Dak Prescott and three others who make up the Mississippi State quarterback Mount Rushmore
As we move along through the college football offseason, we're looking back on some of the greatest players to ever suit up for Mississippi State football with a series of "Mount Rushmores".
First, we're looking at the Mount Rushmore of Mississippi State quarterbacks. I think we all know the first name on that list, but who makes up the other spots?
Dak Prescott (2011-2015)
There is no more obvious answer for this than Dak Prescott. His name belongs at the top of any "greatest of all time" list for Mississippi State football. No player in Bulldog history has matched Prescott both in terms of ability and impact on the program.
His heroics in the 2013 Egg Bowl cemented him as a MSU legend, and that catapulted him into a run that would outshine all other Bulldogs. In 2014, Dak led State to its first ever #1 ranking, just the third 10-win season in program history, and an Orange Bowl appearance. He followed that up by largely carrying the Bulldogs to nine wins as a senior in 2015 to cap off one of the best two-year stretches MSU has ever seen.
When Prescott finished his MSU career, he owned nearly every record imaginable for a QB. With 11,897 yards to total offense and 114 touchdowns scored, he's the only Bulldog QB to ever truly terrorize defenses with both his arm and his legs. He was a two-time 1st Team All-SEC QB.
Dak put the spotlight on Mississippi State, and he's continued that as the QB of America's Team. He almost deserves his own Mount Rushmore just to make things fair for everyone else.
Nick Fitzgerald (2014-2018)
It's impossible to follow up someone as legendary as Dak Prescott, but Nick Fitzgerald did a pretty dang good job. A triple option QB in high school, Fitz's legs were by far his biggest strength, and he would become the greatest rushing QB in MSU history.
In his first year as a starter in 2016, Fitz ran for 1,385 yards and 16 TDs, both the second most in a single season by a Bulldog. He set a school record with 258 rushing yards in the 2016 Egg Bowl and finished his career with a record 46 rush TDs.
Speaking of records, Fitz has the most career rushing yards by a QB in SEC history with 3,607. State went to three-straight bowl games behind Fitzgerald, with a nine-win season in 2017. He's one of the toughest players in Bulldog history, and it doesn't hurt that he was dominant against Ole Miss throughout his career.
John Bond (1980-1984)
Speaking of running QBs, many would tell you that until Nick Fitzgerald arrived, no QB was more dangerous with his legs than John Bond. Bond's career accolades are some of the best we've seen in Starkville, and had he played in the modern era, he almost certainly would've posted some gaudy numbers.
As it is, Bond's production in Emory Bellard's Wishbone offense is still some of the best by a QB in MSU history with 6,901 career yards and 42 career TDs. As a freshman in 1980, Bond led the Bulldogs to one of the best seasons in school history. State went 9-3 with a massive upset over #1 Alabama, who had won 28-straight games to that point. He was named MVP of the 1981 Hall of Fame Bowl and is the only State QB to ever go 4-0 vs LSU.
Will Rogers (2020-2023)
Will Rogers is a polarizing player, as many fans are uncertain how to weigh his production relative to the Air Raid offense he played in. And certainly, playing in the Air Raid has it's advantages when it comes to putting up lofty passing stats.
But even accounting for the system, I believe Rogers deserves credit for his time at State. Mike Leach's offense was friendly to QBs, but he still asked a lot of his signal-callers. Few Bulldog passers would have been as effective in that offense as Rogers was.
His 2021 season is one of the best by a QB in school history with 4,739 yards, 36 TDs, and just nine INTs while completing an absurd 74% of his passes. That wasn't just a product of the system. And while his career didn't end like anyone would've hoped, his name will be atop the record books forever. That's Mount Rushmore worthy to me.