Former Mississippi State QB's Effect on the Ground Not Something to be Forgotten About

It's no secret that former Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was a player who made an impact on the ground in addition to what he could provide through the air.

But Fitzgerald's rushing accomplishments may still not be given as much credit as they should receive right now.

He finished out his career with the Bulldogs with 601 carries for 3,607 rushing yards with 46 rushing touchdowns. Fitzgerald ranks fifth among college football athletes who took the field between the 2015 and 2021 seasons in expected points added as a rusher -- regardless of position -- at 90.4.

That puts him behind only Lamar Jackson (Louisville), Malik Willis (Liberty), Quinton Flowers (USF) and Malcolm Perry (Navy).

Fitzgerald is currently out of football for the time being after he was originally signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 NFL Draft and saw some time with the St. Louis BattleHawks in the XFL before it had to shut down due to COVID concerns.

In his time in Starkville, Fitzgerald broke multiple school records and four conference records: career rushing yards by a quarterback (3,607), career 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback (21), single-season 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback (eight in 2016) and single-season average yards per rush by a quarterback (7.1 in 2016)

It will be interesting to see if he gets another opportunity at the professional level, but if he does, one thing that is for certain is that he'll be a force to be reckoned with in the running game.