Nick Fitzgerald’s first season as the starting quarterback at Mississippi State was an up-and-down affair.

The Bulldogs opened the season by winning just two of their first six games, but a second-half surge by the sophomore helped the team win four of its last six games.  

Fitzgerald spoke with the Orlando Sentinel about past season, his relationship with coach Dan Mullen, what he learned from former teammate Dak Prescott and how he describes his game.

Q: How would you describe your first season as a starter?

Answer: “I think this first season I learned a lot. We had kind of a roller coaster season -- some ups and some downs -- we were really high at some points, really low at others. We showed it with our consistency of play. That’s a big thing that we’re working on in this offseason is to be everything that we do is consistently up to par with what we think it should be.”  

Q: What stood out about the experience?

Answer: “That I hadn’t really started a game since high school, so it was awesome to be a starter again. I think the thing that stood out the most was the excitement that I got to be able to go back out there again and to have my teammates around me and for them to have my back and trust me as a starter. I got closer with my teammates in that way.”

Q: How would you describe how you felt during that first start?

Answer: “I get a little bit nervous before the game starts probably up to about 20 minutes before the game starts when I’m putting on my pads, that’s when I feel maybe a little bit of nerves something in my stomach. But once I run out of that tunnel and once I get on that sidelines and I was around my teammates and the crowd was going crazy it wasn’t anything but pure excitement to be out there.”

Q: What drew you to Mississippi State?

Answer: “I wasn’t too highly recruited as a guy coming out of high school. I only had offers from Mississippi State and Northern Tennessee so I didn’t have too much to choose from. Not to say that was a bad thing by any means because Mississippi State was a great choice for me and a great fit just because of Dan Mullen’s reputation of taking guys who have raw talent at quarterback and being able to develop them. He just has a good eye for seeing if someone that other people don’t think as a quarterback, he’ll see something and know that he can develop it. He saw me and he took a chance and he’s worked my butt off and developed me into what I am now and he’s going to continue to do that.”

Q: Do you remember Dan Mullen’s recruiting pitch to you?

Answer: “He sat me down in his office and he said, ‘This is going to be the hardest thing in your life. You’re not going to work any harder anywhere else than here. Some days you’re going to love me and some days you’re going to hate me but we’re always going to have that respect between each other as a coach and a player. He’s going to coach me as hard as he possibly can and he expects me to play and to be coached as hard as I can and give him everything that I have.”

Q: Were you aware of his reputation as a quarterback guru?

Answer: “I had a general understanding that he’s known for developing quarterbacks. He coached Alex Smith. He coached Chris Leak. He coached Tim Tebow and he coached my former quarterback coach Brian Johnson. So I knew he had coached some big time guys. I didn’t know to the extent that he would find guys who were as highly recruited and develop them into the players they are today.”

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will be the 21st rookie since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 to start a playoff game.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will be the 21st rookie since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 to start a playoff game.

Q: You backed up Dak Prescott in 2015, what did you learn from him from that experience?

Answer: “When I took my first visit here it was during spring practice. He was in a cast but he was still out there practicing in a full leg cast. He was a guy that was never going to stop competing. He was going to give it his all. That was something that I learned from him. No matter what the circumstances are, if you’re going to be the quarterback, you have to be the leader and you have to be the guy people trust. No matter how you’re feeling, you have to go out there and give it your best. He has a personality that drew people to him. I think he was a natural born leader which is very rare today. That was something I’ve had to work on myself was my leadership skills. How to use my strengths to be a leader on the team. He kind of taught me and showed me what I can do to earn the respect and lead the team.”

Q: Does seeing his performance this season with the Dallas Cowboys give you confidence about someday playing in the NFL?

Answer: “He deserves everything that he’s accomplished right now. His work ethic is second to none. He’s a great guy and he’s an amazing athlete so seeing him do what he’s doing right now is no surprise by any means. And being able to learn from him and seeing what he was like and seeing how he played and now seeing him in the league doing big things is definitely a confidence booster seeing as how we’re almost the same kind of player. We can run and we can pass. He’s a big physical guy and I’m a big physical guy. He’s a natural born leader and I’m working my best to be like that.”

Q: How do you approach this spring compared to others?

Answer: “Last spring, I was going in as a four-way quarterback competition. This year it’s me and Keytaon Thompson, who just got here early. It’s not as much as a competition between guys going for the job as much as it is me trying to push myself as hard as I possibly can knowing that I’m not going against someone else. That I have to push myself as hard as I possibly can by myself and be a self-motivator that way I can be the best that I can be for my team.”

Answer: Q: You’ve been compared to guys like Cam Newton and Dak Prescott. How would you describe your game?

“I think those are great people to compare me to maybe even like an Alex Smith. I feel like I’m a very good runner when it comes to being able to tuck the ball and taking off. I like running. I love running touchdowns. I’ll take running for a touchdown overthrowing one any day. I think those are great people to compare me to. They are big, athletic guys who are great leaders and I hope that’s something I can live up to.”

Q: If you had a bucket list, what would be on it?

Answer: “Non-football related … I would love to go skydiving. That would be pretty sweet. I would love to do that. I love to go to concerts and that kind of thing. So going to like a Tomorrowland or something like that. That would be pretty cool to go to a big festival like that. Football-related. I grew up in Georgia and I would love to end up on an Atlanta Falcons team and be the quarterback in Atlanta, that would be pretty awesome for me.”

The Magic agreed to trade Ibaka to the Toronto Raptors for swingman Terrence Ross and a 2017 first-round pick.

The Magic agreed to trade Ibaka to the Toronto Raptors for swingman Terrence Ross and a 2017 first-round pick.

The Magic agreed to trade Ibaka to the Toronto Raptors for swingman Terrence Ross and a 2017 first-round pick.

The Magic agreed to trade Ibaka to the Toronto Raptors for swingman Terrence Ross and a 2017 first-round pick.

Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon speaks to media before Monday night's game against the Miami Heat. 

Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon speaks to media before Monday night's game against the Miami Heat. 

Orlando City goalkeeper coach Tim Mulqueen, who was hired in January to replace Stewart Kerr, says he is enjoying his new job and fits in well with the rest of the coaching staff.

Orlando City goalkeeper coach Tim Mulqueen, who was hired in January to replace Stewart Kerr, says he is enjoying his new job and fits in well with the rest of the coaching staff.

Orlando Magic have reached a deal to trade Serge Ibaka to the Toronto Raptors for Terrence Ross and a first-round draft pick.

Orlando Magic have reached a deal to trade Serge Ibaka to the Toronto Raptors for Terrence Ross and a first-round draft pick.

Magic officials, disappointed with their disastrous season, came to the conclusion that they had to trade Ibaka before the Feb. 23 NBA trade deadline rather than risk losing him for nothing in free agency in July.

Magic officials, disappointed with their disastrous season, came to the conclusion that they had to trade Ibaka before the Feb. 23 NBA trade deadline rather than risk losing him for nothing in free agency in July.

mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Follow Matt Murschel on Twitter at @osmattmurschel or like his Facebook page for more college football coverage. 

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