Mississippi State QB Nick Fitzgerald has a big question for his former coach, Dan Mullen, and it’s not the kind of question he can just casually send in a text.

“I had plans on asking him … what exactly it is that he saw. Why me?” Fitzgerald told the Orlando Sentinel’s Edgar Thompson at SEC Media Days. “I’m not going to have that opportunity now.”

While Fitzgerald actually should have an opportunity to ask Mullen that question at some point in the future, his ability to answer it himself offers some fascinating insight into Mullen as a quarterback recruiter.

As a quarterback in a triple option offense, Fitzgerald was an under-the-radar recruit. Among dual-threat quarterbacks in the 2014 class, the 247Sports Composite had Fitzgerald at No. 40. The service ranked him the No. 1556 overall recruit and the No. 136 player out of Georgia. With those numbers, it’s not surprisingly that Middle Tennessee State was Fitzgerald’s only other scholarship offer.

But Fitzgerald believes Mullen saw potential in a quarterback he could mold.

“I think he kind of saw raw talent, raw ability he could work with,” Fitzgerald said. “I was a really intense guy at [Mississippi State’s] camp. I’m a competitor and want to win. I think he just saw the ability, the frame and the mentality I had that he could work with.”

In two seasons as a starter, Fitzgerald has thrown 36 touchdown passes. He credits Mullen with developing him as a passer.

“I wasn’t polished at anything except being able to run the ball,” Fitzgerald said. “[Mullen] really kind of focused on breaking down my throwing motion and building it back up into something that was going to be a little bit better for me, more accurate. He just kind of continued to do that my whole career.”

Now Mullen coaches in front of an offensive-minded Florida fan base eager to see if the coach can develop the next Tim Tebow, Dak Prescott or Nick Fitzgerald. Instead of loading the quarterback room with warm bodies, Mullen has been selective in only signing Emory Jones in the class of 2018 and securing a commitment from Jalon Jones in the class of 2019. Perhaps he’s holding out for more competitors with frames he can work with.