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Will Mississippi State Football Fans Give Elijah Staley a Chance?

By Justin Strawn

Sep 19, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Elijah Staley (2) is pressured by Northwestern State Demons safety Darius Poullard (26) during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State won 62-13. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 19, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Elijah Staley (2) is pressured by Northwestern State Demons safety Darius Poullard (26) during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium. Mississippi State won 62-13. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the quarterback position up for grabs for the Mississippi State football team, fans will choose favorites, but will they give Elijah Staley a chance based on his personality?

Spring practice starts today for the Mississippi State football team. The position we are all going to be watching very closely will be who emerges at quarterback for the Bulldogs. I said in my preview yesterday the position is wide open despite the fact that most fans have ordained Nick Fitzgerald as the heir apparent to Dak Prescott.

More bulldogs: Mississippi State Spring Practice Overview: Offensive Linemen

Make no mistake about it, this will be a battle for the position. I’m also not convinced Dan Mullen will take a one quarterback approach for the Mississippi State football team in 2016. If Mullen thinks two, or three, or perhaps all four players at the position give the Bulldogs a chance to win, he’ll play them.

But as the season gets closer and if no one emerges as the obvious choice for the position, fans will start to pick the guy they think is the best for the job. It’s just human nature.

So when the Mississippi State football fans start trying to make the case for their guy, will they give Elijah Staley a chance?

Mississippi State football fans fell in love with Dak Prescott. His play on the field was the obvious reason, but Bulldog fans had other reasons they loved Prescott. One of those was the way he conducted himself both on and off the field.

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Dak Prescott was always composed and stoic on the field. Whenever he spoke with the media, he made sure to deflect any praise to the team as a whole. Fans loved it because they thought Prescott was not only a model player but also a model citizen.

Elijah Staley likes to have fun. He dances on the sideline, and jokes around a lot when dealing with his teammates or on Twitter. He is often seen wearing headphones and he won’t hesitate to voice his opinion, no matter how unpopular, on various social media platforms.

I think it is fair to say there will be people who use these things as a way to say they would prefer Fitzgerald or Williams to be the starter. I’m afraid Staley will get similar reactions that Cam Newton received for displaying his personality. As much as people tried to make the issues people had with Cam Newton about race, it had more to do with personality and culture.

Elijah Staley has the talent to be the full time starter at quarterback for the Mississippi State football team. But so do the other three quarterbacks on the team. When fans start throwing their support behind one player, I’m afraid most won’t gravitate towards Staley due to things that have nothing to do with football. Elijah Staley might not be like Dak off the field, but that might cause him to not be the fans’ choice for quarterback in 2016.

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