A team that usually flies under the national radar is finally getting some hype entering the 2018 season in Mississippi State football with Nick Fitzgerald.
Mississippi State football has one clear contender for the Heisman Trophy in 2018, and he lines up under center. This team will make or break themselves behind the signal-caller in redshirt senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. Last year was an up and down season for Fitzgerald and Mississippi State both.
Garnering a huge victory over the LSU Tigers at home, and nearly knocking off the eventual national champion Alabama Crimson Tide in Starkville marked the highs of the 2017 campaign. Falling short by a large double-digit margin on the road to the national title runner up Georgia Bulldogs was a low-point.
This might be the best squad that Mississippi State had in Starkville in quite a while. The loss of the valued former head Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen seems to be giving some pundits cold feet. However, the Bulldogs seem to have gotten a capable replacement at the helm in the former offensive coordinator of the Penn State Nittany Lions, Joe Moorhead.
To add a little spark for the Mississippi State offense, Fitzgerald is surrounded by some pretty talented skill position weapons. That starts with redshirt senior running back Aeris Williams, who could be one of the best at his position in the SEC. This carries over to a proven receiving corps led by redshirt junior slot receiver Keith Mixon and redshirt senior Jesse Jackson.
The defense can help out Fitzgerald too. This Mississippi State defense has just as much talent and production coming back as the offense. At this point, it’s just up to Fitzgerald and Moorhead to convert on all the offensive resources at their disposal.
All these factors combine to make a Fitzgerald Heisman campaign in 2018 very possible. This is a different dynamic than the Bulldogs had with Dak Prescott under center in the nice run at things in 2014. Mississippi State owns a rare top 20 ranking in both the initial Coaches and AP Polls this year.
If this team can deliver on all the proven experience that is present on both sides of the ball, Fitzgerald will have the support system in place to make a Heisman run possible. He does have to turn the ball over less and continue to produce with his legs like he did in the past two seasons.