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Nick Fitzgerald is Collin Klein 2.0

L

lbt86

Redshirt
Jan 31, 2016
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I could make the lazy comparison and say "Fitzgerald is the next Dak Prescott" (most media types will say this because he's the QB taking over Dak's place), but Fitz is very different from Dak. He's not the same type of locker-room presence Dak was -- Fitz is a much better runner, and he's physically larger than Dak. I don't think Fitzgerald will be close to the type of NFL player Dak is, but Fitz could end up being a better college player (statistically speaking).

With that being said, I think a more apt comparison is Collin Klein. I really liked Klein at KState, and I couldn't help to see the similarities between he and Nick Fitzgerald when Fitz broke out this past season:


  • Both are 6' 5" 230 lbs
  • Former WRs (Klein his redshirt and freshmen year, Fitz was a WR in HS)
  • Explosive rushing ability -- both have been clocked around 4.8 speed. Fitz was 2nd in rush yards in the SEC in 2016, Klein had two seasons w/ 900+ rush yards). Also, see their highlights below, they both look eerily similar
  • Both wear number 7
  • Power running -- Collin Klein was a monster in the red zone (he had two seasons of 23+ rushing TDs) and Fitz led the SEC in rush TDs last season
  • Neither are polished passers (Fitz may end up being a solid passer, but Klein was never an especially great throwing QB)


Klein had some fantastic seasons at KState winning a lot of games, and I'm hoping Fitz can carry MSU to at least one 10 win year. I don't know if Fitz will receive the same type of Heisman recognition that Klein did at K-State, but I think Dak playing well in the NFL has helped the notoriety of Dan Mullen as a QB whisperer (having coached Alex Smith at Utah, Tim Tebow at Florida, Dak Prescott at Miss St, and now Nick Fitzgerald), so Fitz may get more publicity even though Miss St isn't a big name school.

For reference, here's some highlights to compare the two
Klein:


Fitz:



Stats
Klein:
http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/collin-klein-1.html

Fitz:
http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/nick-fitzgerald-2.html


Also,
Here's the link to the original post on the CFB reddit if you're interested:
https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/comments/5tv11z/collin_klein_nick_fitzgerald/


Let me know what y'all think!
 
K

KurtRambis4

Redshirt
Aug 30, 2006
15,926
0
36
I think folks are going

to be very surprised with Nick's passing, by the time he graduates.

People forget that he essentially just learned this aspect.

He made more than a few ridiculous throw this year, too.
 
L

lbt86

Redshirt
Jan 31, 2016
94
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KurtRambis4 said:
to be very surprised with Nick's passing, by the time he graduates.

People forget that he essentially just learned this aspect.

He made more than a few ridiculous throw this year, too.
Click to expand...

I absolutely think Fitz will be a much better passer than Collin Klein, mainly because I trust Dan's QB development abilities. I think he will rival Dak's passing numbers by his senior year.

Still, think the similarities between Fitz and Klein is too hard to overlook
 
L

LilSebastian

Redshirt
Sep 13, 2012
175
0
0
lbt86 said:
Still, think the similarities between Fitz and Klein is too hard to overlook
Click to expand...

It's important to note that with Klein K-State went more air raid, knowing that if the D was concerned with stopping two running threats you would be facing a lot of man coverage. That was atypical of Snyder, only evident during Klein's tenure so I wonder if Mullen might be thinking about folding in some more vertical concepts.
 
H

Hoover Dawg

Redshirt
May 16, 2016
1,584
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I've been comparing Fitzgerald to Klein since he was in high school. Get your ticket and get in the back of the line, nothing earth-shattering there.
 
L

lbt86

Redshirt
Jan 31, 2016
94
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Last edited:
D

dawgomatic

Redshirt
Feb 13, 2017
6
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Fitzgerald will be a better QB from a tools perspective than Dak by the time he graduates. Get that Klein ISH outta here!!!
 
L

lbt86

Redshirt
Jan 31, 2016
94
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Hoover Dawg said:
I've been comparing Fitzgerald to Klein since he was in high school. Get your ticket and get in the back of the line, nothing earth-shattering there.
Click to expand...
I didn't write this post with the assumption that I was the first person to notice the similarities between the two, I just thought it was something to point out
 
L

lbt86

Redshirt
Jan 31, 2016
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dawgomatic said:
Fitzgerald will be a better QB from a tools perspective than Dak by the time he graduates. Get that Klein ISH outta here!!!
Click to expand...
That could very well be the case. He visibly has more arm strength than Dak, his throwing accuracy and decision making will definitely improve, but his intangibles will most likely never be on par with Dak
 
D

dawgomatic

Redshirt
Feb 13, 2017
6
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0
lbt86 said:
That could very well be the case. He visibly has more arm strength than Dak, his throwing accuracy and decision making will definitely improve, but his intangibles will most likely never be on par with Dak
Click to expand...

We agree 1000% on the intangibles. I still think Nick will end up having nearly as much success because I think our OL will be better than it was in 2015 by the time Nick is a senior.
 
PBRME

PBRME

All-American
Feb 12, 2004
11,615
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113
Fitz has football speed not 40 speed. See Jerry Rice. His 40 time was bad but how often did anyone catch him from behind?
 
o_Hot Rock

o_Hot Rock

Senior
Jan 2, 2010
2,093
982
113
Watching these videos, I was pleasantly surprised, Fitz is better than Klein.

