Former Baylor School quarterback Nick Tiano announced Wednesday he is transferring from Mississippi State University.
Tiano played in five games this season as a redshirt freshman and completed one pass for 5 yards in a 38-14 loss to Auburn on Oct. 8. He is expected to remain with the Bulldogs through their bowl game.
“As much as I have enjoyed my experience at MSU, I feel that it is best for me to explore my options,” Tiano posted on social media.
His departure is less than a year after former Signal Mountain quarterback Reese Phillips left Kentucky before transferring to Montana. Phillips played in four games this season for the Grizzlies (6-5), completing 8 of 15 passes for 50 yards.
Mississippi State began this year with four quarterbacks – Tiano, junior Damian Williams and sophomores Elijah Staley and Nick Fitzgerald – competing to replace Dak Prescott. Staley transferred in August and played this season at Tyler Junior College in Texas, while Williams recently announced this would be his final season in Starkville.
Fitzgerald won the starting job and starred down the stretch, leading the Bulldogs to November upsets of Texas A&M and Ole Miss. Fitzgerald rushed for 258 yards on 14 carries against Ole Miss and finished the regular season with 1,243 rushing yards, the third-best single-season mark for a Southeastern Conference quarterback, behind Heisman Trophy winners Cam Newton of Auburn (1,473 yards in 2010) and Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M (1,410 in 2012).
Tiano’s decision comes just days after coach Dan Mullen praised the 6-foot-4, 239-pounder.
“Nick has done a good job of progressing and learning,” Mullen said, “and now he’s got a big offseason in front of him.”
Fitzgerald could be backed next season by Wyatt Roberts, who beat out Auburn backup quarterback John Franklin III to become East Mississippi Community College’s starter in 2015.