‘The ceiling is very high’: Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen talks move to Starkville, season expectations

For the past several months since committing to Mississippi State out of the transfer portal, senior quarterback Blake Shapen has been adjusting to his new life in Starkville.

Off the field he is a frequent visitor of the local golf courses, and has found food staples in Two Brothers Smoked Meats and Little Dooey. On the field, he worked through the growing pains of a new team, staff and playbook during the Bulldogs’ spring camp.

“It’s been great,” Shapen exclusively told GenesPage.com during Friday’s session at the Manning Passing Academy hosted at Nicholls State. “Definitely a tough transition with meeting new coaches and new people. Coach (Jeff)  Lebby is awesome. The offense is awesome and. Starkville is a great people with a lot of great people. It’s been great.”

Shapen’s commitment out of the portal to Mississippi State largely came as a surprise when he announced his decision on Dec. 8. However, the move had been in the works beginning the week prior when Lebby gave Shapen a call in hopes of the Baylor transfer being the face of his first offense in the Southeastern Conference.

“I played against Coach Lebby when he was at Oklahoma and I knew that offense would be fun to play in and a great opportunity for me to be a part of it,” Shapen said. “I knew if he called me that would be the top school on my list, wherever he went. It is a dream of mine to play in the SEC, so I am able to fulfill that dream and play for one of the best offensive minds in college football.”

Shapen arrived to Starkville after a strong four-year career at Baylor, which included winning a Big 12 Championship in his redshirt freshman year. During that stretch, while battling two injury-shortened seasons, Shapen threw for 5,574 yards and 36 touchdowns in a more pro-style system under head coach Dave Aranda.

Under Lebby’s veer-and-shoot offense, Shapen said he is being asked to a lot more things than what he was used to, but used Mississippi State’s spring camp to develop and learn the ins-and-outs of his new playbook.

It culminated in a strong showing in the Bulldogs’ annual Maroon and White game, where Shapen, in his first showing at Davis Wade Stadium, threw for over 300 yards in just one half of football.

“Justbe able to show me throwing the ball downfield, getting the ball out quick and all the things the offense is asking me to do,” Shapen said of his spring game performance. “I was able to show that and hopefully I can do it again in the fall.”

It helps to have a talented group of receivers to throw the ball to, and Shapen was complimentary of the number of capable targets Mississippi State will have at its disposal when the 2024-25 season opens at Davis Wade Stadium against Eastern Kentucky on Aug. 31.

“We have brought in a few veteran guys that have played a lot of college football,” Shapen said. “That is big. Playing in the SEC you need guys who have done it for a long time, but we also have younger guys like Mario Craver and Stonka (Braylon) Burnside that were able to come in early, make an impact and name for themselves. I think that room is awesome, they will be great and can’t wait.”

Despite the excitement, Shapen knows that belief in this Mississippi State team in the college football world isn’t very high. However, that hasn’t changed his or the Bulldogs’ goals for what they can be able to accomplish this season.

“The ceiling is very high,” Shapen said of Mississippi State’s offense. “It’s going to be his (Lebby’s) first year and this is a new team, but the ceiling is high. We have high expectations for us. There are a lot of people  doubting us, but I am excited for the year because we have high expectations.”