Today, Dak Prescott is a Dallas Cowboys superstar and the highest-paid player in NFL history. But how did he get to this point?
Prescott managed to turn his NFL dream into a reality, but he faced plenty of ups and downs along the way. Let’s revisit Prescott’s college career and journey to the NFL.
Dak Prescott’s Collegiate Career
Prescott attended Haughton High School in Louisiana. As a senior, he threw for 2,860 yards and 39 touchdowns with a 61.6% completion percentage. Prescott also rushed for 951 yards and 17 touchdowns. He led Haughton to a District 1-AAAA Championship in 2010.
The three-star recruit received offers from a number of schools, including Louisiana Tech, LSU, Memphis, Nicholls State, North Texas, and TCU. However, Prescott decided to commit to Mississippi State.
After redshirting as a true freshman in 2011, Prescott served as a backup to Tyler Russell in 2012. That season, he appeared in 12 games and completed 18 of 29 passes while throwing for 194 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions, while also rushing for four touchdowns and 110 yards on 32 attempts.
In 2013, Prescott took over as the starter after Russell suffered a concussion, and he never looked back. In 11 games, he completed 156 of 267 passes while throwing for 1,940 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 829 yards and 13 touchdowns on 134 attempts.
Prescott earned MVP honors in the 2013 Liberty Bowl after he led Mississippi State to a 44–7 win over the Rice Owls.
In 2014, his first full season as the team’s starting QB, Prescott led the team to a 10-2 regular-season record and broke 10 school records, including single-season passing yards (3,449), total yards of total offense (4,435), passing touchdowns (27), and total touchdowns (41).
Prescott was named the Manning Award Player of the Week five times, the 2014 SEC Offensive Player of the Week three times, and the 24/7 Sports National Offensive Player of the Week once. He also finished eighth in voting for the Heisman Trophy, receiving two first-place votes.
In his final season at Mississippi State in 2015, Prescott completed 316 of 477 pass attempts while throwing for 3,793 yards, 29 touchdowns, and five interceptions, while also rushing for 588 yards and 10 scores. He became the fourth player in FBS history to pass for 60 touchdowns and rush for 40.
In a win over Arkansas, Prescott turned heads by throwing for 508 yards and totaling seven touchdowns, which set the school record and tied the SEC single-game record for TDs.
With his collegiate career behind him, Prescott was firmly on the NFL’s radar.
When Was Prescott Drafted?
The Cowboys selected Prescott with the No. 135 pick in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Dallas had veteran Tony Romo under center, but they wanted to develop a predecessor.
After Kellen Moore broke his right tibia in training camp and Romo suffered a compression fracture of his vertebra during the preseason, Prescott was thrust into the starting lineup.
He made the most of his opportunity, throwing for 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just four interceptions while rushing for 282 yards and six touchdowns. Prescott earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, and he’s continued to thrive ever since.
In 2023, Prescott recorded career highs in touchdown passes (36) and completion percentage (69.5%) along with 4,516 passing yards, which led to him finishing second in MVP voting.