Now That it is Over, What is Nick Fitzgerald's Legacy At MSU?

Was thinking about this while watching the Rose Bowl & Haskins throw touch pass after touch pass that we haven't seen since Dak's SR year & hopefully see again soon (Really makes it clear what he dreadfully lack):

Here are some thoughts:

- First off, we will probably have a much greater perspective on Fitz's legacy 5 years from now than we do right now. We have to see if MSU has a new normal at QB or if things will regress back to where they were before Dak. In 5 years, will we see Fitz as just ok due to the type of QB play we are getting or will we long for the Fitz days?

- To me, determining Fitz's legacy come down completely on whether you are comparing him to past MSU QBs or if you are comparing him to Dak or the standard necessary to compete for the SEC West. Compared to past MSU QBs, Fitz is undeniably a top 5 QB in school history. Compared to the standard necessary to compete for the West, I'm not sure I've ever been more frustrated with a QB, due to knowing that he just didn't have the type of accuracy, instincts, pocket presence, or touch necessary to beat good defenses.

- He'll obviously go down with great stats that should stand that test of time, but I'm not sure I've ever seen an MSU reach his ceiling so early. Did Nick ever improve from his Sophomore year on?

- When all is said & done, he sets many QB rushing records, MSU scoring records, etc but also was suspended for the first game of his SR year, & had a pretty mediocre SEC & overall record in games where he started. What type of leader was he?

Overall, the Fitz era was good, but frustrating. Good in that the overall body of work was pretty good & the team went to bowls all 3 years, but frustrating in that you knew he was just too limited in the passing & processing parts of the game to lead MSU anything more that just being an OK team. For me, Fitz will go down as a really good football player & just an average QB. Football is a structured sport in which QBs MUST be able to perform certain skill sets if the team is going to succeed at a high level & he just didn't have those skills.

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Got criticized a lot on the internet?**** Cursed by Native Americans when he broke his word on the Mohawk?****

Great runner obviously. Tough as hell. Not a passer at all. And now greedy on the goal line.

For me he's like Jeff Francouer. Five tool talent but lacks commitment to reach full potential and has a hot girlfriend.

Highly questionable ceiling as far as football IQ is concerned.

Can run. Can't pass. Tough. Makes bad decisions.

Great runner that could have been better thought of if he wasn't so selfish every time he was on the goal line. He is definitely an attention whore. It was way more often than just today.

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Originally Posted by Todd4State

For me he's like Jeff Francouer. Five tool talent but lacks commitment to reach full potential and has a hot girlfriend.

Highly questionable ceiling as far as football IQ is concerned.

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He's not a 5 tool talent though.

He's more like a pitcher threw 98 but was in & out of the strike zone & lacked consistency. Watch 5 min of Haskins for Ohio State & it's clear how inadequate Fitz' throwing ability was for this offense to take the next step. Has absolutely no ability to drop the ball in different layers of the defense

First - Fitz is one of my favorite MSU players ever.

I think Fitz is emblematic of all the good and bad of the Dan Mullen Era. Fitz is a talented athlete who was a project from the start. In any other SEC program he probably never sees the field as a starter at QB. It is a damn miracle that Dan was able to take a kid who basically learned to play QB the summer before his SR year in high school and make him a serviceable QB in the SEC. The problem with that is that if Mullen had been able to recruit worth a shit on offense we wouldn't have had to rely on a kid like that to begin with. Nick is a warrior with a limited skill set and no amount of work or coaching could get past those limited skills.

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Originally Posted by BrunswickDawg

First - Fitz is one of my favorite MSU players ever.

I think Fitz is emblematic of all the good and bad of the Dan Mullen Era. Fitz is a talented athlete who was a project from the start. In any other SEC program he probably never sees the field as a starter at QB. It is a damn miracle that Dan was able to take a kid who basically learned to play QB the summer before his SR year in high school and make him a serviceable QB in the SEC. The problem with that is that if Mullen had been able to recruit worth a shit on offense we wouldn't have had to rely on a kid like that to begin with. Nick is a warrior with a limited skill set and no amount of work or coaching could get past those limited skills.

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Great post and extremely accurate in all respects! Fitz was a warrior and competitor but didn't have the necessary skills to be a "complete" qb.

