College football 2018: Ranking the 20 best quarterbacks

Nick Fitzgerald is one of the more dynamic quarterbacks in college football, and the hope is he can put his broken ankle out of his mind entering his senior season. For the past two years, Fitzgerald has been causing SEC defenses fits, whether it is through the air, or with his legs, making him a very exciting player to watch this season.

Fitzgerald redshirted during his first season at Mississippi State back in 2014 and then spent the 2015 season serving mostly as Dak Prescott’s backup. In limited action, Fitzgerald did show some flashes of brilliance, racking up three touchdowns against Northwestern State, and then three more against Troy.

In 2016, Fitzgerald took over as the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs and showed the kind of dual-threat production the program was hoping for. He not only threw for 2,423 yards and 21 touchdowns, but he also rushed for 1,385 and 16 more scores. That included a game against Stamford where he threw for 417 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 119 and two more.

The 2017 season ended brutally for Fitzgerald, who saw his ankle mangled during the annual Egg Bowl game against Ole Miss. It was a horrifying sight to see, and as bad as the injury was, the expectation is that he will be ready to go when the Bulldogs open up their 2018 campaign against Stephen F. Austin.

Standing at 6-foot-5, Fitzgerald has the arm, and mobility to be an NFL quarterback next season. For now, the SEC will have to deal with his incredible talent for one more season, and it could be his best one yet.