Former Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers joined Oklahoma State's football staff in an off-field capacity this week, bringing 23,739 career passing yards and three years of SEC starting experience to Stillwater. Rogers, who threw for 93 touchdowns across four seasons in Starkville, becomes the latest former Power Five quarterback to transition directly from the field into coaching before his mid-twenties.
The hire fills an analyst slot on Mike Gundy's staff following spring reorganization. Rogers entered the transfer portal in December 2023 after the Bulldogs finished 5-7, then spent spring ball at Washington before stepping away from playing. He joins a Cowboys program that ranked 87th nationally in total offense last season and returns quarterback Alan Bowman, who completed 62.4% of his attempts for 3,460 yards. Rogers will work in an off-field development role, NCAA rules prevent direct on-field coaching until he completes requisite separation time from active eligibility.
The speed matters for two reasons. First, Oklahoma State's quarterback room now includes someone who ran Mike Leach's Air Raid system for three seasons and threw 156 passes in a single game against LSU in 2022. That institutional knowledge translates directly to Gundy's own pass-heavy schemes, particularly as the Cowboys rebuild offensive identity after losing coordinator Kasey Dunn to South Florida. Second, Rogers represents the new pipeline: quarterbacks whobank NIL money, preserve eligibility options, and slide into quality-control roles while weighing graduate transfer years or early coaching careers. He played his final snaps nine weeks ago; he's studying film breakdowns in Stillwater now.
Oklahoma State operates the move as a recruiting tell. Rogers has direct relationships with '24 and '25 quarterback prospects across the Southeast who watched him dissect SEC secondaries. His presence signals the Cowboys intend to stay aggressive in the portal for signal-callers, even with Bowman and Garret Rangel on roster. It also creates optionality: if Rogers proves effective in meetings and shows aptitude for script-building, Gundy's staff could fast-track him into an on-field analyst role when NCAA timelines clear, likely by summer 2025. The path from active player to position coach now runs 18-24 months instead of five years.
Watch Oklahoma State's May OTA schedule for Rogers' visible involvement in quarterback individual periods. Offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn's replacement announcement, expected by late January, will clarify whether the new coordinator values Rogers' Air Raid background or prefers different offensive DNA. Mississippi State's quarterback room cleared behind freshman Michael Van Buren; Rogers' recruiting network there is worth monitoring if Gundy pursues transfers from the portal's second wave in April.
The Cowboys open fall camp in 212 days with an offensive staff still forming around a head coach in year twenty-one. Rogers walked off a college field in November; he'll walk into spring practice meetings wearing a headset.