ETA I'm glad Nick is a Dawg and grateful for what he did here.

One of the best QBs in MSU history

Tough as nails. Was put in a difficult situation following the most iconic Mississippi State player ever. One of the toughest players we’ve ever had.

Fitz is a tough guy but this year really takes him down a lot for me. He and his turnovers added losses that our defense could not overcome. 4 picks against LSU. He threw the pick that let UK open the game up. No awareness against UF to get obliterated on 4th down by a 15 yard safety blitz. And today, even outside the Guidry pick, he set Iowa up with 2TDs. He may have been worse as a senior than he was as a sophomore. In fact, he seemed worse every year which suggests that he was figured out by DCs and didn?t really improve in the off seasons.

Should never be compared to Dak again.

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Originally Posted by BrunswickDawg

First - Fitz is one of my favorite MSU players ever.

I think Fitz is emblematic of all the good and bad of the Dan Mullen Era. Fitz is a talented athlete who was a project from the start. In any other SEC program he probably never sees the field as a starter at QB. It is a damn miracle that Dan was able to take a kid who basically learned to play QB the summer before his SR year in high school and make him a serviceable QB in the SEC. The problem with that is that if Mullen had been able to recruit worth a shit on offense we wouldn't have had to rely on a kid like that to begin with. Nick is a warrior with a limited skill set and no amount of work or coaching could get past those limited skills.

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Is Moorhead recruiting better on the offensive side of the ball?

The QB that followed Dak.

Tough as nails competitor. Great runner but not a great passer. Did about as much as he could do with his skill set. Destroyed Ole Miss except for when they intentionally broke his leg. Led us to back to back 8 win seasons. He will be well remembered by most. Most people will eventually remember him for what he was, not what he wasn't. I for one thank him and will remember him as a great Bulldog, a better version of John Bond.

I don't want to come off as being negative about Fitz because he's been tough as nails for us but I can't say he's a top 5 Mississippi State quarterback.
I can't put him ahead of
Dak
Jackie Parker
Don Smith
Rockey
Bond

All those guys were all american and/or all conference except for maybe Bond and I can't put Fitz ahead of Bond.

I really think the injury in the Egg Bowl ****ed him up mentally and physically and affected his play this year. Which is why Cohen should tell Bjork to go **** himself when they meet with Sankey.

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Originally Posted by ShotgunDawg

He's not a 5 tool talent though.

He's more like a pitcher threw 98 but was in & out of the strike zone & lacked consistency. Watch 5 min of Haskins for Ohio State & it's clear how inadequate Fitz' throwing ability was for this offense to take the next step. Has absolutely no ability to drop the ball in different layers of the defense

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I can buy that. Comparing baseball players and football players is apples and oranges anyway. But Fitz has NFL arm strength and size and he is a plus runner. He has all the measureables to be first pick taken in the draft. But like you are saying he can't apply it.

Very good football player, not a great QB. Tough as nails. Wreaked havoc against average and bad teams but was a liability as a passer against good defenses. He gave us a lot more good than bad though, so I?ll always be grateful for what he did for us.

At the end of the day, we signed a guy that was a high school QB for one year and nobody but us and MTSU wanted him. He accomplished a lot more than most thought he would when we signed him but obviously he just always lacked a few certain skills necessary to be a great SEC quarterback.

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Originally Posted by msstate7

Is Moorhead recruiting better on the offensive side of the ball?

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TBD

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Originally Posted by msstate7

Is Moorhead recruiting better on the offensive side of the ball?

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Yes. OL especially. QB yes. WR somewhat. RB questionable. TE yes.

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Originally Posted by msstate7

Is Moorhead recruiting better on the offensive side of the ball?

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Yes.

Shrader- 4 star.
Heath, E Jai Mason, and Tulu are all four star WR's and we may pull Mingo. Compare that to Reggie Todd, Osirus, and Jamal Couch. We also lead for Antonio Harmon.
Cross has a legit shot to be a five star OL recruit and is no worse than a four star and Brandon Cunningham is a four star OL recruit.
We may be able to flip Ealy too even though he is a pro baseball guy.

