Nicholas Dylan Fitzgerald[1] (born January 14, 1996) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
 Fitzgerald with Mississippi State in 2017 | |
| No. 7, 4 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 14, 1996 Richmond Hill, Georgia, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight: | 226 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Richmond Hill (GA) |
| College: | Mississippi State (2014–2018) |
| Undrafted: | 2019 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| F/FitzNi01.htm Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editFitzgerald attended Richmond Hill High School in Richmond Hill, Georgia, where he played in a triple option system.[1] Fitzgerald was rated as a three-star recruit by 247sports.com,[2] and ESPN.[3] He committed to Mississippi State on June 23, 2013.[4]
College career
editFreshman season (2015)
editFitzgerald enrolled at Mississippi State in January 2014 and sat out the 2014 season as a redshirt.[1] In 2015, Fitzgerald served as the primary backup for Dak Prescott, appearing in eight games and throwing and running for three touchdowns each.
Fitzgerald saw his first action of the year in a 34–16 win over Southern Miss[5] and accounted for three touchdowns in mop-up duty in a 62–13 blowout win over Northwestern State.[6] After Prescott was sidelined with an illness, Fitzgerald played most of the game in a 45–17 win over Troy, accounting for three more touchdowns.[7]
Sophomore season (2016)
editFitzgerald played sparingly in the Bulldogs' season opener against South Alabama, which they lost.[8] Fitzgerald was named the starter for the Bulldogs' second game against South Carolina,[9] this time playing the whole game and leading the Bulldogs to a 27–14 victory, running for 195 yards in the process.[10] Against UMass, he threw for 299 yards and also ran for 110, leading the Bulldogs to a 47–35 win.[11] Fitzgerald had a breakout game against Samford, throwing for 417 yards and 5 touchdowns, while rushing for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns.[12] The 5 passing touchdowns and 7 total touchdowns tied school records set by Dak Prescott, and his 536 yards of total offense were the second most in school history. The following week, Fitzgerald led the Bulldogs to an upset win over No. 4 Texas A&M,[13] recording 391 yards of total offense and scoring 4 total touchdowns, including a 74-yard touchdown run on the Bulldogs' first offensive play. In the Egg Bowl, the Bulldogs' annual season finale against in state rival Ole Miss, Fitzgerald led Mississippi State to a 55–20 victory and accounted for 5 total touchdowns (3 passing 2 rushing) while setting a Mississippi State single game rushing record with 258 yards.[14]
Junior season (2017)
editNick Fitzgerald was 159 of 286 passing for 1782 yards and 15 passing touchdowns in the 2017 season. Fitzgerald had 162 carries for 984 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. In the 2017 Egg Bowl on November, 23rd, with 9:08 remaining in the first quarter, Fitzgerald suffered an ankle injury ending his 2017 season.
Senior season (2018)
editFitzgerald started the season with 313 yards of total offense against Kansas State[15] and 350 yards and six touchdowns against Louisiana–Lafayette.[16] In an October 6, 2018 game against Auburn, Fitzgerald became the all time leader in rushing yards by an SEC QB gaining 195 yards on 28 carries.[17] Late in the 4th quarter of a victory over Texas A&M on October 27, 2018, Fitzgerald tied Anthony Dixon for the school record with his 42nd career rushing touchdown. He was also named the SEC player of the week for a school record sixth time.[18]
College statistics
editMississippi State Bulldogs
| |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Passing | Rushing | Receiving | Total Offense | |||||||||||||
| Year | G | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | TOFF | TDR |
| 2015 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 78.6 | 235 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 127 | 5.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 362 | 6 |
| 2016 | 13 | 196 | 361 | 54.3 | 2,423 | 21 | 10 | 195 | 1,385 | 7.1 | 16 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 3,798 | 37 |
| 2017 | 12 | 159 | 286 | 55.6 | 1,782 | 15 | 11 | 162 | 984 | 6.1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,766 | 29 |
| 2018 | 12 | 145 | 281 | 51.6 | 1,767 | 16 | 9 | 221 | 1121 | 5.1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,633 | 27 |
| Career | 43 | 497 | 910 | 54.6 | 6,055 | 54 | 28 | 581 | 3,504 | 6.0 | 46 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9,559 | 99 |
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+5⁄8 in (1.95 m) |
226 lb (103 kg) |
31+7⁄8 in (0.81 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
4.64 s | 1.62 s | 2.73 s | 4.56 s | 7.42 s | 29.5 in (0.75 m) |
9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) | ||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[21][22] | ||||||||||||
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
editFitzgerald signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 NFL draft.[23] On August 31, 2019, Fitzgerald was waived by the Buccaneers and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[24][25] He was released on October 8, 2019.[26]
St. Louis BattleHawks
editFitzgerald signed with the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL on January 18, 2020.[27] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[28]
TSL Sea Lions
editFitzgerald signed with the Sea Lions of The Spring League in 2021.[29]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Nick Fitzgerald". HailState.com. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Nick Fitzgerald". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Nick Fitzgerald". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ Thompson, Scott (June 28, 2013). "Richmond Hill quarterback Fitzgerald commits to Mississippi State". SavannahNow.com. Savannah Morning News. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Mississippi State beats Southern Mississippi 34–16". ESPN.com. September 5, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Prescott leads Mississippi St past Northwestern St 62–13". ESPN.com. September 19, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Mississippi State beats Troy 45–17". ESPN.com. October 10, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ "South Alabama stuns Mississippi State 21–20 after missed FG". ESPN.com. September 3, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ Bob Carskadon [@@bobcarskadon] (September 10, 2016). "Nick Fitzgerald will start at quarterback for MSU, I'm told" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Fitzgerald runs Mississippi St past South Carolina, 27–14". ESPN.com. September 10, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ "Miss St turns it on in 2nd half (again) to beat UMass 47–35". ESPN.com. September 25, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ^ "Fitzgerald has 7 TDs, Mississippi State beats Samford 56–41". ESPN.com. October 29, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
- ^ "Mississippi State upsets No. 4 Texas A&M". ESPN.com. November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
- ^ http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2016/nov/28/nick-fitzgerald/ Nick Fitzgerald
- ^ "Fitzgerald leads No. 18 Miss St to 31-10 rout of K-State". ESPN.com. September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
- ^ "Fitzgerald, No. 16 Mississippi State rout La.–Layayette". ESPN.com. September 15, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ Nick Fitzgerald credits teammates after setting all-time SEC QB rushing mark: 'I wouldn't have gotten it without my teammates'
- ^ Fitzgerald Earns School-Record Sixth SEC Player of the Week Honor; Adds National Honors
- ^ Sports-Reference
- ^ Stats @ ESPN.com
- ^ "Nick Fitzgerald Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State, QB, 2019 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Scott (May 10, 2019). "Bucs' UDFAs Include Long-Snapper, Prolific Buffalo WR, Inspirational DE". Buccaneers.com.
- ^ Smith, Scott (August 31, 2019). "Spence, Santos Among Final Cuts to Get Bucs' Roster to 53". Buccaneers.com.
- ^ Smith, Scott (September 1, 2019). "Beckner, Fitzgerald Return as Bucs Start Forming Practice Squad". Buccaneers.com.
- ^ "Nick Fitzgerald: Released from practice squad". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ @XFLBattleHawks (January 19, 2020). "We have added another QB! 👀Welcome to St. Louis, @nickfitz07! 💪 #ForTheLoveOfFootball x #ClearedToEngage" (Tweet). Retrieved January 19, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "TSL Sea Lions, Roster, Record, Results, Stats, Schedule". XFLNewsHub.com. April 29, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2022.