Former Mississippi State QB Rogers transferring to Washington

Former Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers committed to Washington on Friday, he told ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Rogers, 22, announced that he was leaving the Bulldogs as a graduate transfer last month after four seasons.

The Mississippi native leaves the SEC ranked second in conference history in career passing yards (12,315). Rogers started 38 career games at Mississippi State.

Rogers highlighted head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb as key reasons for his decision to commit to the Huskies.

"Obviously, how coach Grubb runs his offense, it's one of the tops in the country with how they score points and how quarterback-friendly the system is," Rogers said. "People started to catch on to them in 2022; that's when the whole nation took notice. Things didn't go as planned this year (for me), and I entered the portal. I had hoped that they would reach out."

He'll be in contention to replace a Heisman Trophy finalist. Michael Penix Jr. is set to leave Washington following this season after exhausting his eligibility. He led the country with 4,218 yards in 2023, plus 33 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a 65.9% completion rate.

The Huskies are also set to lose Dylan Morris to the transfer portal. He backed up Penix for the past two seasons after previously serving as the starter during both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He intends to remain with the team through the College Football Playoff.

Washington is preparing to play Texas in a CFP semifinal matchup at the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.