With Dak in Dallas, the question for Mississippi State is more “Who will be throwing the passes?” than “Will we be better than last season in the passing game?”

Dak Prescott closed a decorated career with a highlight senior season. He threw for 3,793 yards on 316 of 477 attempts with only 5 interceptions and a 66.2 completion percentage. He was first in the league in attempts and second in yards and completion percentage. He helped himself with a dual-threat running ability – 588 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Bulldogs’ top receiver returns in 1,000-yarder Fred Ross, but with four new quarterbacks competing for the starting job and a new cast with Ross, it’s tough to expect State’s passing game to be better than it was in 2015.

Passing yards per game (SEC rank): 4,113 (second)
Passing TDs: 13 (second)
INTs: 5 (tied for first)

QB PLAY

Where to start on what’s new. Everything is new. Damian Williams is the only one of four vying quarterbacks to have a start, and that was more than two years ago.

The junior is joined by sophomores Elijah Staley and Nick Fitzgerald and redshirt freshman Nick Tiano. Fitzgerald and Staley played in a combined 10 games last season and threw 19 passes.

Dan Mullen has said he’s open to taking as long as he needs to pick a starter, and even then it could be one guy this week and another guy next week. It could be guys rotating in and out.

All have their strengths. Williams, for some reason not the favorite among onlookers, had a solid spring. He completed 14 of 20 passes in the Maroon and White spring game and looked impressive in doing so.

Staley, Fitzgerald and Tiano are 6-foot-6, 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-4 and fall forward for positive yardage. Fitzgerald ran the ball 23 times last season for 127 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tiano ran for 76 yards in the spring game and looked like a starter.

Williams has the most experience, granted a lot of it is watching Prescott, and his redshirt last season gives him two more years of eligibility. Even with his time in Starkville as well as Fitzgerald, who arrived in Dec. 2013, everything is new from the quarterback position as far as who starts when the season starts. It may continue to be new from week to week.

RECEIVERS/TES/RBS

Fred Ross is clearly the best receiver, one of the best in the SEC for that matter. He caught 1,007 yards worth of passes last season and will be the security for any of the four new quarterbacks.

After Ross, the next two top receivers stat-wise are gone. De’Runnya Wilson went to the NFL and Fred Brown was dismissed from school. Running back Brandon Holloway returns after catching 33 passes (third on the team).

Holloway will be a great safety blanket for the new signal-caller, a speedy back to flip the ball to in the backfield or on short routes. Justin Johnson is the only returning tight end to catch a pass from that position in 2015. He had five catches. The sophomore will be joined by redshirt freshman Farrod Green and freshman Christian Roberson.

There are plenty of young options that can step into pass-catching roles, including sophomore Malik Dear. Dear, a runner, passer and catcher in high school, displayed some of each in the spring game. Of the returning receivers, he had the second-most receptions last season, catching 22 balls for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns.

PLAY-CALLING

Mississippi State threw the ball 233 times on first down last season. It completed 159 passes for a 68.2 completion percentage with 1,918 yards and 10 TDs to just 2 INTs. On the attempts there were 15 plays of 25 yards or longer. That number shouldn’t change with Ross still in town.

While Prescott is gone, Mullen’s current crop of quarterbacks could eventually give him confidence to be a throw-first offense. The way Williams and Fitzgerald threw during the spring, those two would seem to rise to the top of the pile. However, Staley and Tiano are right there, too, says every Mississippi State coach you ask. Either one will have plenty of options to throw to.

ONE STAT THAT MUST IMPROVE

The new quarterback, or quarterbacks, will need a tight end to throw to. Johnson could be that guy. He is 6-foot-3, 229 pounds and now has a year under his belt. Freshman Christian Roberson could be the dark horse to make some noise.

GREATEST CONCERN

The scary part: None of the potential quarterbacks are proven. They all looked good and bad in the spring, and the only SEC start — the only start at all — belongs to Williams in the 2013 Egg Bowl.

Picking one isn’t going to be easy and no one, coach nor player, has identified a leader. It could be good that the race is close or it could be bad if none of the four has done something to wow the staff into getting a nod for the lead as fall camp approaches.

There won’t be another Dak Prescott. The concern is that none of the four candidates can establish their own name in such a heavy shadow.

BETTER OR WORSE

One would be crazy, even a fan, to think the Bulldogs will be better passing the ball in 2016 than they did in 2015. Prescott will never be replaced, and his production can’t be taken for granted.

He made plays with his legs, which led to plays with his arm. He was a dynamic player and a dynamic leader. He leaves behind four capable quarterbacks who had the advantage of watching and learning from him.

What they do with that knowledge is to be determined, but to expect any of them or any combination of them to top Dak is unreasonable.