ahead of the season, but if there's one thing that is for certain, it's that no one in the room will ever get too comfortable.
