Replacing QB Dak Prescott is a four-way race in Starkville

Mississippi State got back to work on Wednesday, starting spring practice with a strange new look. There was no Dak Prescott taking snaps at quarterback for the first time since 2011 – and that’s a scary thought.

That’s college football, of course. Players come and go. But Prescott leaves Starkville after almost three years as a starter as the most beloved Bulldogs player ever. Mississippi State will never be the same without him, so the story goes.

But don’t write off coach Dan Mullen and his Bulldogs just yet. Four guys went through drills at the quarterback spot Wednesday and all spring long there is going to be an intense battle for the starting position. The fight will probably go all the way to the fall.

And it’s going to be all right.

“I haven’t seen the new guys myself yet, but I know Dan and his staff really likes what they have there,” said Rick Cleveland, longtime columnist for the Jackson Clarion-Ledger who is now executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum. “It’s going to be a big job, replacing Dak. He was tremendous there. But you really can’t question Dan’s ability to get the most out of his quarterbacks. He’s got a heck of a track record through the years, that’s for sure.”

Prescott set dozens of school records during his time in Starkville. Others have watched, and now they are hoping for their chance to run the show. Nick Fitzgerald, who will be a redshirt sophomore in the fall, was Prescott’s backup in 2015. Damian Williams was the backup in 2014 but redshirted last year after shoulder surgery. Elijah Staley probably has the biggest high school resume of all of them, but he hasn’t earned a chance yet. And Nick Tiano, a Tennessee prep star, will fight for playing time as well.

None are household names. But neither was Prescott, and you saw what Mullen did with him.

“He was what, a three-star recruit, when he came in?” Cleveland asked. “Dak was always big and strong and could run, but he got so much better very quickly at seeing the field. His accuracy got better too. I won’t be surprised to see one of these guys make the same kind of leap.”

The QB race is wide open, though it seems Fitzgerald is probably the favorite at the start of the spring. He’s big too – 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds – and very athletic. He’s impressed coaches last year and shadowed Prescott everywhere, absorbing everything he can. His ascension to starter seems about right.

Whoever gets the nod, you know he’s going to be well-coached.

And you know that with absolute certainly, because Dan Mullen is their coach. He’s had success with quarterbacks everywhere he’s been.

1. Factoring in Dan Mullen’s QB successes

Working with Urban Meyer throughout his career prior to coming to Starkville in 2008, Mullen has been something of a quarterback whisperer. He groomed Alex Smith at Utah, and all he did was become the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft in 2005. He had Chris Leak first at Florida, then Tim Tebow and all they did together was win two national championships.

He’s that good with quarterbacks.

“There’s no doubt about that,” Cleveland said. “Dan really knows what he’s doing and you could tell how he worked with Dak, that all those ideas came through pretty well.”

Because the SEC West is so tough, it’s too obvious to assume that the Bulldogs will struggle this year without Prescott. Maybe they will. But for now, no one is questioning that there’s a quarterback of the future on the State roster.

The question is this: Which one is it?

2. Nick Fitzgerald: Leader in the clubhouse

Fitzgerald was Prescott’s backup in 2015 but didn’t get to see the field much in Mississippi State’s 9-4 season. But when he did, he was impressive. He was 4-for-4 passing in mop-up duty against Northwestern State and 6-for-7 against Troy. He completed 78.6 percent of his passes on the year (11-for-14) and threw three touchdown passes with no interceptions. He even rushed for 127 yards on 23 carries, rushing for three scores.

It was his first work in several years. After graduating early and arriving in Starkville in December of 2013, he’s watched and learned behind Prescott. He redshirted in 2014 and did all he could to stay ready.

No one has seen him play more than his high school coach, Lyman Guy. He knows his QB is ready to take the next step. He’s smart, athletic and works hard.

And that’s the way he’s been for years.

