Wagon’s hitched, Lebby needs Shapen to stay healthy

• Former Mississippi State quarterback Matt Wyatt says Blake Shapen can lead the Bulldogs to a far better 2025 campaign if he can stay healthy.

It’s quite possible Blake Shapen has doubts right now, but they’re not about his ability, an old Mississippi State quarterback says.

Shapen also isn’t questioning the confidence Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby has in him as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback.

But whether he can play a full season with the strength and physical conditioning he brings to the table right now, well, that could be a lingering concern for Shapen.

A year ago Lebby hitched has wagon to Shapen, the Baylor transfer, as the two of them sought to revive an MSU program that faltered quickly after the untimely passing of former coach Mike Leach following the 2022 season.

Shapen, a Shreveport, Louisiana native, quarterbacked the Bears to a win in the Big 12 championship game as a freshman in 2021. He was a 13-game starter in 2022. Though the team finished 6-7 that year, one of the wins was a 38-35 upset over Oklahoma.

As Lebby’s debut season at Mississippi State came into view, it was a Big 12 bromance. He saw potential in Shapen, lured him to Starkville and trusted him for such a time as this.

Now it’s “such a time as this” all over again.

The fortunes of Lebby and Shapen are again tied to one another, though this time the stakes are higher.

Lebby’s Bulldogs were just 2-10 last year.

It’s highly unlikely he faces significant job pressure this year, even if the Bulldogs’ higher expectations aren’t met.

Joe Moorhead, Dan Mullen’s successor, was fired after two seasons. Leach was an outlier, but his successor, Zach Arnett didn’t last a full season. If Lebby were to be let go in 2025 that would create an unhealthy pattern for a school that already doesn’t have the NIL resources of its upper-echelon SEC brethren.

Plus, MSU athletics director Zac Selmon hired Lebby. He had not hired Arnett.

Lebby, after a disappointing Year 1, remains on solid ground.

But if he and, by extension Shapen, don’t show notable improvement the same won’t be true for Lebby in 2026. A lot of good will would be squandered.

Offseason Confidence in Shapen

“He’s the healthiest and the biggest and the strongest he’s ever been in his career. Being at 210 pounds, that was key for us and key for him,” Lebby told reporters in the spring.

Shapen also brings the maturity that comes with age and experience, something missing with other quarterbacks on State’s roster right now.

“Everybody inside our program has great respect for Blake because of how he plays the game. The guy will go die for you and he’ll inspire every day. He spends more time in this building than anybody inside this program,” Lebby said.

Shapen has come full circle from the 2024 season.

He demonstrated command of Lebby’s up-tempo spread offense through three games with eight touchdowns, one interception and almost a thousand passing yards.

But he went down with a shoulder injury in the Bulldogs’ 45-28 home loss against Florida in Week 4. Surgery was required, and freshman Michael Van Buren was thrust into the spotlight.

Van Buren didn’t win, but often played well with the same weak defensive support that Shapen had endured.

Van Buren Transfer Puts Keys Firmly in Shapen’s Hand

Van Buren developed a following and at least put himself in position for a spirited spring quarterback competition – until Dec. 15 when he announced his decision to transfer to LSU.

The departure of Michael Van Buren likely means nothing to Blake Shapen, former MSU quarterback Matt Wyatt, told Magnolia Tribune.

“You’ve got to understand how different this era is. Does the transfer stuff really even affect those guys like it would have 20 years ago. I would wager that today’s player is sort of unaffected by who transfers in and who transfers out when you know you’re in the driver’s seat.”

The confidence in staying healthy could be a different mental hurdle, Wyatt said.

Shapen dealt with injuries multiple times at Baylor before ever reaching Mississippi State.

He missed three games with an MCL sprain in 2023, returned to action, then was injured again later in the season.

Then he had the season-ender at State.

“The thing I wonder about is the injury status. It’s been a constant nagging thing,” Wyatt said.

If Shapen, now listed at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, can stay on the field, there’s a lot to like about his potential.

“My eyes tell me that he’s really good. The kid can really throw the football,” Wyatt said. “There’s a reason Lebby wanted him to come back and play for him. He’s a really good football player.”

“Man, Get Down!”

At the end of the day, Shapen can have a big say in his health. The key to staying on his feet may be knowing when to get off of them, Wyatt said.

“How do you turn off your tendency to tuck it and run? He’s a good athlete. I’d watch him last year, and I’d go, “man, get down.” You want the extra yards, but you don’t want to get hurt. The only way you do us any good is if you’re playing.”