Nobody in Southeastern Conference football has left bigger shoes to fill this spring than former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott.
Performing later this week at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, Prescott bid farewell to Starkville as the school’s all-time leader in total yards (11,985), passing yards (9,376), career touchdowns (115), passing touchdowns (70), career completion percentage (.628) and numerous other records. He also led the Bulldogs to their first No. 1 ranking midway through the 2014 season and to 19 victories the past two years.
Seeking to fill that canyon-like void for eighth-year MSU coach Dan Mullen will be redshirt junior Damian Williams, redshirt sophomores Nick Fitzgerald and Elijah Staley, and Nick Tiano, a redshirt freshman from Baylor School.
“They’re all going to get a lot of reps, and we’re going to coach all of them,” Mullen said. “I’m not looking to make a decision out of spring. We’ve got 15 practices this spring and then another 29 until we play our first game, so we’re going to take every little thing into consideration.”
Williams, a 6-foot-1, 228-pounder from Metairie, La., is the most experienced of the quartet, having completed 37 of 70 passes (52.9 percent) for 434 yards and three touchdowns in 12 career games. He redshirted last season after backing up Prescott the previous two years.