Football: Transfer Portal Strikes Again With Playmaker Nigel Fitzgerald
Nigel Fitzgerald, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound graduate transfer wide receiver for the UConn football team, announced on Twitter his official commitment to the program.
Fitzgerald was introduced to the game at an early age. He began playing at the Warnersville Recreation Center in Greensboro, North Carolina and grew up in a family full of educators and athletes. At a young age, his parents inspired him to find something that he found peace doing, which was playing football.
After playing at the Warnersville Recreation Center, Fitzgerald played Pop Warner travel football with the R&R Dawgs of North Carolina. He also played AAU travel basketball with the North Carolina Cobras.
Fitzgerald grew up playing at James B. Dudley High School, where he was a three-star recruit and state champion in 2016. During his time there, he was a part of four great teams.
He continued his academic and football career at Old Dominion and had over 20 scholarship offers in high school but the Monarchs just felt like a great fit. Fitzgerald would go on to graduate with a degree in communications.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Fitzgerald and his team were unsure if they were still playing. They returned back home and since gyms were all closed, the team was forced to get creative with their workouts. They did everything they could to prepare for a season that may or may not have happened.
“Even though we didn’t play a season in 2020, it didn’t put me back but it gave me a new understanding and different appreciation of the game,” Fitzgerald said.
His journey into post-grad life provides him another opportunity to succeed at the sport he loves.
“This season, I unfortunately faced an injury where I only played in one game this season,” said Fitzgerald, discussing his eligibility to play again. “I’ll technically be a redshirt sophomore again next year.”
Throughout all of the offers, Fitzgerald continued his education and then UConn entered the picture. It was a perfect match. He expressed how this move would help him be able to get a fresh start and create a new image for himself.
One of the popular factors that Fitzgerald, along with other athletes took into account was his confidence in UConn football’s new coach, Jim L. Mora.
“Honestly, UConn was the best fit for me. It was a great feel. I’m a big fan of Coach Mora,” said Fitzgerald. “I believed in his vision for the program from our first phone call.”
The football team was also a great choice for Fitzgerald due to the previous chemistry he had developed with some of the staff. Both wide receiver coach/pass game coordinator John Allen and UConn director of player personnel Michael Zyskowski previously served at Old Dominion.
Fitzgerald is a player who is very passionate about the game itself and stated that he’ll be looking most forward to creating bonds with his new brothers this season. In preparation for the 2022 season, he will be training with former Huskies wide receiver Geremy Davis in Arizona during the offseason.
Fitzgerald will lace up and get ready to play for the Huskies and coach Mora with a single goal at hand of turning this football program around.
