Michael Wright Jr. (born September 28, 2001) is an American football quarterback for the Northwestern Wildcats. Wright previously played for the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
| Northwestern Wildcats – No. 5 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class | Graduate Student |
| Major | Psychology |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 28, 2001 Fayetteville, Georgia, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Woodward Academy (College Park, Georgia) |
High school career
editWright attended Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia. As a senior, Wright recorded 2,653 passing yards, 716 rushing yards, and fifty total touchdowns.[1] As a result, he was named region 4-AAAA player of the year.[2] A three-star recruit, Wright originally committed to UCF before flipping his commitment to play college football at Vanderbilt University.[3]
College career
editVanderbilt
editWright played sparingly as a freshman in 2020, before being named Vanderbilt's backup, behind Ken Seals, entering the 2021 season.[4][5] After an injury to Seals, Wright made his first career start against South Carolina, throwing for 206 yards and a touchdown in a 21–20 defeat.[6][7] He finished the season passing for 1,042 yards, eight touchdowns, and six interceptions, while also rushing for 373 yards and a touchdown.[8] Entering the 2022 season, Wright was named the week one starter.[9] In the first game of the season against Hawaii, he contributed four total touchdowns, while passing for 146 yards and adding another 163 yards rushing, in a 63–10 victory.[10] The following week against Elon, Wright set a school record for total touchdowns in a game with six total, four passing and two rushing.[11] However, after a poor showing by Wright against Wake Forest, he would be benched in favor of freshman AJ Swann.[12] Against Kentucky, he threw for 184 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 126 yards and a touchdown, leading Vanderbilt to a 24–21 win and being named SEC Offensive Player of the Week.[13] Wright continued to split time with Swann throughout the season, before announcing at the seasons end that he would enter the transfer portal.[14][15]
Mississippi State
editOn January 22, 2023, Wright announced that he would be transferring to Mississippi State University to play for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.[16][17][18] Entering the season, Wright was named the backup to Will Rogers. Wright would receive his first amount of significant playing time with Mississippi State after an injury to Rogers against Western Michigan. He threw for 57 yards and ran for 24 yards and a touchdown in the 41–28 win.[19] Following a bye week, Wright made his first start with Mississippi State, combining for 145 yards and a touchdown in a 7–3 triumph over Arkansas.[20][21] He finished the season throwing for 453 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 324 yards and three touchdowns, before entering the transfer portal for a second time.[22]
Northwestern
editOn May 9, 2024, Wright announced that he would be transferring to Northwestern University to play for the Northwestern Wildcats.[23]
Statistics
edit| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | Avg | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | ||
| Vanderbilt Commodores | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | 0−0 | 6 | 10 | 60.0 | 51 | 5.1 | 1 | 1 | 115.8 | 14 | 15 | 1.1 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 10 | 5 | 0−5 | 93 | 175 | 53.1 | 1,042 | 6.0 | 8 | 6 | 111.4 | 91 | 373 | 4.1 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 10 | 6 | 4−2 | 85 | 148 | 57.4 | 974 | 6.6 | 12 | 4 | 134.1 | 71 | 571 | 7.3 | 5 | |
| Mississippi State Bulldogs | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 12 | 3 | 1−2 | 48 | 85 | 56.5 | 453 | 5.3 | 3 | 3 | 105.8 | 71 | 324 | 4.6 | 3 | |
| Northwestern Wildcats | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 3 | 2 | 1−1 | 38 | 66 | 57.6 | 354 | 5.4 | 0 | 1 | 99.6 | 18 | 84 | 4.7 | 1 | |
| Career | 41 | 16 | 6−10 | 270 | 484 | 55.8 | 2,874 | 5.9 | 24 | 15 | 115.8 | 265 | 1,313 | 5.0 | 11 | |
References
edit- ^ Paschall, David (August 5, 2022). "QB Mike Wright looking to be right man for Vandy's ascension". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Holcomb, Todd (December 6, 2019). "All-region teams: Woodward's Wright named 4-AAAA player of the year". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Atlanta athletes put pen to paper on National Signing Day". FOX 5 Atlanta. December 18, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Seals named Vandy starting QB; Wright to play". ESPN.com. Associated Press. August 31, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Gerson, Aria. "Vanderbilt football names Ken Seals starting quarterback for opener vs. ETSU". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Gray, Nick. "Vanderbilt football QB Mike Wright will make first career start vs. South Carolina". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "How Vanderbilt football's Mike Wright preformed against South Carolina". www.tennessean.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Rexrode, Joe. "Vanderbilt's Mike Wright needs a word limit, but 'the belief he brings' is limitless". The Athletic. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Gerson, Aria. "Clark Lea's quarterback decision makes Mike Wright the face of Vanderbilt football". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Vanderbilt, led by QB Mike Wright, obliterates Hawaii 63-10". Saturday Down South. August 28, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Walker, Teresa (September 4, 2022). "Wright scores school record 6 TDs as Vandy beats Elon 42-31". Wsmv.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Gerson, Aria. "Vanderbilt football quarterback AJ Swann leads TD drive after Mike Wright benched vs. Wake Forest". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Vanderbilt Quarterback Mike Wright Named SEC Offensive Player of the Week". Williamson Source. November 15, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Wright's legacy? Leading Vanderbilt football through some of its darkest days | Estes". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Gallagher, Michael (December 5, 2022). "Vandy loses QB Wright, RB Davis, others to transfer portal". Nashville Post. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ DeRosa, Theo (January 22, 2023). "Mississippi State football lands Vanderbilt transfer quarterback Mike Wright". The Dispatch. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Gallagher, Michael (January 24, 2023). "Former Vandy QB Wright announces transfer destination". Nashville Post. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Mississippi State football lands transfers in Vandy QB Mike Wright, Freddie Roberson". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ "Mike Wright shines, Will Rogers injured in Mississippi State football win vs Western Michigan". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Low, Chris (October 21, 2023). "With Rogers out, Wright helps MSU to 7-3 win". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Krajisnik, Stefan (October 22, 2023). "Can Mississippi State football keep winning with QB Mike Wright? Yes, if its more aggressive". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Leuzzi, John. "Mississippi State QB Mike Wright enters transfer portal after one year with Bulldogs". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ Thamel, Pete (May 9, 2024). "Veteran QB Wright commits to Northwestern". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 13, 2024.