As as far as the 4.8 speed? That's about right, but what it doesn't speak to is his ability to blow by people on his first few steps. His top end speed is good but his first steps are great!
 
HD6

HD6

Sophomore
Apr 8, 2003
10,019
108
63
Yeah I'd hate for him to finish third in the Heisman and lead us to an 11-1 season.
 
L

lbt86

Redshirt
Jan 31, 2016
94
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Hot Rock said:
Watching these videos, I was pleasantly surprised, Fitz is better than Klein.

As as far as the 4.8 speed? That's about right, but what it doesn't speak to is his ability to blow by people on his first few steps. His top end speed is good but his first steps are great!
Click to expand...

Fitzgerald could be the rich mans Collin Klein
 
B

BiscuitEater

Redshirt
Aug 29, 2009
4,178
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36
KurtRambis4 said:
to be very surprised with Nick's passing, by the time he graduates.
People forget that he essentially just learned this aspect.
Click to expand...

Agree, Fitz had incredible numbers as a rsFR behind Dak including, 78.6% completion rate, 21+ yards/completion and 21.4% of his passes were for TDs. He came into 8 games as a back-up with very little pressure.
Passing gp effic comp-att-int pct yds td lg avg/g
Dak Prescott 13151.01316-477-5 66.237932963291.8
Nick Fitzgerald 8290.2911-14-078.623534929.4

<tbody>
</tbody><colgroup><col><col><col><col><col span="5"></colgroup>
 
coach66

coach66

Junior
Mar 5, 2009
12,718
343
83
What Nick needs is to spend the summer with some elite QB coaches and refine his

passing game. It's not all about throwing its about reading coverages and checking down your receiver list which Dak made a quantaum leap at during
his time at State. He needs to learn how to run the short passing game like Dak and be patient. He has plenty of arm strength but needs to learn all the throws and when to put touch on a ball and when to hum it.
 
T

thf24

Redshirt
Jan 28, 2011
1,334
3
38
Great post, although as others have said, Fitz is definitely way faster than 4.8. You don't maintain distance or run away from all the guys Fitz did last season with 4.8 speed. Maybe that's how he comes out on the clock in drills, but I'd almost certainly peg him for a sub-4.6 type guy in terms of game speed.
 
R

RightOfCenter

Redshirt
Dec 5, 2015
1,135
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^^This. The check down man was almost always open and Fitz rarely looked in that direction. If he gets those passes down and learns to put consistent "touch" on the ball, look out. Making a defender respect the check down man would leave a hole open somewhere.
 
B

bruiser.sixpack

Redshirt
Aug 13, 2009
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Lol... 4.8 vs. 4.55..... can anyone click their fingers fast enough to distinguish those 2 speeds?


I have always wondered why we worry so much between a guy in full football uniform running a 4.5 or a 4.75.

That is an eye blink in time.
 
J

johnson86-1

All-American
Aug 22, 2012
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bruiser said:
Lol... 4.8 vs. 4.55..... can anyone click their fingers fast enough to distinguish those 2 speeds?


I have always wondered why we worry so much between a guy in full football uniform running a 4.5 or a 4.75.

That is an eye blink in time.
Click to expand...

I thought everybody was being sarcastic quibbling over the difference. I'm sure a lot of it is selective memory, but it seems like Fitz is faster than Ross, Perkins, and Jameon Lewis on the football field. Seems like they all got caught from behind more than Fitz.

Maybe part of it is that people take bad angles against Fitz because they don't realize how fast he's moving.
 
kired

kired

All-Conference
Aug 22, 2008
7,185
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bruiser said:
I have always wondered why we worry so much between a guy in full football uniform running a 4.5 or a 4.75.

That is an eye blink in time.
Click to expand...

What happens during an eye blink could be all it takes for a 5 yard TFL to turn into a 70 yard TD run. 40 times aren't everything, but in games that are decided by a few inches here & there... that 4.5 vs. 4.75 could be the difference in win or loss.
 
W

Wizard of bulldogery

Redshirt
Feb 14, 2017
648
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First off hello. 40 yard dash speed and running from an upright position with pads are completely different. 100 yard dash would be a better measure for someone tall like fitz. He's more freight train like than ferrari style. takes him 15-20 yards to get full speed as opposed to 5-10... once he's there tho you ain't gonna take him down or catch up to him.
 
kired

kired

All-Conference
Aug 22, 2008
7,185
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113
I have no idea what Fitz could run and really don't care. But it's simply wrong to pretend 40 yard dash times don't give any indication how successful a player will be, particularly if he's going to be running the ball.

From an article on the combine: Since 2003, 18 running backs have run the 40-yard dash in 4.40 seconds-or-faster. Of those, seven have recorded at least one 1,000-yard rushing season (Chris Johnson, Darren McFadden, C.J. Spiller, Jamaal Charles, Maurice Jones-Drew, Lamar Miller, and Joseph Addai). In that same span, 53 running backs have run the 40-yard dash in 4.75 seconds-or-slower. Of those, zero have recorded at least one 1,000-yard rushing season.
 
karlchilders.sixpack

karlchilders.sixpack

All-American
Jun 5, 2008
21,365
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113
********

Forty times do count, if you are a corner, or wide out, or running back.

In the real world of football it is otherwise , less significant.

Olympic sprinters may not start fast(which is the 40 issue) but when they turn on those afterburners...by by.
 
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