Blake Shapen injures his shoulder and is out for a year for Mississippi State

Mississippi State starting quarterback Blake Shapen will miss the rest of the season after suffering a shoulder injury in Saturday's 45-28 loss to Florida.

Shapen, a senior who transferred from Baylor, left the game in the fourth quarter after a play in which he lost yards near the Florida goal line and caused a fumble.

He had 140 passing yards and one touchdown and will finish the season with 974 passing yards, eight touchdowns and one interception, completing 68.5% of his attempts.

“We are all heartbroken following this unfortunate news involving Blake,” Mississippi State's new coach Jeff Lebby said in a statement. “Blake is the ultimate competitor and teammate and an undisputed leader in our program. I know he will work incredibly hard to come back stronger than ever and he will continue to serve as a team leader from the sidelines. We will support Blake through every step of his recovery process and explore all options to help him apply for a medical exemption to regain his lost year of eligibility.”

Freshman Michael Van Buren Jr. replaced Shapen against the Gators and completed 7 of 13 passes for over 100 yards.

Shapen has been a starter for Baylor for the past three seasons, recording 2,709 passing yards and 18 touchdowns in 2022. He transferred to Mississippi State in December.