Will Rogers traded football workouts for homemade signs and boxes of Girl Scout cookies on Saturday as he and a number of his new University of Washington teammates made a public appearance together.
As the former Mississippi State quarterback stood under a portable green canopy with Husky cornerback Thaddeus Dixon in the University Village, wearing a black hoodie with a bold purple W stitched in the center of his chest, Rogers was comfortable while acclimating to his new Northwest surroundings.
Rogers, the all-time record holder for completions by an SEC quarterback (1,301), announced a December commitment to play for the UW, only he was dealing with former coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. After those two took jobs at Alabama and eventually with the Seattle Seahawks, the new quarterback had to readdress his decision.
"Obviously when coach DeBoer left and coach Grubb left, I really didn't know what to expect and what my next step was going to be," Rogers said.
On Jan. 16, he attended the first team meeting with UW coach Jedd Fisch. The two had a one-on-one discussion and Rogers' next move became more clear. The coach said he would treat him as if he were an NFL quarterback and that was enough for him to stay.
"I was at the meeting and then [after] getting a chance to sit down with coach Fisch and seeing what he had to offer from an offensive standpoint, I'm really excited about what coach Fisch has to offer and I think you can see the guys on the team really buying into that," he said.
Rogers entered his name in the transfer portal In late November following the firing of MSU coach Zach Arnett after the program finished 5-7 in 2023. With the coaching change at UW and the ability to transfer again, Rogers re-entered the portal on Jan. 14, prior to Fisch being tabbed to lead the football program two days later.
In 40 career starts for the Bulldogs under former coach Mike Leach — who died on Dec. 12, 2022 — and Arnett, Rogers went 23-17 while accumulating 30 school passing records.
Rogers is one of three new quarterbacks to the UW football roster, along with a pair of true freshmen, Demond Williams Jr. and Dermaricus Davis.
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