“We put a lot on Nick’s shoulders and you could never give him too much,” said Guy, Fitzgerald’s coach at Richmond Hill (Ga.) High School. “He was a very intelligent player for us, and especially in his senior year, 90 or 95 percent of our offense was based around checks at the line of scrimmage. I’d go entire series without calling a play that we’d actually run. Nick would see the best place to go, and he’d call it. He always saw the field real well and made great decisions.”

Fitzgerald’s athletic ability made a big difference too. With his size – he’s 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds – he could run just as well as he could throw the ball. He made it tough on defenses.

“All these defenses, they like to get 11 hats on the ball and we never let them do that because Nick could do so much,” Guy said. “We used a spread-option offense but we ran it a lot. Look, Nick’s senior year we lost our two best wide receivers. And this is high school football, so it’s not like we had a lot of other options. We might have a kid on one side who could run a 4.7 (40-yard dash) but the other guy, he’d be like 5.1. So we really had to work on timing and rhythm throws with those guys. Nick could make all the throws.

“Nick was always very accurate. I mean, we played all the time and he threw a lot. I saw a lot, in the spring, all summer long, in the fall, of course. He was accurate and had a strong arm. If anything, he threw it too hard sometimes. He can really throw it.”

Guy, who’s coached a long time and has coached quarterbacks like Parker Welch and Greyson Lambert (Georgia) and Dominique Allen (The Citadel), says Fitzgerald has all the tools. He’s stepping away from high school coaching this year and he’s looking forward to being a fan and watching his quarterback get his shot in Starkville.

“We still keep in touch and when I see him, I still get a hug,” Guy said. “We’re close and I just loved coaching him. He’s a worker and a pleasure to be around. I’m looking forward to having a chance to watch him a lot.”

3. Legitimate contenders in Staley, Williams and Tiano

No one in the group had more hype coming to Starkville than Elijah Staley. He was a four-star recruit and a good get. He’s 6-foot-6 and 248 pounds and he was a great two-sport athlete at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga.

Nothing’s happened yet, though. Staley redshirted in 2014 and then decided to play basketball at Mississippi State last year as well. He got into two games in 2015, but threw just five passes. There are many who believe it’s Staley  – and not Fitzgerald – who has the biggest upside. The big lefty is going to get a good look this spring.

Damian Williams is the player with the most experience. He was forced into duty as a true freshman in 2013 after injuries to Tyler Russell and Prescott, playing in six games and actually being forced to start the 2013 Egg Bowl against Ole Miss. He won that game (17-10 in overtime) and winning an Egg Bowl was huge, even though his numbers (8-for-18 passing for only 82 yards) weren’t impressive.

Still, it was a win. Prescott, for instance, was 0-2 in his two starts in the game. Williams threw only 23 passes as a backup in 2014 and missed all of last season with a shoulder injury. He comes into the spring feeling 100 percent.

Tiano is probably the long shot. The 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman to be had a great high school career in Chattanooga, Tenn., and was the top QB coming out of Tennessee in 2014. He’ll get a good look, though. They all will.

“I think Day 1, a lot of new faces, it’s hard to see much of what they’re going to do. But I thought all of them felt pretty comfortable out there on the field,” Mullen said after Wednesday’s first practice. “And you look at Damian Williams, Nick Fitzgerald, that maybe have a little bit more experience and are a little bit more comfortable when the team situation rolls around in making adjustments. Elijah Staley and Nick Tiano, you could see the talent those guys have. But sometimes it gets going faster, they just need the experience and the reps and that will come with time.”

4.The crystal balls says … Fitzgerald

Staley seems to be the wild card. He and Fitzgerald came to Starkville at the same time and it was Staley who had the bigger reputation. He’s going to get every opportunity to make an impression this spring.

But when the Sept. 3 opener against South Alabama rolls around, except Fitzgerald to be behind center, but that’s certainly no lock. It’s just at this point that he seems like the logical next man up.

“Nick is a very intelligent kid and he catches on fast,” said Guy, his high school coach. “He’s learned a lot these past two years and I think he feels very comfortable with what they try to do there.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that he has the ability to play at a high level there. The next level, too, to be honest. I’m looking forward to seeing him do some good things this fall.”