Mississippi State QB Will Rogers Ranked Among Top 100 College Football Players by ESPN

ESPN lists MSU signal-caller Will Rogers as one of the top football players in the nation heading into the 2022 season.

ESPN released its selections for the Top 100 College Football players heading into the 2022 season on Wednesday, and Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers is quite high on the list. 

Rogers is listed as the No. 27 overall college football player in the nation. It's a big jump from last season, considering that he wasn't even included in the rankings this time last year. The signal-caller's 2021 numbers were simply too impressive to overlook: Rogers had an NCAA-best completion percentage of 73.9 percent and finished with 4,739 passing yards for 36 touchdowns and just nine interceptions.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound junior out of Brandon High School is viewed as the second-best passer in the entire SEC. Alabama's 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, Bryce Young, is listed as the No. 2 college football player and is the only SEC quarterback who ranks above Rogers.

Plenty of stellar signal-callers that are expected to have breakthrough seasons fall behind Rogers on the list. Arkansas dual-threat athlete KJ Jefferson falls at No. 32, and projected first-round draft pick Will Levis of Kentucky is one spot behind at No. 33. Former walk-on Stetson Bennett of the Georgia Bulldogs comes in at 44th overall, despite being named the Offensive MVP in the CFP National Championship game last season. Even Hendon Hooker, the Tennessee star that many expect will be one of the best quarterbacks in the Power 5, ranks lower than Rogers at No. 49 overall.

Other notable SEC quarterbacks in the Top 100 include Spencer Rattler and Anthony Richardson. Rattler started last year as the nation's top college football player, but he has since then dropped to 78th overall. The transfer will be looking to lead South Carolina to an SEC East title and beyond in his first year with the program. Florida signal-caller Anthony Richardson is listed at No. 93, but his stats from the 2021 season are limited. 

Rogers can prove that he deserves his spot on the list -- or even that he should be ranked higher -- if he helps Mississippi State reach new heights in 2022. The Bulldogs are considered to have the toughest schedule in the country, but with an experienced signal-caller leading the charge, they could put together a season that shocks the world.