By Chris Marler
Can Blake Shapen be a top half of the SEC Quarterback
There are so many questions facing this Mississippi State football team heading into 2025. However, let’s start with the one position that matters more than any other in this sport: quarterback.
Michael Van Buren was much better than people seemed to want to admit last year. What he did against Georgia was nothing short of incredible as the Bulldogs put up 31 points on Kirby Smart’s defense. Only 11 teams have scored over 30 points on Georgia in the last eight years and more than half of them were either named Alabama or manned by Joe Burrow at quarterback.
However, Van Buren left for greener pastures and to be a backup in Baton Rouge. Or did he? Maybe the reason he left is because he knew that Blake Shapen is still QB1.
It’s no secret that Jeff Lebby is an offensive minded coach. It’s also no secret that he has been a bit of a quarterback whisperer at several stops in his career. One could make the case that he’s done the same with Blake Shapen.
Granted, the sample size is small considering he only played in four games last year, before getting hurt. However, in those four games he was one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, statistically speaking. Shapen finished the year with ten touchdowns and one interception while racking up over 250 yards of offense per game for the Bulldogs.
What’s more impressive is where some of Shapen’s numbers stacked up against other quarterbacks in the league. His 68.5% completion percentage and his 166.87 passer rating would have both ranked second in the SEC last season. These numbers didn’t translate to wins, but those should come in year two, regardless.
Mississippi State was the worst team in the league last year. They also had more turnover than any team in the SEC with 26 players lost to the transfer portal and 24 new faces added from it. What that says more than anything isn’t negative, it’s positive. The basement for this program was last year with two wins. Now, it’s time to see what the ceiling can be and it starts with two things, Blake Shapen and stability.
