Billy Puckett

Billy Puckett

No. 15 – Mississippi State Bulldogs
Position	Quarterback
Class	Freshman
Personal information
Born	(2007-02-12) February 12, 2007 (age 19)
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school	Jackson Preparatory (Flowood, Mississippi)
College	Mississippi State (2025–present)

Parker "Billy" Puckett (born February 12, 2007) is an American college football quarterback who plays for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Early life

Puckett was born on February 12, 2007, and was raised in Madison, Mississippi. As a child, Puckett's parents nicknamed him "billy goat" due to his large appetite. When Puckett played on a Little League Baseball team with three other children also named Parker, coaches and teammates began to call him "Billy" to differentiate him. Puckett briefly attended Jackson Academy before enrolling at Jackson Preparatory School, where he played football.

Puckett served as the backup quarterback for Jackson Prep in his sophomore year, during which they won the state championship. The following year, Puckett was named the starting quarterback and guided Jackson Prep to the state championship game, where they ultimately lost to Hartfield Academy. During his senior year, Puckett led Jackson Prep to its first district championship since 2017, and to a rematch with Hartfield in the state championship game, where they again lost. Puckett received scholarship offers from Millsaps College along with several junior colleges throughout high school, but instead chose to enroll at Mississippi State University and join their football team as a preferred walk-on.

College career

Puckett redshirted his first year at Mississippi State and did not appear in any games.

The next year, Puckett emerged in a competition against AJ Swann for backup quarterback. Puckett made his collegiate debut against Louisiana–Monroe in a blowout win. In week 5 against Alabama, after starting quarterback Kamario Taylor exited the game due to injury, Puckett took over as quarterback. The following game against LSU, Puckett made his first career start, going 16 for 26 with 121 passing yards and one interception. Taylor returned as starting quarterback the next week against Oklahoma, but again left early with injuries; Puckett instead played most of the game, going 17 for 24 with 158 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception. After the game, it was announced that Taylor would not play the rest of the year, renewing Puckett's quarterback competition against Swann, this time for the starting role. Swann was designated as the starter for the next game against Texas but was injured in the first half, causing Puckett to finish the game, going 3 of 10 for 22 yards.

References