Elijah Staley Announces he is Transferring

Dan Mullen made a very bold statement during MSU Media Days. He said whoever did not win the quarterback job, he expected someone to transfer. We’ve speculated for a while he was referring to Elijah Staley, and today, Staley confirmed our speculations.

With the announcement, Nick Fitzgerald’s spot as the favorite became a lot stronger. Damian Williams could likely see the very first snap of the season, but most people assume the job will be won by Nick Fitzgerald.

Elijah Staley will have opportunities to find a new home. He was originally a Vanderbilt commit, but switched to Mississippi State after the Bulldogs saw what they liked in him. He might try to see if Derek Mason is interested in his services since it doesn’t seem like they have a ton of options at quarterback. This of course assumes the Bulldogs would allow him to transfer within the SEC. And with all of the transfer backlash recently, they very well might.

Would this have played out any differently had Staley not been so injury prone during his time as a Bulldog? We’ll never know, but I feel confident in saying he would have waited until season’s end to transfer and would have had a much better job of winning the quarterback competition had he not been hurt. In the end, the experience running the offense Nick Fitzgerald and Damian Williams have on Staley was just too much for him to overcome.

We wish Elijah Staley the best. If nothing else, he’ll always be remembered for being one of the most animated guys on the sideline. We hope he has a productive career wherever he may go.