STARKVILLE — In the last two seasons, Dan Mullen saw how a veteran quarterback could elevate the program.
The Mississippi State coach watched as Dak Prescott carved up secondaries and used his legs many times to get out of trouble and make things happen. Prescott thrived under Mullen and it resulted in the Bulldogs going 19-7, including a No. 1 ranking for five weeks in 2014.
Prescott, who broke 38 school records, set Mullen’s mind at ease, much like any veteran quarterback would do.
“Anyone that was a real veteran quarterback has a little bit of an advantage during the season, just because those guys have been on that stage before,” Mullen said last week at Southeastern Conference Media Days in Hoover, Alabama. “They’ve been in the moment. It’s one less thing you have to worry about as a coach.”
But Prescott has moved on and will be trying his hand in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. That leaves Mullen searching for a replacement and trying to get a young quarterback to take on a lot of responsibility this season. Mullen and the Bulldogs start fall camp Aug. 2.
The spring was Mullen’s first look at the four quarterbacks (redshirt junior Damian Williams, redshirt sophomores Nick Fitzgerald and Elijah Staley and redshirt freshman Nick Tiano) competing to take over. No one distanced themselves and Mullen did not name a starter at the conclusion of spring practice. He was hopeful someone would separate themselves in the summer. He would be happy to name a starting quarterback early, but he also doesn’t want to rush his decision and it may carry over into the first few games.
Even if he names a starter, he will probably use all four in the early going to see how they handle certain situations. With a veteran quarterback, they understand when to take a chance and when to be conservative. For inexperienced quarterbacks, that is learned on the field.
“To look and say we’re going to take a shot to throw the ball down the field, and the veteran quarterback is going to look and say, ‘It’s not here, I’m going to check it down, I know coach will call that play again later and hopefully I’ll get the look I want for that shot,'” Mullen said. “Younger quarterbacks, sometimes you call that shot and they’re thinking, ‘Coach is calling a play for me to go make it happen,’ and they’re going to throw that ball up and that’s where mistakes happen.”
Williams has the most experience of the four. He played as a freshman and drew a start against in-state rival Ole Miss. He played in six games but didn’t draw a start as a sophomore. He was redshirted last year. The Metairie, Louisiana, native has completed 37 of 70 passes for 434 yards and three touchdowns against two interceptions.
Fitzgerald and Staley both saw playing time last season as Prescott’s backup. Fitzgerald threw for 127 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. Staley threw for 51 yards and one touchdown in two games.
Tiano was redshirted, but the 6-foot-4, 239-pound Chattanooga, Tennessee, native will get his chance.
Rising senior wide receiver Fred Ross, who led the SEC with 88 catches and the Bulldogs with 1,007 yards, likes the versatility of the quarterbacks. He was impressed with how each handled themselves during spring.
Ross got used to Prescott and the leadership he brought to the team. That’s what the Tyler, Texas, native is looking for in a quarterback.
“(I’m looking for) a quarterback who is going to be self-motivated,” Ross said. “A quarterback who doesn’t get down on himself after he throws a pick because that’s going to happen. Playing the quarterback position, you’re going to mess up. Just somebody who can bounce back and keep going hard.”
Ross missed the spring after having groin surgery so he didn’t get to take quality reps with the four. He has thrown with all four, but he feels like once he gets into fall camp and gets those quality reps he will be able to see who has the potential to the be the starter and lead the team.
Mullen has coached some of the best quarterbacks in the SEC. While the offensive coordinator at Florida, he got to develop Tim Tebow. Tebow went on to win the Heisman Trophy, two SEC championships and two national championships. The former NFL quarterback threw for 9,286 yards and 88 touchdowns and ran for 2,947 yards and 57 touchdowns in his four-year career at Florida.
With Tebow and Prescott as two examples he can point to, Mullen feels confident in his ability to develop quarterbacks. But it doesn’t happen the year they become the starter. It’s much earlier than that.
“I think part of quarterback development is really taking the big-picture approach to them and making sure they understand every aspect of the game, of starting early on in their career and building them up and building them up in different stages to understand not just what to do or how to do it but why we’re doing it,” Mullen said. “When they really get involved and they understand the why you’re doing what you’re doing, they understand the strategy within the game plan, why we want to take shots at certain times during the game. I think that allows them to manage the game much, much better and be a more successful player.”
Mullen believes that quarterback is the toughest position to play at any level of football. Between the preparation, the attention to detail and the processing that has to happen in a short amount of time, in Mullen’s mind make quarterback a difficult position.
Along with Tebow and Prescott, Mullen was responsible for developing Alex Smith, a current Kansas City Chief, at Utah, Chris Relf at MSU and Tyler Russell at MSU.
Veteran or no veteran quarterback, with Mullen there is always a chance at the quarterback position.
“When you have those guys that really want to develop, they are going to develop it. And you can see huge changes throughout their career,” Mullen said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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