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Mississippi State Football Spring Overview: Quarterbacks

By Justin Strawn

Oct 10, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald (7) makes a pass during the second quarter of the game against the Troy Trojans at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State won 45-17. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald (7) makes a pass during the second quarter of the game against the Troy Trojans at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State won 45-17. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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Taking a look at each position group as the Mississippi State Football team gets ready for Spring Practice in 2016.

Dak Prescott is gone. As we get closer and closer to the 2016 season, it becomes a little more real each day Dak Prescott will never play another game for the Mississippi State football team.

Players leaving from the 2015 Mississippi State Football team

  • Dak Prescott

2016 Recruiting Class Early Enrollees

  • None

2016 Returning Players and 2016 Classification

  • Damian Williams – Junior
  • Elijah Staley – Sophomore
  • Nick Fitzgerald – Sophomore
  • Nick Tiano – Redshirt Freshman

2016 Recruiting Class Players on the way

  • None

Most Mississippi State football fans have already declared Nick Fitzgerald as the full time starter to replace Dak Prescott. I hate to break it to people who think that, but that isn’t anywhere close to the truth.

If you think I’m nuts, there are two things that have to be explained away as inconsequential, and you will have a hard time doing so. The first is the fact Damian Williams decided to redshirt in 2015 based on the input he received from Dan Mullen. From what I have read, it was Mullen who approached Williams about redshirting. If Mullen didn’t believe Williams had a good shot at receiving significant playing time during his last two seasons of eligibility, Mullen wouldn’t have encouraged Williams to redshirt, and Williams likely would have sought out a transfer.

The second has to do with Elijah Staley. Rarely has a coach gushed about a player he signed as much as Mullen gushed about Staley in the 2014 National Signing Day press conference. Mullen loves the game Staley brings to the table. Also, Staley gave up basketball this year. He wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t believe he had a great chance at being the starter in 2016. Remember, Staley was a 3 star quarterback prospect. He was considered to be a solid player, but not great by most scouts. Staley ended up getting kicked off his high school team, and a lot of coaches would have said a 3 star prospect wouldn’t be worth the potential headaches at that point. Mullen still wanted him

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While Fitzgerald had many things going in his favor, he is not the heir apparent. Fitzgerald might ultimately be the best player for the job, but nothing surrounding the quarterback position for the Mississippi State football team is settled.

And don’t expect it to be settled before the first game against South Alabama. Most teams who have an obvious replacement for a departed starter won’t name the replacement until the week of the first game. I expect the same thing for the Mississippi State football team in 2016.

So what to expect from this group in Spring Practice? Ideally, one of the quarterbacks would take complete control and leave all of the others in the dust. The one interesting thing to keep an eye on will be redshirt freshman Nick Tiano. There are some who believe he might be able to outperform any of the guys who have been on campus long before him.

The quarterback situation for the Mississippi State football team will be one of the most intriguing of the spring. How it unfolds is anyone’s guess.

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