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Originally Posted by LC Dawg

I don't want to come off as being negative about Fitz because he's been tough as nails for us but I can't say he's a top 5 Mississippi State quarterback.
I can't put him ahead of
Dak
Jackie Parker
Don Smith
Rockey
Bond

All those guys were all american and/or all conference except for maybe Bond and I can't put Fitz ahead of Bond.

I really think the injury in the Egg Bowl ****ed him up mentally and physically and affected his play this year. Which is why Cohen should tell Bjork to go **** himself when they meet with Sankey.

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Fitz is way better than Bond. He even passes it better. I was in school during the Bond years.

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Originally Posted by Cooterpoot

Yes. OL especially. QB yes. WR somewhat. RB questionable. TE yes.

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This is correct and recruiting will only get better.

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Originally Posted by Liverpooldawg

Fitz is way better than Bond. He even passes it better. I was in school during the Bond years.

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You're right. I've seen video. I suspect that both probably have similar personalities though.

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Originally Posted by Liverpooldawg

Fitz is way better than Bond. He even passes it better. I was in school during the Bond years.

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They are very similar. Bond beat Bama and never lost to LSU. That puts him ahead of Fitz to me. Just my opinion.

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Originally Posted by Cooterpoot

Yes. OL especially. QB yes. WR somewhat. RB questionable. TE yes.

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We have 2 olinemen about to be drafted after 1 last season... 3 in 2 years ain't bad. Moorhead's guys look better on paper though, but hev is better than Johnson coaching

Key was higher rated than shrader

Wr looks like a wash

Next season does appear to be better, but we signed 4 4-star offensive players in 2015 too.... only 1 really panned out

I'm gonna remember Fitz as one tough MFer that could make a 60 yard TD run look like a 20 yard dash.
Limited in his passing abilities, poised for a huge senior season that got derailed by a gruesome leg injury and a coaching change.

He gave it everything he had, I wish nothing but the best for him In whatever field he goes into.

I watched some lean years at the QB position before DM arrived. He's one of the best in my book and I don't think his rushing record will be broken for a very long time.

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Originally Posted by LC Dawg

They are very similar. Bond beat Bama and never lost to LSU. That puts him ahead of Fitz to me. Just my opinion.

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He also had two losing seasons. We weren't very good at all his last two years.

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Originally Posted by Sacrifice

I'm gonna remember Fitz as one tough MFer that could make a 60 yard TD run look like a 20 yard dash.
Limited in his passing abilities, poised for a huge senior season that got derailed by a gruesome leg injury and a coaching change.

He gave it everything he had, I wish nothing but the best for him In whatever field he goes into.

I watched some lean years at the QB position before DM arrived. He's one of the best in my book and I don't think his rushing record will be broken for a very long time.

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Emory Jones at Florida is the guy to watch for breaking that record.

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Originally Posted by msstate7

We have 2 olinemen about to be drafted after 1 last season... 3 in 2 years ain't bad. Moorhead's guys look better on paper though, but hev is better than Johnson coaching

Key was higher rated than shrader

Wr looks like a wash

Next season does appear to be better, but we signed 4 4-star offensive players in 2015 too.... only 1 really panned out

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If they all show up, we?re about to sign the best OL class I can remember. Cross is about to bump to 5 star. You said recruiting better. We?ll have to see on development. Shrader is a better QB prospect than KT was. I don?t care what the ranking says. He was 4 star before his injury.
WR is better than what we currently have but how much? Hell, Our WRs are the worst in P5.

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Originally Posted by Cooterpoot

Shrader is a better QB prospect than KT was. I don?t care what the ranking says. He was 4 star before his injury.

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This isn’t true, at least from a recruiting site perspective. KT was a high 4-star and had always been higher ranked than Shrader this year.

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Originally Posted by bluelightstar

This isn’t true, at least from a recruiting site perspective. KT was a high 4-star and had always been higher ranked than Shrader this year.

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Yep.

Key composite = .9258
247 = 94

Shrader composite = .9106
247 = 88

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Originally Posted by Cooterpoot

If they all show up, we?re about to sign the best OL class I can remember. Cross is about to bump to 5 star. You said recruiting better. We?ll have to see on development. Shrader is a better QB prospect than KT was. I don?t care what the ranking says. He was 4 star before his injury.
WR is better than what we currently have but how much? Hell, Our WRs are the worst in P5.

