Blake Shapen, a seasoned sixth-year senior, has played substantial college football, yet he recognizes that he hasn’t demonstrated his full potential. During a recent SEC Media Days event in Atlanta, the Mississippi State QB expressed his primary goal: staying healthy.

“For me, just staying healthy. That’s the first thing that comes to mind. I want to be able to play a full season of college football. I haven’t been able to do that since like 2022, so that’s the biggest goal for me.”
(Translation: Para mí, lo primero que me viene a la mente es mantenerme saludable. Quiero poder jugar una temporada completa de fútbol universitario. No he podido hacer eso desde 2022, así que ese es mi mayor objetivo.)

After transferring from Baylor, where he had a 10-13 record as a starter and led the Bears to a Big 12 Championship in 2021, Shapen arrived at Mississippi State with high hopes for the 2024 season. Sadly, a shoulder injury sidelined him, rendering the Bulldogs’ performance dismal, culminating in a 2-10 record.

Healthy and entering his second season, Shapen is now poised to showcase his skills. Jeff Lebby noted a trend among quarterbacks flourishing in their second year within his system, hinting at a promising leap ahead.

“Regardless of where I’ve been, you look at the quarterback in Year 2 of this system and it’s been a huge jump.”
(Translation: Independientemente de dónde haya estado, miras al mariscal de campo en el segundo año de este sistema y ha sido un gran salto.)

Shapen’s completed 68.5% of his passes last season and has taken on a mentorship role with younger quarterbacks. His firm intent is to enhance the Bulldogs’ offensive game next season, particularly focusing on running plays to strengthen their overall offensive strategy.

With the team facing challenging odds, both Shapen and Lebby remain focused, disregarding any negative projections as they prepare for the upcoming season.

“For me personally it’s going to be exciting to get back on the field… The biggest focus is just going 1-0. We’ve got a lot of talented players, so we got to be ready to go Week 1.”
(Translation: Para mí personalmente, va a ser emocionante volver al campo… El mayor enfoque es simplemente ir 1-0. Tenemos muchos jugadores talentosos, así que debemos estar listos para la Semana 1.)