Nick Fitzgerald embracing leadership role for Bulldogs

Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald had to grow up in a hurry in 2016 as the man in charge of an SEC offense as just a sophomore. Now a full year removed from the shadow of Dak Prescott, he’ll look to take that next step as a junior.
In 2016, Fitzgerald was quick to make a name for himself as one of the top dual threat QBs in the nation. He led the SEC in total yardage, but among the league’s 15 qualified passers, he was second to last in completion percentage.
That’s a good place to start in terms of fall camp improvement, as well as owning the Bulldogs locker room as the guy. Coach Dan Mullen said, “I want to see how he takes the reign in each stage. This was his first off-season as being the returning starter. I think he’s improved on it, but he’s also going through a learning curve of how do I lead? I expect his leadership to be much better this year than it was last year and I’ve seen that from him.”
“Some guys are really up front, really loud halftime speech kind of guy. Some guys are just quiet, to themselves, lead by example. I think I just need to be a little bit more vocal with it and a little better about patting people on the back. Kind of know when to talk, when not to talk. When to get on to somebody, when not to get onto somebody. Really just show that I can handle leading this team and making sure that I can bring everybody together and elevate everybody’s play,” said Fitzgerald.
Last season, Fitzgerald led MSU to an overall record of 6-7 as well an Egg Bowl win over Ole Miss and a victory over Miami of Ohio in the St. Petersburg Bowl.