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Mitchell, Todd, and Couch (maybe) were all signed after signing day. WR recruiting has been bad for a long time, I for one was overly excited that Whop and Landry could change things in one year if ever.

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Originally Posted by Goldendawg

Mitchell, Todd, and Couch (maybe) were all signed after signing day. WR recruiting has been bad for a long time, I for one was overly excited that Whop and Landry could change things in one year if ever.

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I think both are a step in the right direction. Guidry had a bad day today but he also has his moments this year. Whop is still just a sophomore in 2019 and has time to develop. Adding the talent we are in the future will pay off down the road.

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Originally Posted by msstate7

Yep.

Key composite = .9258
247 = 94

Shrader composite = .9106
247 = 88

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You have to take into account Schrader's shoulder injury though. With Schrader's measurables, I think there's a chance he would've been ranked higher than KT has he been healthy on the circuit all Summer.

Fitz ankle injury really set him back... even today you could tell it affected his running ability... there was a couple of plays today that Fitz would have taken it to the house two years ago....

Fitz, I kept waiting for him to become a decent passer but it never happened. He never learned touch. He did get better but not good.

He gave it his all and was tough but judging toughest ever kind of thing is impossible. Lots of football players are tough. He does not get toughest ever distinction from me. For me, Stan Black was that guy and always will be.

Good runner but he needed some space to operate. He wasn't particularly shifty, just fast enough in a straight line and could break some tackles. He should have given it up more and was a bit selfish but that was him giving his best. I get it.

Not a top five QB in State History but that may be a bit butt hurt talking after the loss but I don't think so.

I think of him as all Dawg and one of our own that was a heck of a lot more than expected when he came to Starkville.

It is up to my coaches to find the players and to put the best we got on the field and get us wins. The players? All I can ask is they do their best. He did, no doubt.

He was asked to do something he has never done, and being asked to do it in the best league in America.

He always played as hard as physically possible and was by far the most hated on player in my lifetime of watching MSU football. A lot of it undeserved.

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Originally Posted by ShotgunDawg

Was thinking about this while watching the Rose Bowl & Haskins throw touch pass after touch pass that we haven't seen since Dak's SR year & hopefully see again soon (Really makes it clear what he dreadfully lack):

Here are some thoughts:

- First off, we will probably have a much greater perspective on Fitz's legacy 5 years from now than we do right now. We have to see if MSU has a new normal at QB or if things will regress back to where they were before Dak. In 5 years, will we see Fitz as just ok due to the type of QB play we are getting or will we long for the Fitz days?

- To me, determining Fitz's legacy come down completely on whether you are comparing him to past MSU QBs or if you are comparing him to Dak or the standard necessary to compete for the SEC West. Compared to past MSU QBs, Fitz is undeniably a top 5 QB in school history. Compared to the standard necessary to compete for the West, I'm not sure I've ever been more frustrated with a QB, due to knowing that he just didn't have the type of accuracy, instincts, pocket presence, or touch necessary to beat good defenses.

- He'll obviously go down with great stats that should stand that test of time, but I'm not sure I've ever seen an MSU reach his ceiling so early. Did Nick ever improve from his Sophomore year on?

- When all is said & done, he sets many QB rushing records, MSU scoring records, etc but also was suspended for the first game of his SR year, & had a pretty mediocre SEC & overall record in games where he started. What type of leader was he?

Overall, the Fitz era was good, but frustrating. Good in that the overall body of work was pretty good & the team went to bowls all 3 years, but frustrating in that you knew he was just too limited in the passing & processing parts of the game to lead MSU anything more that just being an OK team. For me, Fitz will go down as a really good football player & just an average QB. Football is a structured sport in which QBs MUST be able to perform certain skill sets if the team is going to succeed at a high level & he just didn't have those skills.

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He will go down as the greatest NFL TE to ever wear Maroon and White.

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Originally Posted by ShotgunDawg

You have to take into account Schrader's shoulder injury though. With Schrader's measurables, I think there's a chance he would've been ranked higher than KT has he been healthy on the circuit all Summer.

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This is true. Shrader may have been an Elite 11 QB if he was healthy.